The Renault Kwid. The hatch from the manufacturer that aims to take on the likes of heavyweight champion, the Maruti Alto is finally here with us. Renault has an aggressive strategy of giving a lot of features to models to make sure the car is a value for money proposition. This hatch is no different either. Be it on the inside and outside, it has what it takes to impress a set of consumers as always. Like always there are core strengths and weakness of any product that comes from the Renault stable. We find out what the Kwid offers and doesn’t to its prospective buyers.
On the outside, the hatch is a sub-four meter car, standing at 3.7 meters. but it is the most compact in its class. The elements on the car make it stand out such as the unique DRL and headlamp setup. The build quality on the outside seems and sounds good but as we know, most Renault cars don’t score the highest marks in crash tests. The small wheels designed to look like alloy wheels are steel wheel caps.
On the inside, the build and quality are on par with the segment and so is the feature list we have explained time and again in our launch reports. You get every feature possible in the top two variants of the car while the rest of the variants are not well-specced. The touch screen is great to use and is the reason why Kwid is so popular as its rivals don’t even offer a proper system even in the top-end variant. Space, well as any other Renault car, there is adequate shoulder and knee room you expect.
Leg and headroom continue to be in good supply too. The boot space is good by segment standards. Road and wind noise inside the cabin is higher but again, on par with the segment. ABS and EBD with two airbags come as standard. NCAP rating for the Kwid stands at 1 star, period.
Driving
All Renault engines are not that smooth, free-revving and low on NVH and the one on the Kwid is no different. Be it in any part of the rev range, the engine feels jerky and the engine feels coarse. The clutch is light and so is the gearbox to operate. Be it the manual or the AMT. AMT automatic shifts are jerky and at low to medium speeds. Low and mid-range power and torque are more than adequate lending it in a good performance, not great.
The top-end is good enough as well and it cruises below legal speeds easily. This makes it good enough for the city and slightly tough for highway duties as overtaking requires planning. The naturally aspirated 1.0l petrol offers good mid-range and mediocre low and top-end power, which is best only for congested city duties. Fuel economy continues to be on the impressive side as you get 14 km/l in the city and 17 km/l on the highway.
Like most Renault cars, the low to medium ride quality is good, but the high-speed ride can be a bit floaty. As the suspension has been tuned the same way when it comes to lower and upper stroke. This means body roll increases as speeds get higher while taking a corner or changing lanes at high speeds. Tyre and wheel combo does need an upgrade if you plan to do highway duties. Steering is light, barely precise and has almost negligible feedback on offer which makes the car not so fun or 100% confidence-inspiring to push harder.
With four passengers on board, it can feel a bit better, but then the ground clearance does not get compromised thanks to more than extra ground clearance over all its rivals. The brakes are good but the pedal bite is a bit soggy and has a long travel. Overall, the car is very easy to drive.
2021 Renault Kwid AMT Review, Verdict
All Renault cars are quite reliable, have enough reach and quality when it comes to after-sales service, they are cheap to maintain and run like most of its rivals such as Maruti. While the hatchback here does have all the wow aspects to lure most customers as it offers truly something different. Like most Renault cars, the Kwid here makes a lot of sense to be considered as it is the most purposeful car you can find in this class.
