[anu21v]

Originally Posted by sourav9385

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed a mini review.

Thanks for that mini review of KWID. Very well written and covered most of the points beautifully.

On a Sore Note, I am still surprised not to see the Official new car review of quite a few recent launches. Mods, is there going to be an official new car review of KWID at all? Have we stopped doing the reviews or should i be looking in a completely new section of t-bhp?

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by anu21v

On a Sore Note, I am still surprised not to see the Official new car review of quite a few recent launches. Mods, is there going to be an official new car review of KWID at all? Have we stopped doing the reviews or should i be looking in a completely new section of t-bhp?

I think the reasons for this have been called out before, but reiterating anyway. There is a high expectation from a Team-Bhp review and this takes take time to compile. In addition the moderators/reviewers have day jobs and are not tied only to Team-Bhp.

In addition (as in the case of Aspire) GTO had mentioned in the Aspire thread that the time provided during the media drive by Ford was not sufficient to come up with a review that meets Team-Bhp standards. So they had to wait for Ford to provide the cars again for a longer duration.

Final reason. There have been so many launches in close succession. I assume that makes the whole process more challenging.

So there will definitely be an Official Review for all the new cars. We just need to be patient.

Edit: We already have the reviews for Jazz, Creta, Aspire. I think only the Kwid, TUV300 and Figo DCT are pending. That is a pretty good turn round considering the above points

[teemus]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Edit: We already have the reviews for Jazz, Creta, Aspire. I think only the Kwid, TUV300 and Figo DCT are pending. That is a pretty good turn round considering the above points

+1 to that.

Not to forget, S-Cross review too!

[sourav9385]

Folks, I took a couple of videos when doing the TD of the Renault Kwid.

I've uploaded them to YouTube for your viewing pleasure. My colleague was driving and I was riding shotgun in the passenger seat. Please excuse my skills when it comes to taking professional looking videos. The intention was to capture the NVH of the car when driving within the city limits. We drove the Kwid over good roads and bad roads. The videos are just that. Videos were captured using my iPhone, so please don't expect cinematic quality & Dolby DTS surround sound Also, the radio was tuned to some local radio station, and we didn't bother changing it. Bluetooth pairing had failed, so we were not able to stream any songs from our phones either. Also, there are some conversations in Hindi between my friend and I. Feel free to ask any questions if you have, and I'll gladly answer those. Hope these help you get a feel of the NVH in the car.

https://youtu.be/lc2JMwNPJpc

https://youtu.be/OXig11gOjcA

https://youtu.be/4XqPIy_Qn2w

[mustang_shelby]

Also I believe the last 6-7 months have seen more car launches than any other previous time in our history.

Renault Lodgy
Ford Aspire
Ford Figo
Honda Jazz
Hyundai Creta
Hyundai Elantra Facelift
Hyundai i20 Active
Mahindra Thar Facelift
Mahindra XUV 500 Facelift
Maruti Suzuki S-Cross
Maruti Suzuki Celerio Diesel
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz SHVS
Ford Ecosport Facelift
Audi A6 Matrix
Tata Safari Storme
Volkswagen Vento Facelift
Volkswagen Jetta Facelift
Mahindra TUV
Renault Kwid

Thats 19 !! And more are lined up. While these are indeed exciting times for car buyers, I think the official reviewers must be swamped between day jobs, family, media drives, review compilation etc. I am sure the usual high quality, in-depth reviews will be out soon for the remaining ones. Just gotta wait for the good stuff.

[vsathyap]

Originally Posted by vsathyap

This said, Maruti will be coming out with a full page ad very shortly with a "limited edition" Alto which will have a tinny music system and "sporty" decals and stickering which says "Limited Edition"

I knew it! This is that "I told you so" moment! Maruti has launched a "limited edition" Alto K10 Urbana - mainly to get crowds to buy the oh so sticker-y and chrome-y Alto! I guess they went a step ahead and launched a Limited edition Swift too recently!

I'm now interested to see short term and long term ownership reports of the Kwid!

[sprue12]

Originally Posted by sourav9385

Folks, I took a couple of videos when doing the TD of the Renault Kwid.

I've uploaded them to YouTube for your viewing pleasure. My colleague was driving and I was riding shotgun in the passenger seat. Please excuse my skills when it comes to taking professional looking videos. The intention was to capture the NVH of the car when driving within the city limits. We drove the Kwid over good roads and bad roads. The videos are just that. Videos were captured using my iPhone, so please don't expect cinematic quality & Dolby DTS surround sound Also, the radio was tuned to some local radio station, and we didn't bother changing it. Bluetooth pairing had failed, so we were not able to stream any songs from our phones either. Also, there are some conversations in Hindi between my friend and I. Feel free to ask any questions if you have, and I'll gladly answer those. Hope these help you get a feel of the NVH in the car.

How was the low end torque? Did you happen to go on any incline ? How many people were on board? Did you feel ac affecting power delivery? Kow was the ac?

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by sourav9385

I

Overall, it's an impressive package. The strength of the Kwid lies in its looks, its VFM pricing, decent ride & handling, cleverly packaged interiors with the feel-good touch screen AVN unit. The refinement isn't the best, and Renault's service is a very big question mark that remains to be evaluated if they start selling Kwids like hot cakes. That being said, they've got a sales star in the Kwid. I have no doubt that most of the bookings will end up being converted into actual sales. In short, it has pretty much everything an average car buyer wants within 4.5 lakhs, as long as it's not a Maruti of a Hyundai.

Alto 800 being the chief competitor for this car, how would you compare Kwid to Alto 800? What are its positives and negatives, in comparison to Alto 800?
If the after sales support, wide sales network, and Maruti brand image are not considered, is there any reason for a first time car buyer with budget 4L still go for Alto 800 over Kwid?
Which car do you think will Kwid affect mostly? Eon or Alto 800? Nano has a cult following, and others who are sitting in the fence rather would go for Alto, Eon or Kwid only.

[rosaf]

That is the price list of Kwid in Jamshedpur, was there for business and had some free time .

Dealer has already received 250+ bookings and waiting period is now close to three months with deliveries starting from 13th of Oct.

Already a lot has been said and our very own official review will reveal all soon ,hopefully.

First impressions ,it looks mighty impressive ,saw the silver color,wheels didnt seem too puny to me atleast, build quality is decent, opened and closed the doors multiple times and they felt better than my swift.

Excellent driving position and gear shift too seemed quite nice,although a little notchy, should improve with usage.Also it has decent space at the rear for short trips and occasional highway trips and Boy Oh Boy,isnt the boot massive!

Cost cutting is quite evident and QC not of very high standards , attaching a picture below of the rear right inner door which had wrinkles on it,those from automobile background will know .

Will i buy it,yes for my wifey when its launched with AMT!

[sourav9385]

Originally Posted by sprue12

How was the low end torque? Did u happen to go on any incline ? How many people were on board? Did u feel ac affecting power delivery? how was the ac?

Low end torque was strictly OK. We were 3 on board, my colleague, the guy from Renault and me. As a matter of fact, we did go up an incline when we came back to the showroom after going through the really bad road that had not been tarred. The car did struggle a little to go up the incline in the 2nd gear. So we had to downshift to 1st. The AC was pretty good, it was 35 degrees out when we went for the drive, and the AC kept us cool with the blower on speed 2. That being said, the AC did seem to have an impact on the power delivery. Without the AC, the car did feel peppier. Honestly, I don't expect much torque from a 3 cylinder 800 cc engine. neither should most people.

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

Alto 800 being the chief competitor for this car, how would you compare Kwid to Alto 800? What are its positives and negatives, in comparison to Alto 800? If the after sales support, wide sales network, and Maruti brand image are not considered, is there any reason for a first time car buyer with budget 4L still go for Alto 800 over Kwid? Which car do you think will Kwid affect mostly? Eon or Alto 800? Nano has a cult following, and others who are sitting in the fence rather would go for Alto, Eon or Kwid only.

Mate, the Alto is as ancient as a Nokia 3310 in the world of iPhones and Galaxy's. Comparing the Kwid with the Alto, I can happily say that the interior fit and finish is far better, the suspension is miles ahead in comfort, as is the drive. Yes, Maruti has those few cards up its sleeve like unbeatable customer support, a service center just about everywhere(quite literally) and rock solid simple engineering that can be mended with a brick & a piece of string. But, if you're a first time buyer, and you want something upmarket, with funky styling, some creature comforts like touch screen AVN, and a badge that doesn't say Maruti, Kwid would be a sensible choice. Renault's service and after sales is a question mark for sure, but these days, nearly all manufacturers have upped their game, and there are very few horror stories to go around, unless perhaps you're a Skoda/VW owner I can't really say which cars sales would be affected the most. Sure, some folks might jump ship from Maruti to Renault. But I don't see any dents being made anywhere, because Maruti has a brand reputation like no other. For instance, Maruti sold 23K units of the Alto in August this year. The Eon, by comparison? A smidge above 4.5K. If I had to predict, I'd say the Kwid is the final nail in the coffin for the Eon. If it was my money, and I didn't want a Maruti, Kwid would be the logical choice as of right now. Hope this answers your queries

[SandyX]

Originally Posted by rosaf

, attaching a picture below of the rear right inner door which had wrinkles on it,those from automobile background will know .

This is the first time i heard about such a thing in body panels, eventhough i used to wonder how they stamp panels with depressions. Seems like there is a fix. More here.

http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/wrinkle.htm

Wrinkling is a common problem in a variety of processes where sheet metal is used, Zheng explained. When sheet metal is pushed into a die, the pressure on the metal has to be exactly correct. If the pressure is too strong, the metal will tear. If the pressure is too weak, the metal will wrinkle. Currently, manufacturers have to rely on trial and error to determine the correct pressure to use in a particular process. Even then, mistakes are routine

.

Wrinkles sound better than a tear, maybe good for the kwid.

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by sourav9385

Mate, the Alto is as ancient as a Nokia 3310 in the world of iPhones and Galaxy's. Comparing the Kwid with the Alto, I can happily say that the interior fit and finish is far better, the suspension is miles ahead in comfort, as is the drive.

Good to know that. Maruti should not be just a mute spectator here while Renault lap up the number of bookings unheard of in its history.

Eon was way better than Alto in terms of styling, interior, comfort etc, but still people went on booking Altos in huge numbers. Eon rarely made it to 10K numbers even in the initial days of launch, and then later settling down to 6K numbers or less.
Reason? The initial hype was not that much, and people rather found Santro a good VFM! Those who went for Hyundai showroom with a stretchable budget went straight for i10, after taking a look at Eon. i10 indeed was much more neutral looking and pleasing to conservatives, compared to funky Eon.

But in case of Renault, they now have only one car to focus and market it in low price range. The hype is also good, and today every car buyer at least seem to be aware of Kwid! 25K bookings mainly from Tier II and Tier III cities is really an interesting progress! It is in Tier II and Tier III cities where Maruti's Alto numbers coming from!

Alto is a time tested machine and their support & resale value are their trump cards, but still, before you know market can go out of hands! Maruti should take some reasonable steps instead of releasing some Panic Editions or Colourful Stickers editions.

While you are waiting for 2017 Alto, come up with some key changes in the existing car, such as these:
a) How about releasing the Vxi with R13 alloy wheels, ABS & Passenger airbag? (Driver airbag already available)
b) Add basic things like 12V power outlet, LHS mirror, Split seats as standard
c) Provide rear power windows, rear wiper, Fog lamps
d) To satisfy the crowd that are attracted by the touchscreen, provide the same with GPS in Alto as well!
e) Launch an AMT version in Alto 800!
f) Launch the car in some more interesting colours.

[sprue12]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

Good to know that. Maruti should not be just a mute spectator here while Renault lap up the number of bookings unheard of in its history.

Eon was way better than Alto in terms of styling, interior, comfort etc, but still people went on booking Altos in huge numbers. Eon rarely made it to 10K numbers even in the initial days of launch, and then later settling down to 6K numbers or less.
Reason? The initial hype was not that much, and people rather found Santro a good VFM! Those who went for Hyundai showroom with a stretchable budget went straight for i10, after taking a look at Eon. i10 indeed was much more neutral looking and pleasing to conservatives, compared to funky Eon.

But in case of Renault, they now have only one car to focus and market it in low price range. The hype is also good, and today every car buyer at least seem to be aware of Kwid! 25K bookings mainly from Tier II and Tier III cities is really an interesting progress! It is in Tier II and Tier III cities where Maruti's Alto numbers coming from!

Alto is a time tested machine and their support & resale value are their trump cards, but still, before you know market can go out of hands! Maruti should take some reasonable steps instead of releasing some Panic Editions or Colourful Stickers editions.

While you are waiting for 2017 Alto, come up with some key changes in the existing car, such as these:
a) How about releasing the Vxi with R13 alloy wheels, ABS & Passenger airbag? (Driver airbag already available)
b) Add basic things like 12V power outlet, LHS mirror, Split seats as standard
c) Provide rear power windows, rear wiper, Fog lamps
d) To satisfy the crowd that are attracted by the touchscreen, provide the same with GPS in Alto as well!
e) Launch an AMT version in Alto 800!
f) Launch the car in some more interesting colours.

and should not the new alto come with an attractive design ? Maruti's car design way up to Wagon R bracket needs to be changed. There small cars are really ugly out of all brands in the market but still manage to sell. I think Maruti should give it a serious thought. Younger generation and even some of the middle aged do not opt for small Maruti cars for their ugly looks not matter how good their engine is

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by sprue12

and should not the new alto come with an attractive design ? Maruti's car design way up to Wagon R bracket needs to be changed. There small cars are really ugly out of all brands in the market but still manage to sell. I think Maruti should give it a serious thought. Younger generation and even some of the middle aged do not opt for small Maruti cars for their ugly looks not matter how good their engine is

I do not understand which cars you mean small cars of Maruti, which are ugly. Alto 800 / Alto K10 are not the best in designs yes, but in no way they are ugly. They are just conservative non offensive designs.
If you consider WagonR, it is sold in such large numbers for its practicality. No other manufacturer has tasted this much success with boxy station wagon looks in India.
When you speak about Swift, it is indeed futuristic design (though it slightly reminds the Mini Cooper), and masses loved it. Till date there are many who buy Swift / Dzire twins for their looks! I have known a person who got love at first sight on Swift when it was launched, but could not buy at that time, and after several years, went for Swift a few months ago! And all the other cars - Ertiga, S-Cross wear similar clothes as Swift to keep the sales going!

You can call Maruti's exterior looks as plain and conservative, but definitely not ugly.

[sprue12]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

I do not understand which cars you mean small cars of Maruti, which are ugly. Alto 800 / Alto K10 are not the best in designs yes, but in no way they are ugly. They are just conservative non offensive designs.
If you consider WagonR, it is sold in such large numbers for its practicality. No other manufacturer has tasted this much success with boxy station wagon looks in India.
When you speak about Swift, it is indeed futuristic design (though it slightly reminds the Mini Cooper), and masses loved it. Till date there are many who buy Swift / Dzire twins for their looks! I have known a person who got love at first sight on Swift when it was launched, but could not buy at that time, and after several years, went for Swift a few months ago! And all the other cars - Ertiga, S-Cross wear similar clothes as Swift to keep the sales going!

You can call Maruti's exterior looks as plain and conservative, but definitely not ugly.

By small cars i meant Wagon R below. How would u rank Alto 800 against Eon, Spark, Santro, etc. What about Alto k10 against i10, indica, figo, etc. And then Wagon R against Grand i10, Bolt, beat, Brio, etc. No disrespect intended, but we choose Maruti cars for shear reliability than their looks and Maruti has taken customers for granted in giving appealing looks to their cars i mentioned above. Swift is whole other league and I meant small cars with 800 cc and 1000 cc. By the way, i too like swift's design