Crazy Idea: Dacia Logan Goes Upmarket With Mercedes Interior

If you're living in Europe and are in the market for a back-to-basics car, the Dacia Logan should be on your shopping list along with the Fiat Tipo. Now in its second generation and with a mid-cycle refresh, the Logan is a sensible and honest small sedan that combines Renault underpinnings with a straightforward design in an affordable and practical package.

How cheap you ask? Max out the configurator and in its domestic market Romania you'll hit just €14,370 for the Prestige 1.5 dCi 90 Easy-R version. But what if the Logan were to move more upmarket and carry an asking price of roughly €20,000? This is where Lauren Schmidt steps in with his hypothetical "premium" Logan.

While it takes more than just some fancy interior bits and pieces to make it worthy of the premium status, the hypothetical Logan does look as if it belongs in a different league than the real range-topping Prestige trim. Not only does it borrow bits and pieces from Mercedes' compact models like the A-Class and CLA, but the virtual car also gets Renault's digital instrument cluster and the infotainment system. Leather, wood, and a Burmester sound system round off the upgrades on the inside where the central air vents have been removed to make room for Renault's R-Link.

Stepping outside of the tuxedo-wearing Logan, the imaginary posh Dacia gets LED headlights flanking a new grille with metallic accents and upper squares reminiscent of the Stepway models and the Duster SUV. Keen eyes will also notice the radar incorporated into the front bumper, which also hosts a pair of large fog lights with a metallic trim.

Riding slightly lower than the real Dacia Logan, Lauren Schmidt's creation gets two-tone larger alloy wheels and comes with sleek door handles that sit flush with the body. Moving at the back, the lower section of the bumper has been modified to accommodate dual exhaust tips, while the taillights are interconnected through an Audi A8-esque full-width light bar on top of which a chrome piece of trim has been added.

You'd think that Mercedes and Dacia couldn't possibly have anything in common, right? As a matter of fact, they have: Renault's trusty 1.5-liter dCi engine.