Renault Kwid launched, prices start at Rs. 2.56lakh

Is Renault’s new small car an Alto-slayer?

Renault’s new small car, the Kwid was launched in Delhi today. Renault have a solid product on their hands and all that was left to be seen was how they price it. With an introductory price of Rs. 2.56 lakh, just INR 4,000 more than the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, Renault might just have a winner on their hands.

Powering the car is the 800cc, 3-cylinder petrol engine churns out 54bhp at 5,678 rpm and 72 Nm of torque at 4,386 rpm. This is mated to a mated to a 5 speed manual transmission. The car is 3679mm in length, 1579mm in width and 1478mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2422mm. To give you some perspective, the Alto 800 which happens to be the segment leader has a length of 3395mm, width of 1515mm and a wheelbase of 2360mm. There is 300 litres of boot space which can be increased to a massive 1115 litres if you fold the rear seats.

The Kwid has been designed keeping the Indian roads, customers and the demand in mind. Itlooks rugged and almost SUV-like, something that the Indian market seems to really like. The 155/80 R13 tyres with those huge wheel-wells give the car a ground clearance of 180mm. With bold shoulder lines, blackened headlamps, fog lamps, side cladding, the side turn indicators are smartly tucked in the fenders, contemporary rear styling, rear spoiler its arguably the best looking small car in the country right now.

On the inside, it feels roomy and has plenty of cubby holes for storage. It also gets a 7 inch touchscreen display and the Digital instrument cluster with infotainment system. The plastics do feel cheap, but at this price point, you can’t really complain. The front seats are comfortable and have ample legroom, headroom and shoulder-room. On the rear there is adequate legroom, with ample shoulder-room for three but the head room might be an issue for adult rear passengers. One airbag (for the driver) is available as an option, but it does not get ABS.

The higher variants come filled to the brim with features. Electronic power steering, one touch lane change indicator, power assisted windows, aircon, power socket, remote keyless entry with central locking, audible parking brake warning, engine immobiliser, cabin light with timer and fade out – you name it, the Kwid offers it. The digital instrument cluster with tells you average fuel consumption, distance to empty, average speed and even has a gear shift indicator. The touchscreen infotainment system comes with voice guided navigation, Bluetooth audio streaming, hands free telephony, USB, AUX and speed sensing volume control.

It took a little over two years to develop this car and the localisation levels for this car are as high as 98 percent, helping the company to put this bargain of a price tag on Kwid. The car will be manufactured at Renault’s Chennai plant, which would also be where the cars for export will be made.

The Kwid is a superb package and is virtually unbeatable at this price tag. It’ll be interesting to see if the it does well in the minds of the consumer. Could it finally topple the Maruti-Suzuki Alto from its perch and become the highest selling car in the country? We’ll just have to wait and watch.

We’ve driven the Kwid, you can read our first impressions of how it is to drive here- http://evoindia.com/renault-kwid-driven/

Renault Kwid Pricing (ex-showroom Delhi)

Variant                                 Price- INR

KWID STD                            2,56,968

KWID RXE                            2,88,960

KWID RXE(O)                     2,94,960

KWID RXL                            3,11,664

KWID RXT                            3,44,131

KWID RXT(O)                     3,53,131