The Kwid’s underlying proposition is its sports utility styling. Driven by the fact that this is the body style that is currently the rage across markets, and not the least because Renault’s success in India is underlined largely by the Duster’s popularity, the Kwid makes a statement even when standing still. The entry hatchback segment is lacking in variety and the tall-boy design is by now passe. So, is it just SUV styling or does the Kwid’s design also serve a purpose? Well, if the 180mm ground clearance and the extra headroom at the front can be considered more practical than what is offered by the others in the segment, then the Kwid’s design would have already served a purpose
EXTERIORS ;
The Renault Kwid 2017 looks very beefy. It is a contemporary car and looks that way. The Kwid has tough looks and a tall appearance. High ground clearance is one of its USPs of Renault Kwid 2017 and it also gets matte black body cladding. This makes it look bigger and bulkier as compared to other cars in its segme
Renault Kwid 2017 has transformed the entire entry level hatchback segment. The Kwid has SUV looks and not typical car looks. The others cars in the segment are compact and basic in styling, while the Kwid feels large enough and rugged with its high ground clearance. The Kwid looks more rugged due to the body cladding. The Renault Kwid 2017 stands out in a crowd with its black grille. From the side it looks seems impressive with a high ground clearance. The tyres are skinny and are the only downside on the Kwid. This is in view of keeping costs low and deriving a higher fuel efficiency. It gets blacked out door pillars and also door handles. The rear profile of the Renault Kwid 2017 is also quite good with small tail lamps and black rear bumper.
INTERIORS ;
The interior of the more powerful Renault Kwid is ditto and there are no extra features on offer in this variant. However, the Kwid is already well equipped to keep the buyers happy. The layout is simple and functional but the touchscreen infotainment system is the party piece of the Kwid’s interior. You don’t get such features in the competition. You have navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity with music streaming and a lot more. Sadly, rear view mirrors still don’t get internally adjustable function. Rear passengers don’t get power windows either. What you do get is plenty of cabin space along with a huge 300-litre boot space.
PERFORMANCE ;
The Kwid uses an all-new, all-aluminium, three-cylinder petrol engine. Its capacity is 799cc, power is 53.26bhp and torque is 7.34kgm, but the statistic you really want to know is 25.12kpl — an ARAI rated fuel economy figure that makes it the most efficient petrol car in the country. That figure remains to be tested in the real world, so for now, let’s see what it’s like to drive.
Fire it up and you will get a fair bit of vibration and clatter that lingers at idle, but soon fades away as you start to rev it. Snick the positive-feeling gear lever into first and try to set off, however, and you’ll notice it feels very jerky and hesitant. Many will feel the need to feed in some throttle and slip the clutch, in fact. Get past this and progress becomes a lot smoother, and you’ll soon notice the engine has a good amount of pep. The max torque may be produced at 4,386rpm, but you get 80 percent of it from as low as 1,200rpm. However, it’s best to use the accelerator gently and smoothly with this engine, as it doesn’t respond well to hasty inputs. Punch down hard and it will stutter and fumble, and the resultant acceleration is not smooth at all. In fact, power delivery overall can be a bit inconsistent, with noticeable ‘gaps’ in progress. Speaking of which, there’s also a big gap between second and third gears. Refinement is not great either, but rather than a three-cylinder clatter as you might expect, the bigger noise is an ever-present mechanical whine in the cabin. Push on and power suddenly drops off and gives way to noise after a certain point. Still, we feel the performance is more than adequate by the 800cc segment standards.
RIDE AND HANDLING ;
It is a Renault at the end of the day and this is felt with the way the Kwid handles. There is a slight roll felt around corners at high speeds but the entire setup does a great job of maintaining its straight stance. Renault rightly claims that the Kwid mimics the Duster by offering similar level of driving dynamics, which has to be its salient feature. To make sure there isn’t much of drama when it comes to bringing the vehicle to a complete halt, it gets disc brakes in front and drum on the rear. Since there is no ABS offered for now, the tiny rubbers screech to glory during abrupt braking. We wish the brakes to be tad more effective. Overall, it leaves an amazing impression and is undoubtedly the best city car to drive in its segment.
VERDICT ;
If it is your first car, and you haven’t experienced a torque converter or dual clutch automatic before, the Kwid AMT will prove both easy to drive and agreeable to own. The gearshifts aren’t jerky, the throttle is linear and responsive, and thanks to the 1-litre engine, it is also energetic to drive in the city. We haven’t tested it for fuel economy yet, but we expect it to return efficiency figures matching the manual Kwid 1.0. What’s more, it carries over the highlights of the Kwid: a light steering, a plush low speed ride and clear visibility.