Renault is planning a 2008 launch for its 7-seater Logan MCV at a price tag of Rs 6-7 lakh.

Tried fitting seven people in a car? Renault has found a novel way to do just that and it’s called the Logan MCV (Multi Convivial Vehicle). And it will be sold in India in the not-too-distant future by Mahindra-Renault, the new joint venture between the two companies.

The MCV is more of an estate than an MPV and a bit of a van as well and as a result it borrows attributes from all these segments. Like its saloon sibling, the Logan MCV has been designed with budget motoring needs in mind and this will be its key attribute in India as well. The MCV is the second model on the Logan or L90 platform and will be followed by four variants in the coming years.

But before the MCV is launched, Mahindra-Renault will introduce the Logan saloon in April 2007. The focus will be on the saloon for the first couple of months and hence we don’t expect the MCV to come before 2008. While the Logan saloon doesn’t break convention with its traditional three-box design, the MCV certainly does. In fact, the MCV is a completely new concept and we’ve had nothing like it before in the market.

So how do you go about making what is essentially a saloon car into a seven- seater? The first step involves stretching the wheelbase and in the MCV’s case to a colossal 2905mm. For reference, the Toyota Innova’s wheelbase measures only 2750mm! But the MCV is shorter overall than the Toyota and more car-like in its dimensions. The MCV’s roof is substantially higher than the Logan’s and has been given strengthening ribs to add rigidity to the body structure.

The vertical tail section has a van-like arrangement for the doors, and they open like your cupboard at home, giving you fantastic access to anything in the rear. And to make them easy to open in tight places, one of the doors is much smaller than the other. Like the Logan, this car aims to be simple yet strong, with exceptional levels of reliability. The familiar Logan nose, strong wheel arches and an interesting rear that is covered by non-painted ‘rub strips’, make the MCV distinctive but you certainly can’t call it attractive.

Sadly, form has followed function and though the MCV is extremely practical, the trade-off is a boxy design that is simply too utilitarian to pass muster with status-conscious Indians. On the inside, things like the dashboard and other controls are similar to those on the Logan. The interior architecture is again, functional and straightforward but the India-spec model would get plusher interiors. The real difference is the third row of seats which can accommodate two full-size adults in reasonable comfort. The large pair of seats at the back flip forward for versatility and the high roof doesn’t eat into headroom. And after all seven passengers have belted up, there is still 200 litres of boot space.

The MCV is built on the same Renault-Nissan Alliance B-platform that features the same MacPherson strut suspension seen on the Clio. The torsion beam suspension at the rear has been especially modified, with vertically placed dampers for even better durability. Again, for India, factors like ground clearance and bad roads will mean tailoring the suspension specs accordingly.

Like with the Logan, the most popular motor for the MCV will surely be Renault’s hardy 70bhp 1.5 dCi motor. This motor is a relatively simple unit but has ample torque and promises reliable performance and efficiency. A more exciting 1.6 16V 105bhp petrol motor is also available but is unlikely to be the engine of choice, given the sheer utilitarian character of the MCV.

Price will play a key role in the MCV’s success and like with the Logan, Mahindra-Renault is on track to make sure it doesn’t stray from the Rs 6-7 lakh range. But unlike the Logan, the MCV is a one-of-a-kind product. There’s nothing quite like it in the market. And the boxy looks notwithstanding, its uniqueness is what could make it an instant hit.