Renault Kwid 1.0L – evo fleet

When the Kwid was first launched, it was an anomaly in the Indian market — the outsider who had arrived to challenge Alto. But it caught the imagination of the country. So often I was asked at signals, about how the car performs, what mileage it gives, if it is worth the money it commands. The Kwid changed the fortunes of the brand in India, allowing it to register triple digit growth figures in the last year. No more is the Kwid an outsider, it is a strong contender within the mainstream.

Now the Kwid 1.0L has made its way to our fleet. Having driven the older car a fair bit, including a Pune to Bangalore roundtrip, I can say that I am quite familiar with the car. Not too much has changed, and that is a good thing — the Kwid was a sorted car from the start. The biggest change, obviously, is the engine. More pep, less vibes, basically a much nicer package than the 800cc unit. Being a triple, it is still not as refined as you’d like but it isn’t bothersome on the go. The extra cee-cees give it better in-gear acceleration and out on the highway, overtaking isn’t as laborious a task as before. We drove the Kwid down to Mumbai to attend our annual awards and managed fine with four people plus luggage. This additional weight did make things more cumbersome — you can feel the engine straining especially on the uphill ghat section but it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. That said, it is far more comfortable if there are just two people in the car.

The cost cutting, however, does get a little annoying. The car doesn’t get a day-night mirror and so if you’ve got a Fortuner behind you with its high-beam on, say goodbye to your retinas. Also, the car just gets two tiny speakers up front. They sound tinny and no matter how much you play around with the equaliser, you can’t get any sort of wholesome sound out of them. It’s a disappointment considering the UI of the infotainment system is so spunky with a large colour touchscreen and host of connectivity options. If you enjoy your music and you do get yourself a Kwid, my advice to you would be to invest in a better sound system as soon as you get delivery.

But these are things you learn to live with in a car that costs just `4 lakh. Because at this price, the Kwid offers so much else and is actually unbeatable for value. And for precisely this reason, it still sells like hotcakes. In fact, nearly a year and a half after the launch of the first Kwid, I still have people knocking on my window at traffic lights and asking if it is any good. The evo India fleet has this little car for the next couple of months so watch this space to stay updated on how it fares.

Date acquired: March 2017
Duration of test: 1 month
Total mileage: 3345km
Mileage this month: 1032km
Overall kmpl: 14.6kmpl
Costs this month: Nil