Renault Kwid Driven

This is Renault’s new kid, sorry, Kwid. With it, Renault has big plans to make a killing in the small car segment. No. Easy. Task. It means the Kwid will have to take on the Maruti Alto 800 and the Hyundai Eon, both from manufacturers that know what it takes to make a budget car like no one else in the business. For the Kwid to make a mark, it will have to stand out as a car and, more than that, match, if not undercut, the well known service and ownership costs, fuel efficiency and reliability of Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. Does the Kwid do that?

Hey! That looks like an SUV!
Its design is eye-catching for sure. The lines are pleasing, the proportions are right, it’s not fussy like an Eon and not unappetising like an Alto. Most importantly, it doesn’t look too ‘budget.’ Deliberate SUV styling cues – all that plastic cladding, squared off wheel arches, aggressive bumper and high bonnet – it looks rather distinctive on the road and the only real visual letdown are the weedy 155/80 R13 tyres and the gaps in the wheelarches thanks to the small wheels.
It’s a rather big small car, one that is considerably bigger than the Alto 800 and the Hyundai Eon and it’s got great ground clearance (180mm in a small car!) as well.
Renault will offer six styling packs and one of them offers plenty of faux-chrome exterior highlights that will appeal to the general Indian psyche. They’ve even come up with some customisation packages (chrome inserts, graphics etc) that, I kwid you not, look really cool.

It looks big. Is it big?
Yes, there’s lots of space inside and it’s a very cleverly designed cabin. The front seats have nice bolstering, there are plenty of big cubbyholes and door pockets and there’s something fresh and funky about that all-digital instrument cluster. The driving position is comfortable although there is no steering or seat height adjust (this is a budget car after all) and the view out is rather good.
With the 5ft 7inch me in the front seat, there’s lots of space for rear passengers as well, though they might not like the non-retractable seat belts at the rear. This is quite a big car on the inside.
Even the boot is big – there’s 300-litres of boot space with the seats up and 1115-litres with them folded! What’s not to like? Well, some convenience features have been left out – there’s no external boot release, the rear view mirrors don’t even have manual internal adjust and the front power window switches are clubbed together on the center console (possibly to save on wiring). However, there is plenty of equipment you don’t expect – a touch screen system (that’s similar to the one in the Duster), satellite navigation, USB, an aux-in port and Bluetooth connectivity. The sound system has only two speakers though. There’s even remote locking and an optional airbag on the top-end RXT.

What’s it like to drive
An all-new, 799cc, three-cylinder engine powers the Kwid. It’s got a four-valve, twin-cam head and Renault insist that all efforts went to reducing friction and weight. The engine makes 53bhp and 72Nm of torque which betters the Alto 800 but isn’t as much as the Eon’s. The Renault has one big advantage though – it weighs just 660kg and that is much lighter than its rivals.
It’s why the Kwid feels quite peppy. Yes, throttle response is a bit jerky when you’re ambling along and you have to drive around it, but otherwise, this is an impressively responsive engine. It makes eighty percent of its peak torque from 1200rpm, so it pulls away cleanly even when you start off on a slope. Know that there is a bit of a flat spot in power delivery when you suddenly ask for power but it does pull quite well when you really rev it out to its redline which could be around 5500rpm and sounds like 150,000rpm. We don’t know for sure because there is no tachometer. The five speed manual shifts cleanly and the clutch action is nice though.
Overall though, it performs well for an 800cc motor and you’ll love it’s ARAI claimed 25.17kmpl.
It rides really well and it dealt with bad surfaces really well. This is not surprising – Renaults are known for their well-tuned suspension setups and it rides fantastically for a budget car.
It is stable at speed and despite the narrow tyres, hangs on gamely when you push it through corners. The steering needs more self-centering action though – you expect it to swing back to straight ahead after one of those tighter turns, but you end up having to assist it back a wee bit after the turn.

To make a big dent
Ninety-eight percent of the Kwid has been localised and Renault insists that when it is launched, it will have the lowest ownership and maintenance costs in its segment. They say they will actively publicise spare part costs and that, along with a clever virtual showroom (where customers can get a live demo online) and an App that allows you to book the car are some of the techniques they are using to make a dent in the difficult to penetrate small car segment.
Renault will start taking bookings on the 14^th of September and deliveries will commence early next month. Pricing, as Renault’s big boss Carlon Ghosn announced at the unveil, will be between Rs 3 and 4 lakh, which is excellent value. All put together Renault look to have a game changer on their hands.