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Dacia Logan II MCV, the spiritual successor to the Mondeo II Estate and the B4 Passat. The ideal car for those who want to buy as much metal as possible with their money. Not necessarily quality metal, but lots of it.

The first MCV was a real success, especially among gubment fleets and people who couldn’t see the difference between potatoes from people. And it was quite capable for small or big business work, as that’s what the Logan VAN was for, basically the windowless van version of the Logan MCV, which is a cheaper Touran. A posher Modus. An almost-not-quite-there Caddy.

However, by 2013 the Dacia Logan II MCV realized that it couldn’t haul around people, potatoes and construction supplies at the same time, so it mutated and so the Logdy and Dokker were born. Lodgy remains for people who haven’t heard of vasectomy, and Dokker is the official car of real craftsmen who drink their coffee with Mountain Dew in the morning, with whiskey in the evening. A real van, for real men. 

And so, who was the Dacia Logan II MCV left with? Clearly, with the engines available, it’s for the family man who wants the cheapest estate on the market. If you look at the engines, you can see that the Logan II MCV is not made for hard work but rather for small businesses that don’t carry a lot of heavy stuff or for family guys who wanted a new, cheap station wagon.

Like I said in the Logan article however, it’s mind-boggling to see how much Dacia has evolved: automatic gearbox…well, robotic manual…reverse camera, cruise control, hill assist, start/stop, synthetic leather upholstery provided by C+C Music Factory because it’s gonna make you sweat. Is this for real or is it a Fanta sea?

Dacia Logan II MCV Engines

Petrol

• 0.9 Turbo with 90 horsepower – Renault basically teamed up with Mercedes and they came to the following agreement: Renault lends them their 1.5 dCi diesel and Mercedes gives them the 0.9 Turbo petrol. Designed initially for the Clio, Twingo and Smart, the engine has no reliability issues but it stutters under the hood of the Logan II MCV more than Stanley from The Office..


• 1.0 MPI of 73 horsepower – Bolted on the Dacia Logan II MCV with the sole reason for existence being in the brochures, with titles like “Dacia Logan II MCV, with prices starting at…”. This oil guzzler is probably decent on the Sandero, but on the MCV it doesn’t stand a chance.


• 1.0 Turbo of 100 horsepower  – Arriving in 20-20 to retire the ancient 0.9 Turbo which was launched in 2015, this engine is basically the same except slightly enlarged. Or elongated? Or inflated? Either way, we have 10 more horses so we’re already talking about a different kind of animal. But this is currently the most muscular engine available, so get on with it. Performance wise it’s not bad, just don’t load it up with people and luggage because otherwise, it’s as breathtaking as the moment when your manager texts you on Teams and says he/she is waiting for you to come to his/her office.


• 1.2 MPI of 75 horsepower – Like the 1.0 SCe, this engine was bolted in the Dacia Logan II MCV just for the brochure, only it was the first, like the Hungarians. The entry-level engine for taxi drivers that need to drive billions of miles without any issues, aspirations or performance. You only get an MCV with this engine if you aspire to one day afford an MCV. At the moment I haven’t met such a person, but it’s good to know it may exist.

Diesel

1.5 dCi 75 and 95 horsepower – You’d think it’s the same engine with various power outputs and no other differences. And you’d be more wrong than Britney Spears when she complained that “Ops! I’ve done it again!“. The main difference is that the 95 horsepower engine also has an AdBlue system, and the 75 makes due without one since it pollutes less. And so the 75 bhp version is much more reliable, but on the downside you’ll get pedestrians knocking on your window telling you to go faster. The 90 bhp version is marginally more muscular, but at what cost? If you don’t know what the deal with AdBlue is, let me put it this way – AdBlue is in 2020 to the diesel cars what the DPF was in 2010 to the diesel cars.

Dacia Logan II MCV General Issues

• Much like a dealer specialised in happy pills, the base price is just to lure you in. There’s no Access trim level in the base version because there you get only three seats ( the fourth is optional ) and a windscreen. The rest is optional. And when you start piling the options you start to wonder what you’ve done in life to get here.


• The Easy-R robotic gearbox was a total failure when it was launched. There have been cases clutch failures at as little as 5000 kms. After a while, the gearbox was taken off the list of options, improved and recently it was brought back from the dead. But should we still trust it? Automated manual gearboxes are never a good ideea, no matter the manufacturer.


• Much like with the first generation, the price of success can be seen on the quality materials…sorry, the toilet paper used for the bodywork of the Dacia Logan II MCV. The truth is that if you get hit by a supermarket trolley you won’t fall into a coma, you will die on the spot.


• The rust still sits in a corner waiting for you. It stalks you. He wants to take the bodywork off your car. Good thing the car’s wrapped in toilet paper and there is not metal whatsoever, so you’re safe. Still, check the car occasionally for rust.


• Special mention for the sharp edges of the rear doors. Up on the doors they made a edge so sharp you can chop wood with it. Which means that hyper active kids and rear passengers are in danger and should be warned before they might lose an eye or two.

Dacia Logan II MCV Verdict

Europe is full of these. They are excellent city cars, cheap and reliable. It’s good that Dacia have realized this and separated the cars so you know exactly what you’re buying. You don’t know what a vasectomy is and you can’t help yourself, you’ve got the Lodgy. If you’re a entrepreneur that is just starting, you’ve got the Dokker. If you’re a family man and to you the car is just another appliance, you’ve got the Logan MCV. On the other hand, I have to admit that the Dacia Logan II MCV Stepway looks great in style. If they were to give it a 4×4 system, nobody would’ve have bought the Duster. Or any other car.

What engines do you recommend? For petrol, I recommend the excellent 0.9 TCe, even if it’s abit small for this body. As for the diesel, I really have a hard time choosing between the 75 and 95 horsepower 1.5 dCi unit.