Renault Kwid: Small Package, Big Rewards
The roads of Kathmandu seem to be buzzing with newer cars every year, and lately, smaller cars have had the centre stage. Small cars and hatches have been the choice of many owing to the advantages over their large counterparts in terms of affordability, convenience and comfort. Many small cars are in the market, and some are liked more than the others. Renault Kwid, a relatively new model, has been the choice of many recently. Advanced Automobile Pvt Ltd, the authorised distributor of Renault vehicles for Nepal introduced Kwid in the market in Nada Show 2016, and according to the company, the car is selling like hotcakes.
The design of Kwid is compact and likeable, can even be called cute. The car has a SUV-inspired design and has a high driving position, offering better visibility. It has a ground clearance of 180 mm, and has 13-inch tyres. The design is overall sporty, and the rear spoiler adds to the sporty appeal. The lower part of the rear bumper has a black trim, giving Kwid the rear look of an SUV. The front grille, Renault branding and the head lamps are very well designed and compliment the design language.
The car is equally stylish on the inside. In spite of its compact size, the car feels spacious and can comfortably seat five. The seat fabric is a chic combination of red, black and grey, and the driver seat is 4-way adjustable. The dashboard is wide and uncluttered, and there is a digital instrument cluster and a centre fascia that houses MediaNAV system. Kwid comes with innovative storage spaces, which include three set glove compartments, floor and door side console and centre console with bottle holder. The vehicle has a standard boot space of 300 litres that can be extended up to 1,115 litres.
The media navigation system comes with a seven-inch touchscreen, which is definitely a segment-first feature. The media system comes with functions like Bluetooth audio streaming and hands-free telephone, USB and AUX input ports and speed sensing volume control. According to Sandeep Chhetry, Marketing Manager at Advanced Automobiles, Kwid has many first-in-segment features like power windows, central locking and driver airbag among others. “We have sold more than 200 units of Kwid owing to its looks and technical features,” says Chhetry. Also according to him, the company is going to start test drive programmes in different cities of Nepal to let the customers know more about Kwid, and about the brand Renault itself.
Under the hood, Kwid is powered by a 799cc three-cylinder engine that generates a maximum power of 54 ps at 5,678 rpm and a peak torque of 72 Nm at 4,386 rpm. The engine is coupled with a 5-speed manual synchromesh transmission. Regarding fuel efficiency, Kwid holds the title for ‘India’s Most Fuel Efficient Petrol Car’, and Chhetry claims that the car gives a mileage of around 25 kmpl, which sounds a bit unlikely. The safety features of Kwid include single airbag, remote keyless-entry, front fog-lamps, engine immobilizer and seat belts for front and rear passengers.
Renault Kwid is available in four variants, namely STD, RxL, RxT and RxT ‘O’. The company is giving out a standard warranty of 50,000 kms or two years, whichever is earlier. The company has two service centers, in Kalupul and in Teku. “We are offering excellent workshop facilities and after sales service along with accessories from our service centres,” says Chhetri. The company is offering Kwid in five colour options: fiery red, ice cool white, moonlight silver, outback bronze and planet grey
