2018 Datsun RediGo AMT Review, First Drive – Sheer Convenience!

2018 Datsun RediGo AMT Review is of the 1.0 litre motor that now comes with an AMT. We give you all the reasons to consider it

Datsun in India continues to be a very active manufacturer as it has ambitious plans to gain market share with its parent company Nissan. Last year the manufacturer gave us the Datsun 1.0 Litre engine with a manual gearbox and before that, it was the 800cc variant of the engine with the same manual transmission. This year, the manufacturer wants to offer the 1.0 liter engine with an AMT gearbox.

The one seen in its cousin that is the Renault Kwid. The cars are quite different in terms of packaging and how they are placed in the market. However, they share a lot of mechanicals. We have driven all the above-mentioned cars, today we drive the AMT to tell you the subtle difference. Word is that the AMT gearbox is best tuned by the Renault-Nissan group. We try it again and find out if it is winning formula for the company and its prospective buyers.

Styling

In terms of design, the quirky layout of the car continues with a tall boy design. The rear raised, the front is squated and has an ‘in your face’ grille by this segment standards if you ask us. Raised suspension, skinny wheel and tyre combo don’t look that bad here as Datsun has done a good job. The side profile is of a tall boy and does a good job of imposing presence in the small car category, that too, by a good margin. Headlamps and tail-lamp as elements in the car look quite premium and isn’t plain vanilla like its rivals. Overall, the cuts and creases all around with quirky design and rich elements present all around make it a good car to buy in almost all color options to choose from.

Interior

Interior also continues to be the same. Our car had fabric upholstery which adds flair to the package. The plastics are acceptable all around. The a/c controls are the same as before. However, a new stereo system with USB, AUX and Bluetooth is fitted to the package. There are no steering mounted controls on offer. There is no navigation like its rival either. However, what we like about the cabin is the way it has been put together.

Certain elements which make the experiencing the car better include a thick steering wheel which is great to hold and inspires confidence. The gear shifter looks quite premium with the addition of chrome. The door handles with aluminium finish also look impressive on the top-end variant. The speedometer has a distance to empty and is a digital unit. What is not good is the handbrake lever, the knob for opening the bonnet and NVH levels which are quite high in the cabin when it comes to road and wind noise.

Power window switches mounted below are like wall-switches which operate in opposite manner than you expect. However, that is something you get used to within days. Quite a lot of storage, bottle holder, a well functioning A/c makes the car quite a city slicker in every aspect. Space in the front is good but in the back, it is limited in every regard such as knee, shoulder and leg room. Headroom is plenty because of the tall boy design. Flat bench design is a miss when it comes to offering long-term comfort for its passengers. The boot is quite accommodating in this segment and is another forte of the car we have seen since launch. The car also comes with a manual mode.

Driving Expirience

When it comes to driving part. The chassis and suspension setup offers good ride quality, the brakes are just about satisfactory and there is noticeable body roll. The numb and not so direct steering make it not a fun car to drive. However, the light steering and the low u-turn radius make it zipping in and out and making 3 point turns effortless. The engine, on the other hand, offers good NVH till low to medium speeds. Stomp hard the accelerator on the pedal and the engine gets loud. The torque is plenty and tall gearing aids in excellent driveability. There is a creep mode where it allows the car to reach 6 km/hr so driving in traffic is easy.

The motor continues to make 68 PS of power and 90 Nm of torque from its 3-cylinder 1.0l motor. AMT unit is a 5-speed box. Reaching 100 km/hr isn’t a task for the car thanks to the high power to weight ratio. The AMT gearbox shifts are almost seamless at any given speed which is the highlight over its rivals. AMT still needs work from all manufacturer but Renault-Nissan has reached a height where it is almost acceptable.

2018 Datsun RediGo AMT Review, Verdict

The price point which makes the AMT affordable and making automatic reach all homes without sacrificing value and maintenance cost (which is nill) makes the Datsun 1.0 AMT quite the ideal car in this segment. The Datsun and its cousin already offer a great amount of deal over its monotonous rivals which are finally getting ready with a reply as they are left redundant. The Datsun Redigo AMT makes a compelling case in this segment. We wish it had a bit more but you can clearly realize after spending time in the car, at this price point there is hardly anything you can ask more from the manufacturer.