Datsun Redi-GO 1.0L : Official Review

[jassi_jeeper]

Having a plastic oil sump does not sound assuring at all! Is it cost cutting or modern engineering? Do the alto twins have a plastic oil sump too?

[Nissan1180]

Looks like a good alternative to the Nano or the Alto 800 but why would someone pick this over the Tiago? We still have the Premier 118NE, and the dashboard on that car (22 years old) has better materials than this one. The rotary air conditioner controls won't find a place even in a commercial vehicle. The only saving grace might be the engine. With a weight that's lighter than the Nano and twice as much power, I'm sure people willing to risk their lives will like this great new toy.

[Self Driven]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

I honestly hope this car fails, just because it is nothing short of a joke.

Not that i am against this comment, but how does the Alto better this car other than Suzuki engine in cheapness of build/looks/strength etc.. and we for Alto selling more than any other imaginable car in any segment.

I do not own any Renault product, but have owned the better built Alto of 2006

Cheers

[libranof1987]

OT:

Originally Posted by Self Driven

Not that i am against this comment, but how does the Alto better this car other than Suzuki engine in cheapness of build/looks/strength etc.. and we for Alto selling more than any other imaginable car in any segment.

I do not own any Renault product, but have owned the better built Alto of 2006

Cheers

Precisely why I made this statement:

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Sale of Maruti cars defy this logic.

The joke is on us, consumers.

[Self Driven]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Sale of Maruti cars defy this logic.+1

Sorry I missed this line. for the sake of the above I expect this car to do better. This car looks in person better than its competitors and also looks big for its segment. If we, Indian consumers don't allow ANY manufacturer to play a joke on us, this segment will get better cars.

Cheers

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

The "cars are unsafe" damage done with the reports for the GO has irreparably damaged the brand's fortunes in India in my opinion.

Originally Posted by aaychat

Each time I look at this video, I get chills down my spine.

Why single out the Redi-GO? The sad fact is, if you want to buy a new car in the 3 - 4 lakh range, a compromise in safety is a given. Which of its direct competitors are 5-star Euro NCAP stars? Not the Kwid, not the Alto, not the Eon.

As Dieselritzer rightly commented, when safety is a priority with 4 lakhs in the pocket, you have to go the pre-owned route.

Originally Posted by Udit

Redi-go gets most of the bashing despite the fact that it is based on same platform that underpins Kwid. In fact, mechanically it is more close to kwid than Go/Go+. On the other hand, Kwid is accepted wholeheartedly.

. I think it's also because Datsun damaged its brand image with el-cheapo products like the Go, whereas Renault followed a top-down strategy (Fluence -> Duster -> Scala / Pulse -> Kwid).

[i74js]

Looking at the shell strength / body weight of the offering, it is important that the company should offer better active safety and ABS can fill the void. It is understood that none of the other cars in this segment will be safe (qualify the crash testing norms), yet better brake setup with ABS can help the cause to certain extent.

Datsun has charged a sensible premium of 23K over the 800CC car, it makes all the more sense to charge say 10K more and provide ABS.

Cheers !

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by GTO

Why single out the Redi-GO? The sad fact is, if you want to buy a new car in the 3 - 4 lakh range, a compromise in safety is a given. Which of its direct competitors are 5-star Euro NCAP stars? Not the Kwid, not the Alto, not the Eon.

As Dieselritzer rightly commented, when safety is a priority with 4 lakhs in the pocket, you have to go the pre-owned route.



. I think it's also because Datsun damaged its brand image with el-cheapo products like the Go, whereas Renault followed a top-down strategy (Fluence -> Duster -> Scala / Pulse -> Kwid).

Absolutely. I'm not at all saying that the GO/Redi-GO are exceptionally bad products. I meant that particular incident where they singled out the DATSUN cars with unnecessary charity work of "recommending" that these cars should be pulled out from the roads - has damaged the brand a lot & even a tank they roll out will not make people buy it.

I personally always feel that it was a very hostile undercover business trick by one of the established car makers in India to get that report published to ensure that a threateningly economical & large car didn't pose any danger to own cheap products.

The safety test body's job is to provide test results and ratings. I never liked their sudden proactive advise that these cars "should not be sold".

[spindoc]

Originally Posted by GTO

Why single out the Redi-GO? The sad fact is, if you want to buy a new car in the 3 - 4 lakh range, a compromise in safety is a given. Which of its direct competitors are 5-star Euro NCAP stars? Not the Kwid, not the Alto, not the Eon.

As Dieselritzer rightly commented, when safety is a priority with 4 lakhs in the pocket, you have to go the pre-owned route.

My thoughts, exactly. There's no car in the sub-4 lakh segment that places any real emphasis on safety.

Originally Posted by aaychat

Each time I look at this video, I get chills down my spine.

The no-airbag Alto scored a zero in the Latin NCAP too as does any car without airbags.

Airbags, pre-tensioners and proper crumple zone design can do wonders as Toyota demonstrated with a 4-Star NCAP rating for the Etios, which was considered by many as being too light / flimsy for its category.

This list is illuminating: http://www.globalncap.org/results/

Automakers expressed concern over the timing of these results, stating the speed at which these tests were done (64 kph) were way over the avg in our country and that these could be a strategy to push sales of more safety equipment.


As long as consumers don't prioritise safety (and most don't), manufacturers aren't largely going to care. It is up to the authorities to bring in adequate safety regulations, testing facilities and enforce them. If dual airbags, ABS etc. do become mandatory, their volumes will spike and consumers will not need to pay current levels of premium for the safety kit.

One hopes the upcoming BNVSAP (Oct 2017) and the to-be-inaugurated NATRiP facilities (Dec 2017?) will herald a safer future for all road-users. :fingers crossed:

[NiInJa]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

At least for the reviews that happen around MH0x/MH12, there are no roads where speeds over 80 are permitted officially.
Or are there tracks arranged by the company to run the car at that speed?

There are quite a few patches on NH4 where you can go beyond 90 kmph for a few minutes, also overtaking does exceed the speed limit in most cases.

The idea of any review is to put the car to test in real world situations, so don't think we would need a race track to prove every car's might

I see a lot of bashing going on against Datsun, but a quick trip to smaller towns (my sasuraal is Bhiwani Haryana) shows a different picture. This car has lots of potential in towns and you will see a lot of Kwids and RediGos there.

Also, I see small cars as a good alternative to bikes, I drive 15 kilometers on NH4 towards my office in Hinjewadi and I've seen enough deaths and accidents to give up biking on this dreaded stretch. Nothing like a frugal four wheeled alternative which is much safer than two wheelers.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

It also has a maintenance-free timing chain (instead of the usual timing belt) that does contribute to noise from the engine.

A timing chain on a budget car like this is indeed a surprise. The owner need not worry about cam belt replacements. A timing chain will last the life of the car. Gets a little noisy after 150k km but should remain trouble free. You usually hear of timing chain setups on high end cars. Good decision by Datsun.