Renault Introduces Dacia Logan Pick-Up Truck

Renault's Romanian Dacia unit launched a light pick-up version to the low-cost Logan model line-up, which already includes a sedan, a station wagon and a van.

The model is built on the B0 platform derived from the Renault-Nissan Alliance's B platform, used for Renault's Modus, Clio II, Clio III and the Nissan Micra. The pickup platform is the same as that for the MCV wagon/van versions.

With an 800kg payload, a maximum load length of 1.80m and 300 liters of storage space behind the seats in the cabin.

Dacia has experienced corrosion problems with some early-build Romanian- and Russia-made Logans and is currently undertaking rectification via dealers.

The new pickup has metal panels protected with wax injection of the hollow sections, sealing mastic protecting exterior cabin joints, and reinforced anti-chip protection for the substructure.

Corrosion protection also includes a galvanized roof and door panels, while some versions have wide protective door mouldings.

Other protective features for a model likely to be used in harsh emerging-market conditions include raised suspension height, higher ground clearance, and a protective skid plate under the powertrain.

Dacia Logan Pick-up comes with a choice of three engines from the Renault group powertrain bank: one petrol engine (1.6 MPI) and two versions (70hp and 85hp) of the 1.5 dCi diesel unit.

The 1.6 MPI petrol engine develops peak power of 64kW (90hp) at 5,500rpm and peak torque of 128Nm at 3,000rpm. It is rugged and easily serviced, important criteria for a utility vehicle. And it yields very creditable torque from low engine speeds. The first three gear ratios are short, for good pullaway and acceleration at low speeds or when heavily loaded, while the top two speeds are staged for acoustic comfort and fuel economy. On a combined cycle, Dacia Logan Pick-up with the 1.6 MPI consumes a very reasonable 8.1 liters per 100km.

The technologically advanced 1.5 dCi diesel engine enjoys benchmark status in its category, and features a second-generation common-rail direct injection system that combines responsive performance with very low fuel consumption.

The 50kW (70hp) 1.5 dCi version produces peak torque of 160Nm at 1,700rpm, with 85% of peak torque available between 1,500 and 3,500rpm. With the 63kW (85hp) version, peak torque is 200Nm from 1,900rpm, with 90% available from 1,500rpm. The five-speed gearbox, lubricated for life, is specially developed with longer ratios to make the most of the 1.5 dCi's torque. Pullaway and acceleration are crisp and sharp, even with a loaded vehicle.

Both 1.5 dCi versions are ideally suited to a working vehicle like Dacia Logan Pick-up, and they give very reasonable fuel consumption and CO2 emission figures. With the 85hp 1.5 dCi engine, Dacia Logan Pick-up consumes just 5.2 liters per 100km (combined cycle), with CO2 emissions of 137g/km.

Because these figures are very low for a vehicle with such a substantial loading capacity,
Dacia Logan Pick-up makes a significant contribution to one of the undertakings of the Renault Commitment 2009, namely to sell a million vehicles that emit less than 140g of CO2 per km by the end of the business plan.

With its 50-liter fuel_tank, Dacia Logan Pick-up 1.5 dCi 85hp also sets a benchmark for range in this vehicle category, approaching 1,000km.

The Dacia Logan Pick-up will be released in Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey in 2008, followed by other markets from 2009.

The Dacia Logan Pick-up will be launched on the Romanian market next month at a starting price of 7,250 euros ($10,600).

It is being built at the Pitesti plant in Romania.

The pick-up program took an investment of 51 million euros.

In 2007, 100-million euros were invested at the Pitesti plant, to increase capacity from 235,000 vehicles per year in 2006 to 350,000 in 2008.

[source: Renault]