Booked a Renault Kwid AMT: Reconsidering after hearing a few negatives

I was thinking of going with a Hyundai Venue earlier but cancelled it due to long waiting times.

BHPian dhruvky94 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I hope everyone is having a nice day. So I have booked a Renault KWID Climber AMT and I am getting the delivery in 2 days. The reason I have chosen this car is as follows:

1. Price - It's costing me Rs 7.3 Lakh on road in Bangalore
2. It's my first car and people recommended I go with a smaller car
3. Availability - I am getting the car in 2 days and AMT is readily available
4. Automatic - I need an automatic for Bangalore traffic
5. Decent feature set - Getting features like reverse parking cam, nav etc
6. Small size - Will be good since it's my first car and good for city driving
7. I like the overall look of the car

I was thinking of going with a Hyundai Venue earlier but cancelled it due to long waiting times, increased price and this being my first car. Now, people are recommending me against KWID saying that it's not safe and AMT will have issues with inclines. Is KWID Climber really that unsafe? I like the car overall, but will avoid it if it's really unsafe. My use case would be 95% city driving.

Thanks in advance everyone!

Here's what BHPian vishy76 had to say on the matter:

As the owner of a pre-facelift Kwid, my opinion is you should stay away from this car. I am not saying the Kwid is a bad car, I would still pick it from the current crop of entry-level hatchbacks. But do I find it worth 7 big ones? Absolutely not.

The overall build quality, the refinement and the fit and finish aren't up to Rs 7L standards in my opinion. The AMT is a crude implementation (although improved on the facelift with creep mode), there's no manual mode, it has a very poor safety rating and the overall reliability of the Kwid isn't the best either. Costs have been cut very aggressively. Again, acceptable for an entry-level hatchback, but not justified when you are paying 7L.

I would suggest stretching for an Ignis Delta AMT. The Ignis Delta AMT might miss out on one or two features such as the fancy touchscreen and a reverse cam, but it's a much better-engineered car in my opinion. It gets a better AMT, 4-pot petrol will be a lot more hassle-free to own and is also backed by a good service network. It might also be safer than the Kwid for whatever it's worth (don't expect a 4 or 5-star rating of course).

List of whatever has been replaced so far:

1. The AMT actuator failed at 10K km. The AMT refused to slot into gear randomly. Replaced under warranty fortunately
2. The oil sump seems to be a common failure point. Thanks to it being made of plastic. My car has never had an underbody impact, but the sump still had a crack and was leaking oil
3. Front bumper was misaligned from the factory. The bumper clips are not fastened correctly. As a result, the bumper edge rests on the headlamp and has cracked it
4. Lots of juddering and jerking. Renault says this is normal. I believe the clutch has worn at 50K km.
5. The blower motor has started making noise and gone weak in the 5th year of ownership.

The AMT is a real sore point. The shift quality tends to be alright for the first 20-30K km but deteriorates rapidly after as the clutch ages. If the waiting period is what concerns you about the Ignis, trust me it's well worth waiting for. If you still can't wait, get a used one.

Here's what BHPian ishan12 had to say on the matter:

Just going by the fact that you are spending 7 lakhs, there are way better cars to choose from if you can extend your budget just a little bit. I would highly suggest looking at Ignis, Swift, Tiago, and i10 in their AMT variants. Relative to the Kwid, these cars are way better engineered, safer, and bigger in space. The extra that you would spend on these cars is well worth it as these are way better cars than the Kwid. Also, the extra you spend would be covered in the resale value itself, as any Maruti/ Tata/ Hyundai will hold a better resale than a Renault Kwid.

Any missing feature, like the reverse parking camera etc can be easily installed in the aftermarket.

Here's what BHPian shashi792 had to say on the matter:

I will also not recommend Kwid. Tiago is a very good car. I would avoid any car with lesser than 4 NCAP ratings. If you are open to a pre-owned route, you will find many options within your budget.

Why not pre-owned Brezza AT, it's a 4-star car (benefit from Bangalore potholes + easy on the pocket for maintenance).

Here's what BHPian Everlearner had to say on the matter:

I also strongly recommend Tiago AMT. My brother owns one for the last 4 years and no issues so far.

IMHO, Tiago is a no-brainer.

For an additional Rs 74,000, you get:

• 4 star safety rating
• Better build quality
• Bigger engine
• Better suspension
• ESP

Kwid does have some additional goodies like a touch screen display, LED DRL, LED tail lights etc., But they are not deal breakers and can be easily upgraded later.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.