[Bulls14]

I think Renault has got a winner on their hands with the Kwid. I have seen the car personally and to be honest pics do not do justice to the actual size of the car. Arguably, it is one of the best looking hatches out there in the market.

I agree with the general opinion on the scant sales/service network of Renault but its high time now Nissan and Renault start sharing their sales/service network. Having the same products with cosmetic changes sold through different channels didn't help much. Perhaps time to think of a new strategy

[GTO]

Originally Posted by mayankverma

This cap over the suspension mounting is not present in demo cars at the showrooms . I suppose this will not make it to other production cars as well. This cap should be put in.

Great observation, thanks! Have added this point to the caption of the concerned picture.

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by sourav9385

A stellar review of what is, IMO, a very very good product from Renault!

I do have a few questions for the more informed & technically sound members of Team-Bhp. Considering Renault has used plastic parts inside the engine bay, and all throughout the car, is it safe to say that these parts will be more prone to wear & tear than metal? Also, what about fire-safety? Won't plastic melt at a much lower temperature than metal, when exposed to similar heating? I'm just thinking out loud, as I wonder how much testing has the Kwid undergone to check the durability of said plastic parts in this perpetually hot & humid country of ours.

I just hope Renault has done the necessary homework to ensure that all the plastic parts remain sturdy & reliable over the years to come. Other than that, I wish Renault a great success with the Kwid. I'll be very much looking forward to the AMT being launched soon, with ABS, for another lakh or so.

I too was wondering about the same. Inside the Engine bay, it does get pretty hot and even more so if driven in places with hotter climates. Maybe not the plastic parts itself but at least the joint areas would be suspect to failure, right?

Thanks for the review, guys. Wonderful job.

As we already see in this thread, Renault's Achilles heel is their haughty sales folks and their ignorant service experts. If someone would have told me what they told our member about take it or leave it, there would have been physical harm.

Anyone let Renault India know about this on their FB / Twitter? Social media is a great leveler.

I feel bad for the T-Bhp admins now. They are going to be pestered every day with the October sales figures.

[VeluM]

Brilliant review, as everyone has noted. Getting back into the TBHP level-of-detail way of things.

Kwid has a lot of people captivated, especially now with the price. When the Duster was launched, it had no competition. While Hyundai has taken a while to compete, it has managed to pull a significant amount of buyers away from the top-end of the model range. The Ecosport is small, but the butch looks still draws a decent amount of buyers compared to any other Ford model.

In the same sense I think Renault has the first move advantage with the Kwid's micro-SUV looks, and some other USPs like the MID and Navi-Infotainment system for this segment. Give Hyundai some time and they'll pull the top-end buyers away with a more expensive car, and the Alto will draw the lower end of the range away with the availability in tier-2 and tier-3 cities of sales and service.

Despite the Rapid selling in the low 1k figures each month, I see the newest model (upgrade/facelift) almost as soon as it is launched - and a lot of them. I do see all the Altos, Swifts, and misc vehicles on the road, but the point is that visibility on the road in cities is quite different from where the sales happen in this segment. Smaller towns and large-ish villages are what make up the volumes, and that's where no other manufacturer has been able to shake Maruti.

To add to that, while I'm sure there are good experiences with Renault sales, there appears to be an alarming arrogance at Renault which is entirely premature. The Kwid will do relatively well in India, but will not put a dent in Alto numbers. Hazarding a guess, I see a 6-8k short term and 4k longer term range - which is not much considering the margins on each car for this segment.

[uday.ere]

Originally Posted by GTO

Great observation, thanks! Have added this point to the caption of the concerned picture.

Good find Mayank & GTO. However, did the reviewers have 2 different cars for the TD & pics, because in subsequent pics posted here, that same cap is missing. did they fall off already?

[skotha]

Thank you for the review. Liked the "SUV Like" stance and it looks fresh and premium from outside. Inside however still feels cheap with loads of plastics around. Eon is way ahead when compared on this factor.

This was my compliant with Duster when it was launched and the situation doesn't seem to have improved a lot. Hope they keep refreshing the model in the future and get it to a stage where it truly belongs.

Thorough review as usual!

[nowwhat?]

Lots of people seem to be concerned by the after sales support of Renault, but after having all sorts of problems with Volkswagen from 3 different service centers over the past 4 years, my personal experience is that Renault service in Bangalore through Trident Auto is miles ahead of them.

Of course, Renault may never ever match up to Maruti but comparing the two may not be apples-to-apples since Maruti has been here for way longer.

Some customers also seem to have had a bad experience during sales. Again I am reminded of visiting the Volkswagen showroom when the Polo came out and the sales executives thought it beneath them to explain its features or give us a test drive. For 2 years after buying the Polo, they would check if I wanted to upgrade to the Jetta.

[ptaneja]

Any long term reliability issues with Plastic Engine components ? Plastic sump etc ? What if a stone gets stuck ? what is the outcome when car is being driven on a highway for 6 hours in one go/44 Deg Cel Rajasthan roads in Summer Season - Any affect of this much heat on plastic components inside the bay ?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by uday.ere

Good find Mayank & GTO. However, did the reviewers have 2 different cars for the TD & pics, because in subsequent pics posted here, that same cap is missing. did they fall off already?

Nothing really escapes the eyes of BHPians, does it?

The seatback-down picture is indeed of a dealer demo car. It was shot after the review event.

[dhanushs]

I think Renault has got an absolute winner on their hands. Amazing job by the team. This car is basically one segment higher than the Alto, but gone through some smart price cutting. When compared to its competition, going by the review, I think the Kwid beats them hands down.

I wont be concerned about the 3 wheel bolts per wheel. The stress and strain for a particular vehicle weight and dynamics are calculated, with a generous safety margin before finalizing critical components like this. For a team who has given this smart packaging, I don't think 3 wheel bolts are a way of saving the weight of one bolt on each wheel. I think 3 is enough, hence.

Also, I've seen many replies getting concerned about plastic engine parts. I dont think that should be a concern at all. Except for the oil sump, the valve cover etc, are non moving, and non deteriorating parts, and should outlive the vehicle. By the looks of it, the sump has a pretty rigid design, and one should be safe from small flying stones. However, big hits should be of a concern.

The only part where a small car buyer should be concerned is the turning radius. Especially for a car in this segment, this isnt happening.

Also, I hope Renault does better than Maruti on the after sales front.

[W.A.G.7]

Wow! Despite the cost cutting, I am impressed with the car. It has a lot of "feel good" factor in it. Thanks to Renault for bringing on a really nice product with an equally good pricing. The overall interior quality looks superb at this price point; definitely better than the Alto 800.

Seems like the perfect city car, now only if they bring in an auto transmission; this could turn out to be an outright winner. Awesome review as well.

[Carpainter]

Very good review!!! Surely this is a superior product compared to the competitions in the segment. Also the new car factor should appeal to the prospective buyers but Renault need to improve their aftersales if they are to really succeed in this segment or any segment for that matter. It feels more like VW here where the product is competent but the company don't have enough infrastructure to back it up.

If this was a car from Maruti or Hyundai, it would have definitely been the highest selling car in the country for the coming months. Renault have a long way to go to taste that success in India.

[ShreyasM8]

Needless to say, the best in class review for a best in segment car. A very very exhaustive write up, covered even the trivial details which has been missed out in most of the reviews. Though I did the TD and was pretty much convinced that the car is indeed above the par in its segment, there has been a lot of TD reviews said KWID is underpowered, Thanks to this review which reinstated my faith! Not at all underpowered for a little 800cc car.
Here is what I feel about KWID after the TD,
Front looks SUVish for sure, however the derriere reminds you that KWID is just a stylish hatch, no pretension of a cross-over.
I could feel engine responded even to the lightest tap on the throttle, however took its own sweet time to reach 80.
One might take some time to get used to the lower gears, it was fun in 3rd though.
Steering is extremely lighter, comfy in city but I wonder how much confident I can be on highways on higher speeds
KWID managed above my expectation in handling while making a dead stop quickly from 85 on speedo; again I am not sure about how it can behave in highways with such a lower weight.
Overall it’s indeed a sheer hope in entry level hatchback segments, hope Renault will retain the excitement in KWID owners even in after sales section.
Lastly, am I the only one wondering how it can be if this car installed with a little turbocharger?

[Jaggu]

I think this is a brilliant package, next they should give a larger engine and AMT which will make it perfect for Urban commute.

Few observations:

- Plastic used in engine bay, i think it is perfectly aok. This is a very good way to bring down the weight and cost. Oil sump with proper strengthening as seen in the pics will be just as effective. Infact it might survive better with minor hits in comparison to thin metal sumps. The bumper protection which sits under the bumper in many premium cars are made of plastic and often survive good crashes. Don't see why it wouldn't work in this car.

- The door pads looks quite similar to what was there in original swift, they used to flex when the windows used to wind up and could easily be pressed with just a finger. As long as it does not rattle and is of good aesthetics, i would not complain in this car.

- Worrisome part seems to be the lower arms and the vertical suspension bit you see here

Even the rear subframe seems to be delicate?

Still overall a superb VFM package.

As usual a superb review by Vidyut and S2! Thanks for sharing guys.

[racer_ash]

Originally Posted by viren83

Great review of a great car!

It seems much of the design elements have been borrowed from the CAPTUR which in itself is a big hatch. Below.

True that. Infact I have seen quite a few of these on UK roads and it was really drool worthy especially in this Orange hue.

I had lost touch with the Indian Auto scene for most of this year (due to work pressure) and when I did come back from UK in August, I had to catch up quite a bit on the latest happenings here. I was surprised when I saw the Kwid for the first time in certain angles and thought, wow, they seem to be launching the Captur in India with a different name. I was even ready to recommend this to my dad who was on the lookout for a new car. Luckily I realized my mistake soon.

I do hope Renault seriously consider launching the Captur in India.