Renault Scala RxZ X-tronic CVT - Design Review

Let’s face it; Renault India is now more vulnerable to competition than ever. What started off as a humble beginning under Mahindra’s watch is now a force to be reckoned with. The extremely well thought out Duster shows that the French carmaker has the right makings to become a formidable long-run player here in India.     

The relatively less known Scala, on the other hand, has been around for four months and hasn’t quite seen the success that Renault might have hoped for. So when the carmaker announced the arrival of Scala automatic, we couldn’t help but think how brave it was of Renault to venture into a segment that has not proven to be viable. Petrol-powered automatic cars, after all, do not contribute much to the sales of mid-size segment in the Indian market. 

With the launch of the automatic version, the Scala joins a handful of automatic mid-size sedans currently on sale. However, what makes the Scala automatic stand out from the rest is the fact that it comes with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) which according to Renault offers better fuel efficiency than an equivalent Scala with a manual gearbox.

While the Scala automatic shares quite a few bits and pieces with the upcoming Nissan Sunny automatic, Renault hopes that its latest offering will appeal to the buyers in a much larger way, even beating stiff competition from the likes of segment leader, the Honda City AT.       

While technically based on the Nissan Sunny, the design team over at Renault India has done a fairly commendable job of making the same car reflect some of the French design characteristics and calling it the Scala. The Scala, as a result, looks much more premium than the Sunny and even from a distance; it’s easy to differentiate between either of the cars. The Scala automatic, on the other hand, doesn’t get any visual upgrades whatsoever. If it weren’t for the CVT badging at the boot, the car would easily be able to pass as a standard petrol-powered Scala.   

So how good is it? We hit the scenic roads outside of Mumbai to find out.

Also read:

Renault Scala Automatic - User Experience Review

Renault Scala Automatic - Performance Review