Review — Datsun rediGo 2016

Datsun is India’s youngest brand when it comes to the automobile scene. And to be frank with you, it’s quite well armed. It feels like a start-up that’s been well incubated and does some pretty good stuff. It’s got the tooling taken care of, vendors taken care of, components sharing strategies in place, production lines all set and yet allowed to compete with same products that it shared components, tools and production lines with. Quite a cracker of a deal, uh?

There’s always this cool thing about Nissan, Datsun and Renault. They have some good engineering. Think of them as great chefs; they all use the same high grade ingredients, but they do their magic, serve their different audiences well. Each product somehow stands apart from one another. That being said, the rediGO is quite different from the way the Kwid works.

Being the 3rd product in the portfolio after the GO hatchback and Go+ MUV, Datsun is pushing it with the rediGO in an unforgiving way. Personally, I liked the Go hatchback. I looked at it as a Nissan Micra with more space. But it failed to make an impact hugely because of bad timing — Global NCAP stepping in, crashing the cars and not just giving low scores but suggesting that Datsun is better off pulling the vehicle out of the market. The low cost somehow became more of a justification for the low safety scores.

The rediGO is like Datsun’s second launch pad into seeing good numbers and claiming some market share. How good is it? Let’s find out.

The Design

If there’s something great that diversity has taught us, it’s the ability to design differently. The rediGO looks its part when it comes to its target audience mostly involving first time buyers

Here’s a bit of background — the rediGO shares the same platform as the Kwid but only shorter, narrower and taller. Take these small dimensions and a tall boy resulting from this is bound to look weird and hard on the eye. It’s evident that Datsun put in a very conscious effort in making the rediGo look the way it does. It’s funky, youthful, energetic, got some design drama and a formula that works, differentiates and yet blends.

From what I have seen, an expressive design works well with the Indian audience. Large headlamps, proportional grille, some chrome and a bumper that seems muscular if not feel so. Datsun uses that philosophy well. But when you move lower down to the front bumper, the unnecessary empty slots (at least in this version) give an impression that it’s still work in process. The lime-green car we tested got silver skid plates at the front and rear.

Move to the side, you’d find a shoulder line and a belt line making some impactful impressions. They work together to result in a futuristic look. The spaced out wheels at the front and rear extremes create a sense of space even before you get into the vehicle.

The rear distinguishes itself very well from the other cars with the show completely stolen by those tail lamps that look inspired by the Volvo XC90/Honda CR-V. The prominent blue coloured Datsun logo stands out pretty well. The tailgate portion ends with a neat strip of chrome. The rear bumper appears large and tall and houses tiny reflectors on either side.

Though the rediGo appears great on a quick look, a deeper and more attentive look would have you noticing the cost cutting (or cost controlling in this case) measures. For one, the rediGo needs a runner board along the wheelbase to cover the awkward unfinished look. Black Plastic ORVM covers are standard. And the wheel arches need some internal cladding for some noise cancellation.

But all said and done, Datsun’s attention to build, fit and finish on the rediGo when compared to the Go, Go+ deserves a mention.

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The Inside Story

Open the door and you are bound to notice how easy it is to get into the vehicle. Once in and settled, you’d notice that the seats are relatively flat, almost semi bench like. It doesn’t carry too many contours to support your body the best. But hey, it works. You are certainly not uncomfortable. There’s nothing to easily complain about — unless you are used to driving significantly more expensive cars like the Hyundai Grand i10 and the likes.

The dashboard is all about the curves and the piano black centre console that houses the music player and the A/C controls. Lots of open cubby spaces to store your items and a well located charger point.

There are 3 adjustable circular AC vents that can be directed towards the front passengers and one fixed AC vent just above the music player that is positioned to improve air circulation to rear seat occupants. To be honest, the rediGo’s A/C system is pretty strong and has the capacity to cool down the cabin in very little time.

Coming to the music player — it’d lead you to feel that you’re better off with some bigger buttons to start with. Plastic quality could be better as well — but I wouldn’t complain too much because there is some rational understanding that the car’s built to a cost. The same story can be extended to the AC dials too.

What I like about the rediGo’s interiors the best is the chunky steering wheel that has the contours and ergonomics study done to support your palm well. The instrument panel behind the steering wheel offers quite a lot of information.

Though the dash offers a lot of space, the door pockets can just store newspapers or a magazine in the gaps between the exposed door shell and the plastic trims.

Get into the rear, you can find more of these exposed body shells around the doors and also behind the seats. Even spot welds on the tail gate can be noticed from the inside (ouch). Datsun could have just extended the roof carpet, maybe? From a functional perspective, these make no difference. All cars have those panels, only covered up. But from an emotional perspective, it gives a sense of insecurity that is hard to get convinced out of.

The rear seat here is a flat bench, a little firm but not uncomfortable. The backrest is tall enough to offer some support. The knee room is fairly small but the fact that you can stretch your legs under the driver seat results in an overall above average rear seat comfort.

The rear is probably the best place for young kids. Two adults can be seated comfortably in case of a short trip. The single fixed AC vent dedicated to the rear seat does its job well.

Being an entry level product, rear windows don’t get power controls — you’d have to manually roll them up and down.

Open the boot and you’ll find some decent storage space. Though the volume is good, loading items luggage would be a hassle as the space is narrow and deep. Plus, the high loading lip would require you to lift higher than usual.

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How it drives

I think it is fair to say that the rediGo is an exclusive city commute car — if you need to go from point A to point B and need that independence of self-mobility (and not Uber) on a light budget, the rediGo could be of some good value.

Once you are in and crank the 3 pot 800cc engine, you’d notice the vibrations at idle RPM quite immediately. Having just 3 cylinders, vibrations are bound to occur. Given the cost, engine noise control measures are not exactly at the top of the priority list.

The tall, short throw gear lever is easy and fairly quick to shift. Engage first gear, a little bit of rattle and you’re off. Throttle response is not exactly what we are looking for right now — but if you give it time, it’d react pretty well. Being compact and coupled with a very light steering system — it’s a boon when it comes to city usage as you can maneuver your way through traffic, shift lanes with the lane change indicators (yes, the rediGo has them!) and keep going your way.

Given the capacity of this engine, it’s not very torque oriented. So, you’d have to downshift when you find a lull in throttle response. The chunky steering gives you great grip and does wonders to the way you maneuver. If I’m missing something — that’d be steering mounted controls, but that’s probably too much to ask for.

Being a city car, I feel the suspensions have a soft set up. This works to a good advantage as the rediGo is more readily (redi-ly?) capable of absorbing road irregularities at low speeds, if not high.

Personally, I think the biggest let down for me is that the car runs on tiny 13” wheels and tyres run on very thin width that won’t be able to support you with enough grip. Runner up would be the dull brakes that would require considerably more leg power than you’re used to.

On an overall count, it’s good vehicle to drive when it comes to city commutes. But beyond that, there is this intangible feeling that doesn’t get valued. It’s got that authentic communication between man and machine. It’s raw, simple and super straight forward.

The Renault Kwid gave me the same sensation as well — though I feel the way it drives is significantly different from the rediGo. And somehow, I did not get that sensation when I drove the Hyundai Eon/Alto 800 or even the Tata Nano.

Verdict

Cutting to the chase — it’s a question of which option you can put your money on. I think we have to look beyond just specs on paper for this one. We need to look at a personality match as each option there represents something.

Here’s what I’d do:

1. If I’m a car nut with a tight budget, I’d pick the Kwid because I thought it was peppy and I loved the torque and gear ratio sync.
2. If I’m adventurous, experimental and a little bit weird, I’d take the rediGo as that’s what it is. Take it to places, explore the city and yet make an impression.
3. If I’m the no-nonsense guy with some likeliness for design, I’d pick the Eon because it is sedate, well designed and does what it supposed to.
4. If I’m risk averse, think too rationally and worry about depreciation, I’d take the Alto 800.
5. If I don’t like driving at all and yet need a car, I’d take the Nano AMT.

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And this is where I find a parking spot, shut the engine, close the door and lock the rediGo manually (yes, no central locking) and handover the keys.

Let me know what you think.

Pros:

1. I fell for the looks — at least the exteriors. It works for me.
2. Ground clearance is great!
3. Great for city commute
4. That intangible connection
5. Good air conditioning system

Cons:

1. Puny 13” tyres have low grip
2. Exposed panels could give you the insecure feel
3. Central locking not available?
4. Give me Bluetooth if not for the touchscreen from the Kwid.
5. Little more bite to the brakes can be of a great value.