Mahindra-Renault Logan 1.5 DLS

Designed as a basic car, with little attention paid to design, it’s little surprise that the insides lack any flair. The single-piece, square-shaped dashboard is functional at best. The switchgear and circular air-con vents feel quite solid and operate well but the quality of plastics is questionable. The light beige colour works wonders here - it looks much nicer than the dreary grey used on the European Logans and this, along with the overall breadth and length of the car, give the insides a wonderful airy feel.

However, you can’t escape the cost-cutting on the insides. There are no proper door handles and the front seat rails don’t have plastic cladding and are exposed. The absence of a boot release is extremely impractical and annoying too.  The side mirrors are too small and the left-side one is partially obstructed by the A-pillar cladding. The low-placed switches on the centre console, which taper away from the driver, are not within easy line of sight. Reconfiguration to right-hand-drive is minimal with the column stalks, hood release and even the wiper pattern still set for left-hand drive. A number of the switches and controls work the wrong way around, or should we say the other way. Power window switches for the rear passengers are inconveniently placed ahead of the rear middle passengers’ feet and are difficult to reach.

What the Logan is unbeatable for is space and comfort. The front seats are wide and seat travel is good, but the seats are a touch flat. This is true of the rear seats as well. The lack of contours here is presumably to help fit three abreast in comfort, which the Logan manages very well indeed. Seat comfort is brilliant even though the back is a touch too reclined. Legroom is superb and you never find yourself feeling cramped. All three rear passengers also get headrests, to prove the point that three are comfortable at the back. The massive 510-litre boot can swallow huge amounts of luggage.