Renault is crashing into the car market’s entry-level segment with its hatchback Kwid. Did we say ‘crashing’? Yes we did, because the competition is intense in this segment, with the Maruti Alto K10 and the Hyundai Eon.
So is the Renault Kwid up to the challenge? Here’s what we think.
Arrey Mini-Duster!
Even though it’s pint sized, you can’t miss the Renault Kwid. All thanks to that SUV-esque front-end.
The car’s frame is a sharp contrast from the competition, and the well-proportioned lines lend a lot of road presence to the Kwid. It won’t be wrong to say that the Kwid’s deliberate SUV-like design is inspired by its cousin the Duster.
The chunky front and rear bumpers, squared wheel arches, and plastic cladding on the sides are sure to make heads turn once you hit the road in the Kwid.
The only trouble with the Kwid’s looks is the huge gap left in the wheel arches by the small 155/80 R13 tyres.
The Kwid scores the highest in its ground clearance. The 180 mm of ground clearance simply works wonders.
The Kwid is also much bigger that the Hyundai’s Eon or an Alto by Maruti Suzuki.
What’s Under the Hood?
A freshly minted 800 cc, three-cylinder engine with a four-valve, twin cam head powers the Kwid and Renault tells us that a ton of work went into weight and friction reduction.
The engine churns out 53 BHP and 72 Nm of torque and even though it lags behind the Eon in the department, it does beat the Alto.
How Does it Drive?
The Duster is a really well sprung piece of machinery and the Renault suspension set-up is famously well-tuned. The Kwid is no different, even for a budget car, and the ride and handling are spot on.
Even those 155/80 R13 tyres didn’t let us down. We drove through Goa’s winding by-lanes and the little Kwid held its own even when pushed through tight corners or while avoiding the odd aunty zipping past on her scooter.
There is however a flip side, the throttle response feels a tad jerky. That’s not unheard of in small cars, but it’s certainly something you’ll need to get used to here. What helps of course is the fact that the Renault has a very responsive engine.
The five-speed manual gearbox will give you clean crisp shifts and the Kwid will hit peak torque at 1,200 rpm.
All said and done, for an 800 cc car, Renault has done a fine job.
And then there’s also the ‘Great-Indian-PartyTrick’ — Renault’s fact sheet says that the Kwid has an ARAI claimed mileage of 25.17 kmpl!!
The other big advantage the Kwid has is that it is quite light.
At just 660 kgs, it’s much lighter than both its rivals and hence feels really peppy and responsive from the minute you ‘dump the clutch’.
Rejoice Indian car buyer, this is a Hallelujah moment!
Does it Just Look big? Or is it Actually big?
A bunch of really clever Frenchmen probably went to town designing the cabin and they’ve done a bloody good job.
There are a ton of bells and whistles in the Kwid that will instantly make you feel warm from inside because you only see it in cars higher up in the food chain. To begin with, the perky instrument cluster houses the Renault’s touchscreen media nav system (again just like the Duster), USB, Bluetooth connectivity, aux port and satellite navigation.
The seating upholstery is also nice but because you wanted a budget car, there’s no option for seat height and steering adjustment. The back seat will have enough space if you’re not too far above six feet, but the seat belts at the back are non-retractable, another budget cut but nothing one can’t learn to live without.
There’s 300-litres of boot space and you can fold the rear seats and hit 1,115-litres if you ever find yourself in a position to carry that much in a small car.
So to answer the question, yes the Kwid is a pretty big car for the small car segment.
Did You Say Game Changer?
Another thing the Renault fact sheet tells us is that 98% of the Kwid is made in India, and that means it is nicely set up to have pretty low maintenance costs, and the strategy is to make sure that the spare part costs are well publicised.
Renault has some neat moves up its sleeves as far as capturing the Indian psyche goes, and they’re offering six customisation options on the Kwid — chrome highlights, roof rails, skid plates, snazzy decals and side panels and if priced right, these will surely strike a chord with the custom-crazy Indian car buyer.
The Kwid will also get its own virtual showroom with a live demo option and an app that will allow customers to make bookings.
And then there’s the price, of course a matter of prime importance. Renault has been teasing a price range between 3 to 4 lakhs, but will wait for official figures till the formal launch.
If the buzz is anything to go by, the Kwid will make brilliant value for that kind of money. Bookings for the Kwid opened on September 14, and we’ll just have to wait and watch for more.
Now, if you put all of the above together, a game changer is what the Renault Kwid promises to be.
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