[dZired]

Renault has started dealer training for the upcoming Kwid Climber edition from this week. This suggests that the car's India launch isn't far away.

Renault had showcased the Kwid Climber concept at the Auto Expo last year. It was basically a cosmetically enhanced version of the regular Kwid hatchback that is currently on sale in the country. Cosmetic changes seen on the Climber concept included a new front bumper with faux skid plate, beefier front grille, black cladding around the headlamps and tail lights, new ORVMs, thicker body cladding on the wheel arches and door panels, 15-inch alloys shod with 205/65 competition rally tyres and a tweaked rear bumper.

The interiors received a dual tone treatment along with contrasting red inserts on the steering, gear lever, AC vents and floor mats. There was also a prominent Climber badge on the door pad.

Renault is expected to launch the Kwid Climber edition with the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine which will come with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard. It remains to be seen whether or not the AMT gearbox is offered as an option on the upcoming model.

Link to Team-BHP News

[shankar.balan]

Is this their answer to the IGNIS?

Its a good looker for sure.

But Im sure it is (true to form in India) more about Form than Function!

I wonder if at least they will offer top spec Safety Kit, Auto Transmission or at least AMT and so on, in this variant.

Asking for All Wheel Drive etc is certainly a pipe dream I am sure!

[racer_ash]

And here I was thinking, going by the name, that Renault might actually launch a KWID with Hill hold assist, Traction Control, AWD, etc etc. It has turned out to be a mere cosmetic upgrade with the likes of Maruti.

[RSR]

This is good news for Kwid lovers. The "baby Duster" is all set to get a variant that will look a lot more like a baby Duster!

Of course, not all cosmetic enhancements from the concept are going to make it to the production variant. The 15" alloys and 205/65 R15 rally tyres will certainly not be provided on the road-going Kwid Climber. I hope they provide 14" alloys with 175/65 R14 tyres (instead of the stock 155/80 R13 ones). An additional 10 ~ 15 mm of GC would be very welcome, too.

The extra cosmetic claddings may enhance the looks, but I hope those roof-rails are functional ones (with load carrying ability).

The inclusion of a passenger airbag, ABS and retractable rear seatbelts (along with a reinforced structure) would up the safety quotient by several notches (and a couple of G-NCAP stars), but I don't know if Renault have such a thing in mind.

[GTO]

From the time that these fabulously-modded Kwids were unveiled at the Auto Expo, I've been waiting for Renault to launch them. In fact, I'd even asked them why it's taking so long! Such variants are an effective way to renew interest in the car and expand its appeal.

Here's the other 'Racer' edition:

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Asking for All Wheel Drive etc is certainly a pipe dream I am sure!

Unless you live in a city which sees snowfall every year, what are you going to do with AWD on a budget hatchback running a small 1.0L motor? It's useless in our conditions and only brings unnecessary cost, weight & a performance penalty. Asking for AWD on such a hatchback is akin to telling Mahindra to launch a 'race-track' version of the Xylo. Both are pointless.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by GTO

Unless you live in a city which sees snowfall every year, what are you going to do with AWD on a budget hatchback running a small 1.0L motor? It's useless in our conditions and only brings unnecessary cost, weight & a performance penalty. Asking for AWD on such a hatchback is akin to telling Mahindra to launch a 'race-track' version of the Xylo. Both are pointless.

That would be overkill. Merely add winter tyres and you will be ok

[swiftnfurious]

I have been a sucker for a little louder designs and Kwid looks so BOLD with these add ons. I really hope they spruce up the interiors also a bit more to add to the appeal. Now, if only they launched with a better profile tyres than the 3 lug ones. This tucks so hard on the heart that I'd want it in a blink - but only if they are going to add some safety bits too. Too much of expectation I know, but what if Renault..!

[revharder]

This is great news.

A wish, why can't they create a platform where customers can create their own customized variants? Like, buyers can pre-order the approved accessories from a list and leave the unwanted stuff aside. The pre-designed 'accessory-kits/packs' contain some accessories which many want to avoid.
To me, Kwid is a wonderful toy car which can afford to have 'n' number of innovative marketing models attached to it.

[himanshugoswami]

I just wish they have reinforced the body shell and added safety features like ABS and airbags to this. Watching the kwid NCAP test was scary to say the least. I sure as hell wouldn't want my family to travel in one if its safety aspects are still as abysmal.

[DCEite]

More than anything, they need to put a manual gear selector and Creep function on the AMT.

The Kwid 1.0 AMT could have been an ideal city runabout. Spacious interiors, good ride quality, frugal and responsive engine considering the segment and convenience of automatic.

But they ruined it with not providing manual mode and creep functions. If they can introduce these critical enhancements in the next facelift/special/climber whatever edition , it would be a good move.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

I just wish they have reinforced the body shell and added safety features like ABS and airbags to this

They will once the government forces them to. Not to defend Renault, but the Kwid is just as safe or unsafe as its competitors (including the Alto).

I sure as hell wouldn't want my family to travel in one if its safety aspects are still as abysmal.

What new car would you pick from this price band then?

Originally Posted by revharder

why can't they create a platform where customers can create their own customized variants?

The more the standardisation, the higher the factory's efficiency. This is why no mass market manufacturer offers the kind of customisation you are talking about.

Originally Posted by DCEite

More than anything, they need to put a manual gear selector and Creep function on the AMT.

THIS ! I wish Renault made the AMT as feature-rich as the rest of the car is. The current stripped-down AMT is just not as good as the Alto's.

[revharder]

Originally Posted by GTO

The more the standardisation, the higher the factory's efficiency. This is why no mass market manufacturer offers the kind of customisation you are talking about.

It's not going to put any stress on factory's efficiency. Buying original accessories ala-carte from a dealership is what I am talking about.

Instead of pushing those 'kits/packs', a car like Kwid can very well be toyed with an idea of buying any accessory you want to and getting a virtual feel of it beforehand.

Renault dealers are known for pushing the sale of packs for Kwid, instead of selling the item individually.

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by GTO

What new car would you pick from this price band then?



.

I wouldnt pick any. For the same budget I would look at the pre owned market a segment or two higher with a decent level of safety kit- Something like the i10 /tiago etc.

[LoneTraveller]

Here's what the actual Kwid Climber looks like!

Renault has added a new front bumper,faux skid plates, some large plastics bits around the fog lamp and some orange accents inside and outside the car to give to a "rugged look".

Also Alloys wheels have been also added.

Some more pics:

Source

[Nonstop-driver]

I don't understand Renault fascination with ugly looking overdone colours on interiors. From Duster Adventure edition's pink dials to Kwid Climber's orange gear knob, it's just