Renault Kwid 2020-2021

Just like the stylish exterior, the Renault Kwid offers a neatly laid-out interior whose design seems to have taken some inspiration from the Duster. With the facelift, the Kwid received a refreshed dashboard, larger touchscreen infotainment system and even a new steering wheel. Besides, the fully digital instrument cluster has always been impressive and gives the cockpit a pretty sporty appearance.

The updated touchscreen infotainment unit offers modern connectivity features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The piano black surround with a subtle chrome accent lends an upmarket look to the touch panel. The dual-tone dark grey and black interior colour scheme gives the cabin a sporty theme. The Climber edition teven gets orange highlights on the door pads, centre console, seats and doormats.

Some other features of the Renault Kwid include manual HVAC function, reverse camera, two 12V pocket outlets, steering wheel wrapped in perforated leather, front seatback pockets, front cupholders, all-four power windows, internally adjustable ORVMs, a rear armrest and much more. In the front row, one is seated at a good height and has a good view of the road. However, move to the rear seat and the first thing that you will notice is the lack of under-thigh support. There's decent knee room and headroom but three adults on the rear bench will be a tight fit.

The Renault Kwid is available in two engine options - a 0.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol unit and a more powerful 1.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol motor that even powers the Triber. The smaller 799cc engine generates as much as 54 PS of maximum power with a peak torque of 72 Nm. This engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. On the go, the motor feels sufficiently powerful in urban conditions but rapidly runs out of steam on highways. Also, the NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) is on the higher side with the three-pot motor getting quite vocal even lower down the revs. The ARAI-rated fuel efficiency of this engine is 25 kmpl.

The bigger 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol unit churns out 68 PS of maximum power and a peak torque of 91 Nm. This engine gets mated to a 5-speed stick shift as standard but is even available with an AMT option. The motor has good torque-spread on offer and thanks to the low kerb weight, it makes the Kwid a sprightly performer. Even the AMT is pretty well-tuned and there’s not much of an inherent jerk under normal usage. However, you’ll definitely feel the lag in the shifts if you’re driving with pedal to the metal. The ARAI certified fuel economy of the 1.0L MT and AMT is rated at 23 kmpl and 22 kmpl respectively.

Based on the CMF-A architecture, the Renault Kwid offers a good balance between ride quality and corner-carving capabilities, especially for a car of its size and price. Thanks to the softly sprung suspension and high ground clearance, it pretty much glides over the large speed-breakers while it also manages to even out most of the small undulations. The sharper ones, however, do unsettle the car a tad bit. But in most urban conditions, the Kwid will keep occupants in both rows of seats pretty comfortable.

Even the handling characteristics of the Renault Kwid are pretty good. While the steering is quite light and stays that way even with a rise in speeds, there’s little vagueness around its dead centre. Also, the steering is quite direct, which, coupled with the high seating position, helps you easily make your way through the traffic. Also, in spite of the high ride height, body-roll is well-contained. Finally, the grip on offer is decent and you can take corners pretty fast as long as you keep in mind that this, here, is a budget hatchback and its corner-carving capabilities are limited.

Renault Kwid offers a handful of passive and active safety features to keep its occupants protected. It gets dual front airbags (with passenger airbag being an optional feature), an anti-lock braking system with electronic brake-force distribution, reverse camera with parking sensors, engine immobilizer, remote central locking, child safety lock, speed-sensing door lock, front seat belt reminder and a high-speed alert system. However, it’s important to note here that the Renault Kwid gets only a driver’s side airbag as standard fitment on the base-level RXE and RXL trim and you can’t add a co-driver airbag even by paying extra.

It’s important to mention here that the India-spec Renault Kwid has been tested by Global NCAP and has bagged a 2-star rating. It scored 7.87 out of 17 in adult protection and 19.68 out of 49 in child safety protection. So, basically, this hatchback has scored better in the Global NCAP crash test than its arch rival Maruti S-Presso. However, we wish dual-front airbags are made standard in all variants.