Okay, so you may have seen this before. Not the exact same thing, but something similar, maybe. Cut to the chase, the Scala is basically the Nissan Sunny — just the way the Renault Pulse is the Nissan Micra — with some very good cosmetic changes. A slightly more premium Nissan Sunny, well, count us in. Let’s find out how it fares, shall we!

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LooksAs re-badges go in the auto industry, this is a mild one but a nice one. Like the Pulse, the Scala gets a new front end, complete with sharper looking headlamp reflectors, a new front clip consisting of a new blacked-out grille and bumpers. The hood accommodates the Renault logo quite well. Apart from that, only the tail lights have changed – they are of the same shape, but of a different design with white strips melding into the stylish chrome garnish – just like the Opel Vectra – on the boot lid.

Now that’s a derriere with a lot more oomph than the Sunny’s and gives the car a far more upscale feel. We’d even dare say the Scala has the best backside in class.

Overall, the car looks a lot better than the Sunny, which suffers from a too-soft mien, as if the mould had melted a little and they decided to use it anyway. Well, the Renault-isation of this led to the looks being sharpened up a lot. On looks alone, we’d have this over the sibling. In the right colour, the Scala has hints of menace, even.

InteriorsSave for the Renault badge on the steering wheel, there’s not much here to differentiate from the Sunny. There’s nothing wrong with the Sunny’s interior, nothing at all, but this is badged a Renault and with that badge should come some French quirks, but normal steering-mounted controls and knobs exactly where you expect them to be seem a little mundane.

Of course, being based on the Sunny, there’s a lot of room at the back to relax and stretch out in. The rear seat is actually the most awesome part of the car with acres of legroom and comfy seating for three. Just make sure to point the rear blower vent for the a-c somewhere else lest the middle passenger freezes. The top variant has superb, soft leather upholstery and overall material quality is pretty nice with good plastics and shutlines. As a result, the interiors end up feeling a wee more premium.

The petrol and diesel versions come in just two variants with the top ones shod with 15-inch alloys — that’s an inch more than the Sunny wheelsize — that look cool.

PerformancePowering the Scala are the same engines you’ll find under the hood of the Nissan. A 98 bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine and a 85 bhp 1.5-litre diesel engine. The petrol engine is actually quite fun to drive, with its free-revving nature and good gearbox action, but the diesel will be the sales leader, for sure. The petrol engine pulls well till just before the red line where it seems to run out of breath a little. The exhaust note turns a little rorty as the revs rise, too, giving you great seat-of-the-pants feel when flogging the petrol version. There’s also a CVT on offer here which will make driving in the city a real pleasure. CVT transmissions have issues, but Nissan was one of the first manufacturers to bring it to the market, so they’ve worked out most of that.

Even the diesel powertrain is more or less the same as the one found in the Sunny and the Duster. Being the lower-power variant of the K9K engine, there’s very little turbo lag in this application. Sure, the shifter is a little notchy, but it’s not too much trouble, really.

The K9K series is turning out to be the second-most popular diesel engine family in the country after the Fiat Multi-Jet. It pulls brilliantly after about 1700 rpm, but before that mark, the engine is more or less asleep. The turbo lag isn’t prominent, but it’s there, with overtaking manoeuvres needing a quick downshift. Noise, vibration and harshness – or NVH – levels are well-controlled.

Coming to the fuel efficiency figures, the petrol version manages a very respectable 12 kmpl while the diesel managed to stay upwards of 15 kmpl at all times, now those are some impressive numbers.

Ride and handlingIt could be a psychological thing (because we’re used to driving Renaults that get their suspension settings absolutely right) or the fact that they’ve actually done something to the suspension, but we think that the Scala actually rides better than its sibling.

Low-speed ride seems to have improved a lot, with nothing, not even the larger bumps being transmitted into the cabin, there’s some sound from the bump, but your back doesn’t feel anything here. As the speeds rise, the body control is quite nice, with the car showing no signs of wanting to chart its own path. We’d be surprised if they didn’t tweak the suspension a bit, because this seems to ride a lot better than the Sunny, or maybe it’s just the better roads skewing out perception. The rear seat is absolutely comfortable with acres of legroom that none of the cars in the range can match.

In the handling department, the Scala won’t be keeping up with any sports cars anytime soon, but for its class, it does surprisingly well. It does understeer as you near its limits, and some mild hints of body roll, but before that, there’s some genuine fun to be had.

VerdictAs is their wont, Renault will price the Scala slightly higher than the Sunny because of the branding hierarchy. Considering that the Pulse doesn’t sell all that well, is it a smart move on Renault’s part to repeat their re-badging mistake again? Not really. For starters, the Scala looks just different enough from the Sunny that it makes sense to buy it, and with the recent success of the Duster, the Renault name is a hot commodity too, so who knows, the timing of this launch could just be the ticket for large scale commercial success for Renault in India. One advice to the No. 4 carmaker in the world, though: Don’t differentiate too much on price compared with the Sunny – only then will it be a killer proposition.

SpecsheetRenault ScalaPrice: Expected Rs7-9 lakh, ex-showroomKitna deti hai? 16.95 kmpl petrol, 21.64 kmpl dieselFuel tank: 41 litreFull tank good for: 500 km petrol, 700 km dieselEngine: Diesel: Renault K9K 1461 ccPetrol: XH2 petrol, 1498 ccMax powerDiesel: 86 PS/3750 rpmPetrol : 99 ps/6000 rpmMax torqueDiesel: 200 nm @ 2000 rpmPetrol: 134 Nm @ 4000 rpmDimension in feet: LWH 14.5/5.56/4.93Ground clearance: 161 mmGood for 5 people: YesBoot space: 490 litre