Renault KWID

The Renault Kwid is one of the most affordable new cars in India. It is also among the most affordable vehicles to be offered with an automatic transmission in the country. 

This funky micro-SUV first debuted in 2015, and has soldiered on with minor updates over the years for nearly a decade. The only direct rival to the Kwid is Maruti Suzuki’s S-Presso. However, for a similar budget, you can also consider slightly larger cars such as the Celerio/WagonR or even the Tata Punch. 

The Kwid once ruled the small car segment by virtue of its SUV styling and great packaging. Is it still as good? Let’s take a look. 

Design and Build Quality

There’s no denying that the Kwid is a hatchback trying to pose as an SUV. That being said, I think it does a rather good job of doing that. The design is rugged, muscular, and it definitely looks more premium than other small cars.

Renault has chosen to play the size card. The Kwid looks and feels larger than it actually is, by virtue of clever design. Most of that is down to the raised height and wide stance of the car.

Viewed from the front, the LED daytime running lamps (DRL) instantly grab attention. They flow into a large chrome-lined grille that houses the XL-size Renault logo. The headlamp is placed on the bumper and gets a rugged-looking cladding of its own. To complete the SUV look, Renault has also added body cladding and a skid plate at the front.

The side profile is simple, and this is where the Kwid looks most like a raised hatchback. Design highlights here include the turn indicators on the mirror and roof rails. A quick glance at the wheels and you’d mistake them for alloys. They’re steel wheels with a wheel cap that simply mimic more expensive alloys. This is very clever cost cutting!

Renault could’ve made the side profile cleaner with body coloured door handles and better integration of the lock set that looks out of place, especially in today’s day and age. The large antenna sticking out of the roof does not look particularly modern either.

Compared to the front, the rear sports a simpler design. It features simple halogen taillamps with LED light guides and vertical reflectors placed on the bumpers. A skid plate, finished in silver, completes the Kwid’s baby SUV look. Worth mentioning is the integration of the rear camera, that’s done flawlessly within the Renault logo on the boot lid.

Renault offers the following colour options on the Kwid: Ice Cool White, Fiery Red, Outback Bronze, Moonlight Silver, and Zanskar Blue. Except for the bronze shade, all other colours are available with a contrast black roof. The Metal Mustard colour is available exclusively with a dual-tone paint scheme. 

But the SUV-like design of the Kwid works for it, and most people should like it, as it stands out among its rivals. For a vehicle that’s so affordable, build quality is just about acceptable. Quality of sheet metal and paint is nothing out of the ordinary. The Kwid is built to a cost and it most certainly feels that way.

Design and Quality

While the exterior of the Kwid cements a good impression, the interior of the Kwid tries to maintain that same impression, which it does for the most part. The cabin design is clean, with a black theme and silver inserts that give it a neat layout. The fabric seats get some interesting styling elements that add some life to the cabin, but these could be a hit or miss depending on your taste.

In terms of quality and fit-and-finish, the Kwid’s cabin is acceptable for the price. It uses hard plastics for the most part, but in some places, that plastic can feel a bit too light, which can feel unnecessarily cheap. 

Front Seat

Ingress and egress isn’t an issue at the front, even for the elderly. The Kwid is a small car, and space is just about acceptable for two average sized adults. There’s healthy fore-aft travel in the driver’s seat. However, you cannot adjust the seat for height, or the steering wheel in any manner whatsoever, making it rather difficult to find a comfortable driving position.

The seats are contoured and are accommodating of larger frames too. However, fixed headrests aren’t that supportive.

Rear Seat

The rear seat experience of the Kwid is subjective. If you're an average-sized adult (around 5'8" in height), you won't have any complaints. There’s enough foot and knee room when the driver seat is set for a driver of that height. Headroom is also adequate, but the headrests feel almost non-existent. A little more support here would’ve been a lot better.

For taller people, around 6 feet, the rear seats feel cramped in every sense. It's also best not to seat three adults back here because the width is short and there’s also no headrest for the middle passenger. Weirdly, there used to be a central armrest here, which has now been removed. 

Storage and Practicality

The Kwid’s practicality is hard to fault and is something that your entire family will appreciate.

Let's start with the door pockets, which get 1-litre bottle pockets and plenty of additional storage for your dusting cloth and loose items. There is a lot of storage space in front of the gear knob, including a dedicated section for your phone or wallet. In fact, the phone storage section is unique as it gets a section to hold the wires, which allows you to keep your phone upright while charging.

The glovebox size is also quite good, allowing you to store car papers and still have plenty of space left for knick-knacks.

Charging Options

Front occupants get a USB type-A port and 12V socket in the front, and there is a 12V socket in the back. Renault should consider offering USB type-C ports now.

Bootspace

The 279-litre boot space in the Kwid is easy to access because you don't have to lift things very high. You can fit a decent amount of luggage here with enough space for one medium and one small suitcase, along with space for a duffle and laptop bags.

And if you fold down the rear seats, you can access up to 620 litres of storage space, which is plenty to say the least. It’ll gobble up multiple suitcases, of course, but you can also haul big electronics or equipment here.

Despite being a budget car, the Kwid offers plenty of features. All the basics are covered as it gets manual AC, day-night IRVM, all four power windows, and steering-mounted controls – so no compromise on essential features. 

Then come the premium features, and the list includes electrically adjustable ORVMs, an 8-inch infotainment system, and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Not only is the screen size decent, but actually offers good usability too. It is crisp and has a good response time. Yes, the main screen is a little short on options, so you do have to go through a few steps and menus to get the specific information you require. But the good thing is that the integration of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto has been well executed. It is smooth and rather easy to use as well.

The driver’s display looks quite funky, with a simple digitised display in the centre that shows speed, fuel efficiency, and trip info. That said, the design of the tachometer and speedometer doesn’t really feel accurate and a simple analogue cluster would have been better and much more accurate here.

One big highlight is the Kwid’s rear view camera, which is a unique feature at this price point. The video feed is clear and there are static guidelines to help with parking as well. 

There are only a couple of complaints from its features package, one of them being rather small and comes in the form of the driver not getting power controls for the rear windows. The other is its sound system, which only has two speakers in the front. Not only do they sound strictly average but they also tend to crack and struggle at higher volumes. If you love music, you will have to get a better music system.

But given the Kwid’s price point, you can’t really expect any more features. Because, besides the sound system, the Kwid’s feature package is good and doesn’t leave you wanting more.

The Kwid’s safety package has been improved over the years. Currently, standard safety features on the Kwid include dual airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, front and rear seat belt reminders, electronic stability control and a tyre pressure monitoring system.Higher variants add a rear parking camera, hill start assist (AMT only) and speed-sensing door locks to the list. 

Global NCAP gave the Kwid a safety rating of 2 stars for adult and child occupant safety.

Engine Performance

The Renault Kwid is available with a single 68 PS/91 Nm 1-litre petrol unit, which can be paired either to a 5-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed automated manual transmission (AMT). We had the automatic unit on our test.

Now, talking about NVH levels, the experience could have been better. The engine is a 3-cylinder unit, and the cabin insulation isn’t great. As a result, you always hear noise and notice vibrations through the steering and floorboard. In this regard, the Maruti S-Presso’s petrol engine offers a smoother and more refined experience.

City Performance

The clutch is super light, but the gear shifts are slightly clunky. However, for short city trips, it’s unlikely to be a bother. The Kwid also demands you be in the right gear at all times. You will have to keep the engine at higher rpm to make overtakes, as the engine tends to bog down severely if you’re in higher gears at lower speeds.

We’d have recommended the AMT for heavy city use, but that too feels jerky and confused. Shift times are slow and accompanied with a prominent headnod. Add that you cannot take manual control of the gearbox, and the experience can get frustrating. Unless you absolutely need the convenience of two pedals, stick to the manual version of the Kwid.

When we had the Kwid on test, it returned approximately 13-14kmpl for city drives.

Highway Performance

Cars such as the Kwid are not meant for extensive highway use. That said, it’s comfortable cruising between 75-90kmph on the highway. It does have enough power to reach higher speeds, but the engine screams and shouts while struggling to build speed. If you have passenger load, this lack of power is even more apparent.

In fact, even on hilly roads, the Kwid has a tendency to struggle unless you’re in low gears and being heavy on the throttle. 

You can expect a fuel efficiency of around 15-17kmpl out on the highway.

While the Kwid may not be the ideal car from a driver’s perspective, it won’t give the passengers inside much to complain about. It loves gobbling up the city potholes. The suspension is balanced, and as a result, absorbs most bumps and speed breakers quite well. The movement inside the car is controlled and you only feel the bumps on slightly higher speeds. 

It feels stable out on the highway too and you’ll only feel a little vertical movement over sudden level changes or highway gaps. But that too is not to the point that it feels uncomfortable. We do wish the steering weighed up a bit more on the highway, because it doesn’t inspire confidence during a quick lane change or corner. Although, it does feel natural and easy to use in the city. It isn’t a car that likes to be pushed around corners, so it’s best to take it easy.

The Renault Kwid is available in two variants only: Evolution and Climber.

Renault Kwid Evolution

• Exterior styling elements include halogen headlights with LED DRLs, body coloured bumpers, sparkling silver wheel covers for the 14-inch steel wheels, integrated roof spoiler, side indicators on the wheel arches and stylised door decals.

• Basic cabin gets grey fabric upholstery, and some chrome surrounds on the AMT dial and AC vents.

• Features include manual AC, manually adjustable ORVMs, front power windows, keyless entry with central locking, 12V socket and rear grab handles. 

• Gets an 8-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and two front speakers. 

• Dual airbags, rear parking sensors, electronic stability program, ABS with EBD and hill-start assist (AMT) are standard safety features.

Renault Kwid Climber

• Fancier styling with satin chrome inserts on the grille, ORVMs with turn indicators, dual-tone wheel covers, roof rails with white inserts, dual-tone body colour, and Climber motif on C-pillar.

• More lively interior with mustard and white striping on the fabric seats, white screen surround, and chrome on the parking brake button and inside door handles. 

• Better convenience with electrically adjustable ORVMs, front and rear power windows, steering-mounted audio controls, fast USB chargers, and manual day/night IRVM.

• A rear-view camera with guidelines is the only addition in the safety kit.

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• As far as a basic entry-level variant is concerned, the Evolution variant is genuinely great value-for-money. It covers the basics and even offers an infotainment system along with the option of an automatic transmission. So if your budget is super tight and you want a no-compromise small car with a high ground clearance and SUV-like looks, the Renault Kwid’s Evolution variant is a great option.

• You can stretch to the Climber variant if you want slightly more convenience features.

The SUV-inspired design, the spacious cabin, thoughtful storage options and large boot make the Kwid a fundamentally sound package. It’s comfortable ride quality and high ground clearance only add to its appeal. 

However, the feature list is far too basic by today’s standards. Also, the biggest drawback with the Kwid is its engine-gearbox combination which is neither particularly enjoyable nor refined. 

Renault’s Kwid might have started off strong in 2015, but now seems like it's in a desperate need of an upgrade.