People`s choice

The back-to-basics Dacia Logan has just received its first makeover. The facelift focused on upgrading what were considered the car's weaknesses rather than towards repositioning the car itself.

While the essential structure of the car remains the same, the overall length has gone up by 40 mm. But what you will really notice are the lines, which are smoothed out, upmarket-ed versions of the old car. The changes start with the smarter new light clusters front and rear but are not restricted to the plastic either.

Renault have overhauled the air dam, both bumpers, cleaned up the bonnet somewhat, added a fat chrome strip and in Europe, the car will wear the Dacia logo shield that debuted on the Sandero hatch (which is the better looking hatch version of the Logan).

In Europe, taking a leaf out of the hot hatch books, the Logan will actually get faux carbon fibre surround for the fog lamps in the dam. At the rear, the tail gate is flat with the crease in the middle gone. In comes an integrated lip spoiler and a smoother looking new bumper.

Inside, the accent was on making the Logan feel more upmarket. So the Sandero's fresher dash makes its entrance, along with completely new door panels.

In Europe, there will be two finishes for the dash and four interior upholstery options. The seats are also all-new, while the remarkable interior room continues, of course.

In Euro spec, the Logan will aim for a better EuroNCAP crash rating (three stars for the old car) with the latest generation of Bosch's ABS, complete with EBD and emergency braking assistance.

Also in the safety column, is the 7 mm wider front and rear track for greater roadholding. The dashboard itself has an internal impact-dispersing honeycomb structure to dissipate impact forces and reduce injuries to occupants. The engines, though, remain untouched, and it will be the case in our country as well.

Given that Mahindra-Renault's Logan hasn't quite hit the charts as high as the company had hoped, the upmarket-feel oriented upgrades may be exactly what's needed.

Which is why we think that this facelifted Logan should hit Indian shores as early as the beginning of 2009. Expect the prices to remain in the same ballpark, though.