[Rajeevraj]

Had to visit the VW service center to check some stuff related to my Vento 2nd service. There is a Renault Showroom just down the road. So decided to stop there and see what I could find about the Kwid (Trident Renault-KR Puram-Bangalore).

General Info

• There was a display car. As per SA just came in the previous day.
• Big crowd to check out the Kwid. Renault's marketing paying off.
• In spite of this, there was a dedicated SA waiting at the door to greet the new customers.
• Knowledgeable chap. Rattled off the variants, key feature additions per variant and price in no time. I told him I was just there to check out the car, so no need to bother with me. Otherwise after the initial intro, he would hand over customer to the next SA.
• One SA dedicated to collect name and contact number of the customers.
• Key things that stood out in the feature list
  • Power Steering only from the 4th variant- Really? That is a big bummer.
  • Difference between top and top-1 is only the Airbag.
• 22,000 booking so far. So many bookings without a proper look at the car or a test drive. Again Renaults marketing seems to have worked.
• Waiting period of 3 months already. Book now for delivery in Jan
• Test drives from 10th October.
• Top End 4.51 L OTR Bangalore.
• No info yet about an AMT variant.

Impressions about the car

• Display car was the top end variant.
• As it has already been discussed to death. A good looking car all round.
• Build quality did not seem too cheap. Definitely felt and looked better than the Alto.
• Front seats seemed to be comfortable. A wide range of adjustment for the seat.
• Doors (which I tend to use to do a quick check on the build) did not seem too flimsy. Felt it on par with segment and even a couple of segments above (Celerio watch out).
• Interiors again looked and felt spacious. That AVN system seems a little out of place.
• Digital Console looks stylish.
• Practical dual glove boxes.
• Plenty of space. Was able to comfortably sit in the back after adjusting for my driving position (I am 5'11). Image below (Sorry for the amateur attempt). Once pushed back to the maximum, I could not get in at the back.
  
  
  
  
  
• Insanely spacious boot for the segment. Image below. Looks practical too.
  
  
  

Other points

• Large crowd to check out the car. Most seem impressed. Few comments I heard.
  • Maybe we should sell the i20 and get this (Of course said half in jest)- A couple looking at the boot space.
  • This looks so big-Will I be able to drive- A lady customer to her husband.
  • Pleasant surprise on seeing the fancy AVN system.

Couple of other images. Notice the crowd around the car. I pass by this showroom frequently. It is always almost empty. At max there maybe someone checking the Duster

Slightly unrelated to this visit. Something I saw when driving yesterday (Pic Below). The AVN image is actually a live image (Not very clear from the pic). And guess where this huge billboard is? Right in front of Bimal Maruti-Whitefield. One of the bigger Maruti dealers in Bangalore. You turn right into the Maruti Showroom at the point where the Billboard is.

My Summary

• Smart job by Renault. Picked on top Indian buyer weaknesses- mini SUV looks, mileage, attractive price and fancy features (SA's kept repeating that the AVN system comes from the Duster). Kept up the pace with the marketing blast and from what I experienced, they seemed to have trained the dealers well.
• Apart from the above key things, there is nothing really unique about this car. Especially from the feature side. But I guess it does not matter for the target buyer.
• Now all they need to do is ensure timely deliveries and maintain good after sales to keep the initial confidence that the customers seem to be showing ( personally would never think off booking a car let alone one from a fringe player like Renault without a detailed look and test drive. Or at least until I read the Team-Bhp Review)

[pgsagar]

Kwid will be bought by many for looks alone. I would like to see this car succeed. It's about time we saw crowds in showrooms other than Maruti's Hyundai's. The latter two have been too successful and should be brought down a bit. Otherwise, the market will get monopolistic and we will see more and more ridiculously cars coming from this duo's stables.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

There is a Renault Showroom just down the road. So decided to stop there and see what I could find about the Kwid (Trident Renault-KR Puram-Bangalore).

Rajeev, we probably missed each other by a couple of hours at most, I was at the same dealership around 1:30pm today, just couldn't resist going there to see the Kwid in flesh.
My impressions/observations:

• Very spacious, especially for this segment
• Rear can seat 2
• Decent Build quality overall
• 2 cup holders near gear knob/console
• Only front doors have built-in pockets, can hold bottles
• Rear doors have door winders, no power windows
• Floor hump is negligible, just a small protruding flat section not the humpback we usually see in most cars
• 3 nuts on the wheels, not the usual 4 or 5
• Tyres were JK Ultima-Neo 155/80 R13
• Car on display was the RxT variant
• Spacious boot
• Only 2 speakers in front above dashboard
• Non-inertia seat belts
• Lots of space in dashboard - 2 glove boxes and a large cubby hole in front
• Infotainment system looks premium
• Single wiper
• Compact instrument cluster

Some pictures:






















The KWID campaign has definitely been very successful in generating so much interest. This was my third visit to this dealership and for the first time I saw so many people there and almost everyone had come there to look at the Kwid
No one bothered to even look at the other cars inside the showroom like the Pulse & Scala. There were a couple of Duster Explorer editions with "Ready for Delivery" posters on them and the Lodgy could not find space inside so was parked out on the road
People were asking if there is any difference when booking via the mobile app versus booking at the showroom, etc. There was simply a lot of buzz inside.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

[*] ( personally would never think off booking a car let alone one from a fringe player like Renault without a detailed look and test drive. Or at least until I read the Team-Bhp Review)[/list]

Quoting myself. On 2nd thoughts would take back this statement. This is an entry level car targeted at first time buyers. How it performs and handles is probably the last criteria for buyers in this segment. So guess it is not a big deal to book without test driving it.

Originally Posted by NPV

Rajeev, we probably missed each other by a couple of hours at most, I was at the same dealership around 1:30pm today, just couldn't resist going there to see the Kwid in flesh.
.

Thanks for the detailed pictures. Yes, I was there around 4pm. By then was too crowded to take too many pictures. As you said the buzz factor was huge. Lot of ooh's and aah's and a happy environment. I have dropped into the showroom for several of the recent launches ( creta, jazz,Aspire ) and although there have been good crowds, have not seen a buzz similar to what I saw for the kwid.

[Esu Junior]

I had a quick visit to renault calicut to see kwid n flesh.car is a crowd puller for sure. saw some astonished faces...Some of them were banging their back on the car to check the sheet metal strength(to see how they saved 60kgs from nano).Overall car seems to be well built,decent space management in interiors,comfy front seats,nice steering to hold,plenty boot space with muscular looks for an entry level car.They had bookings in excess of 300 as per sales executive and demo cars will be available after 14th of october.It seems renault had hit the sweet spot...wait and watch...

[rohitz]

Awesome car made by Renault certainly looking forward to do a test drive and have a final verdict on whether to buy it or no. Top variant is best option I guess.

[jkdas]

Went to checkout the Kwid at Trivandrum showroom. Sadly they are yet to get a demo car or even brochures to share with prospective customers.

Top end costs 4.15lact OTR and the next one ( minus the air bag) at 4.03lac OTR.

[Pam81]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

The brake disc is an engineered part, meaning that the its design has followed an approved process and undergone design approval testing. So reducing the thickness from 20 mm to 16 mm need not be a safety compromise.

Yes, this make sense considering the requirements for the safety of brakes for that particular vehicle under worst case conditions. I was not against proper engineering. My argument is more in general, Indian OEMs (including foreign origin manufacturers) taken India for granted. They have capitalized on low awareness & lack of strict Govt. regulations.

It is not the engineering logic that has a flaw, it is the requirement of the market and how OEMs nicely lowering the requirements compared to EU & US. Of course our speeds are not high compared to them, but we do have open highways, 100kmph to 120kmph is becoming normal. Wherever we are in the world, Human life has same value.

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

Design optimisation means designing a part to fulfill the design requirements including a factor of safety, but not excessively so. For example, if a force is expected to be about 100 kg maximum and a factor of safety of 2, then the part will be designed to withstand a force of 100 x 2 = 200 kg. If a part is designed to withstand 300 kg instead, it will needlessly cost more and weigh more.

What is considered excessive is very subjective unless there's a specification available. In the absence of industry wide accepted specification, each OEM is free to do whatever specification they have to adhere to. Now, entire car design can't become specifications to be followed by OEMs. But, at the least, mandatory safety norms can be strictly enforced by the Govt so that "cheap" way of cost cutting in place of playing with Human lives can be avoided? This is what exactly matured countries do. VDA in Germany & JSAE in Japan. ARAI has been working on standards, known as AIS. unfortunately, enforcement level is not so strict yet.

[NPV]

Bangalore pricing for Kwid variants:


*Top end Kwid RxT(O) with driver side airbag costs about Rs.11K more than the top end Alto 800 Vxi(O) with driver side airbag. But, I think the Kwid is a better package overall and worth the 11K extra. Without a 1L engine variant, it wouldn't be fair to compare it with the Alto K10.

Was told by the sales folk at the dealership that test drives will be available from 14 Oct onwards.

[rsm97]

Today went to nearby dealership to check Kwid. Unfortunately, no demo car still has arrived.

The experience there was a interesting. When inquired at reception, the lady told that she knows nothing about Kwid, but can take booking as that is the thing visitors normally come for. Met an SA subsequently who informed that demo will be available in another ten days. I was suggested to book immediately and not wait for demo vehicle. When asked about test drive, he simply lost interest and asked me to come during middle of Oct.

I then overheard him telling a small group that they already have wasted precious time thinking but not acting. However, if they still book now, delivery can be arranged by February (assuming he meant 2016).

I was handed over a brochure and rate list. SA was gracious enough to explain what all is part of essential kit. Also said that customer is free to buy their own insurance, but claimed that theirs is the best on offer.

Overall, I was amused. It was refreshing to see this sense of superiority in a Renault showroom. Same place was devoid of any buzz a few months back when Lodgy was launched. Just hope they actually do not turn arrogant. Good luck Renault and hope you give no room to complain.

[sprue12]

Got a call from Renault Chandigarh yesterday stating that a demo vehicle is arriving on October 8th and my test ride has been scheduled for October 10th but due to truckers' strike, there could be a delay. Hopefully I will be able to drive it this coming Saturday. Meanwhile, Maruti guys are badgering relentlessly for K10, Alto 800, Celerio and are persistently talking about how bad Renault's resale value is. I asked one of Maruti guys what is exceptional about 800 or K10 apart from resale value that i should choose them over Kwid and he said "nothing" but as a blood of salesman would do, he never fully agreed over my decision and asked me to check out Kwid's filmsy body structure and plastic usage in engine compartments and again the resale value of other Renault products.

[drive2eternity]

Got a glimpse of a few Kwids as they were being driven towards Vellore, just before the toll. There were mostly maroon shades and one silver. The car looks a bit weird actually. The overgrown body does not gel well with the tiny tires. Also, the wheel arches and cladding look out of place on a small hatchback.
The drivers of these vehicles were gunning their engines as soon as they exited the toll plaza and I think they were racing each other.
Engine noise was pretty evident and not at all sweet.

Here's a picture of one of them.

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by Pam81

Yes, this make sense considering the requirements for the safety of brakes for that particular vehicle under worst case conditions. I was not against proper engineering. My argument is more in general, Indian OEMs (including foreign origin manufacturers) taken India for granted. They have capitalized on low awareness & lack of strict Govt. regulations.

It is not the engineering logic that has a flaw, it is the requirement of the market and how OEMs nicely lowering the requirements compared to EU & US. Of course our speeds are not high compared to them, but we do have open highways, 100kmph to 120kmph is becoming normal. Wherever we are in the world, Human life has same value.



What is considered excessive is very subjective unless there's a specification available. In the absence of industry wide accepted specification, each OEM is free to do whatever specification they have to adhere to. Now, entire car design can't become specifications to be followed by OEMs. But, at the least, mandatory safety norms can be strictly enforced by the Govt so that "cheap" way of cost cutting in place of playing with Human lives can be avoided? This is what exactly matured countries do. VDA in Germany & JSAE in Japan. ARAI has been working on standards, known as AIS. unfortunately, enforcement level is not so strict yet.

In almost all automotive standards, the dimensions of a particular part are not specified unless the part itself must conform to some specific standard. The standard will specify the degree of performance expected from a part or sub-assembly or the entire vehicle. It is responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure that the part is designed to meet all foreseeable usage situations. For example, an emergency braking situation wherein they are jammed on at max. speed and max. load is foreseeable. Ensuring that a brake disc does not shatter in such a situation is the responsibility of the manufacturer. The responsibility/liability may be explicit or implicit but it is legally binding.

GM was held responsible for a design defect in ignition locks that would turn themselves off due to heavy, swinging key chains. This led to accidents and deaths. Everybody uses key chains and many people have all their keys on one key ring. So this situation was foreseeable. The mess that GM got into was not because of design incompetence but due to mismanagement. The design solution was using a stiffer spring in the lock but mismanagement meant that this was not implemented correctly. Apparently, the change was made but was not even documented so GM did not even know which locks were good!

[rsidd]

There were a few Kwids, some of which appeared to be test-drive vehicles, at the Renault showroom on OMR in Chennai, and I passed one on the road (I think it was being driven by an employee and not a customer). I was on my bicycle and traffic was slow so I had a good chance to look at it in motion. It certainly has an impressive road presence for its price. The engine sound, however, seemed a bit harsh and noisy, especially when it revved from the traffic light.

[aikrish]

Kwid comes across as a good looking car; A bit of premium touch in the segment - thanks to the sporty looks (Well, almost!).

However, I am disappointed with the 800cc displacement. With competitors riding on a 1000cc engine, Renault would have a lot of catching-up to do.

They have pitted looks against performance; Time will tell what factor drives sales numbers. Great competition nevertheless and consumers stand to benefit!