The Renault Kwid is a compact yet surprisingly spacious hatchback designed for the Indian market. Offered at an affordable price point, the Kwid stands out for its fuel-efficient engines, ample cargo room, and generous ground clearance. Though small in size, the Kwid packs an impressive level of equipment, including touchscreen infotainment and key safety features. Here are the features and specifications of the Renault Kwid.
Rear Power Windows: The Renault Kwid offers electrically powered rear windows, allowing backseat passengers easy window mobility through intuitive button controls, adding convenience.
Flexible Transmission Options: Available transmission options include a 5-speed manual gearbox for engaging drive feels or a 1.0 litre AMT variant that removes frequent gear shift hassles in city conditions through clutchless operation.
Generous Ground Clearance: With a ground clearance of 184mm, the Kwid can confidently tackle uneven terrain, moderate elevation changes, and larger speed bumps without underbelly scrapes on rough Indian roads.
Sizeable Boot Space: The spacious 279-litre trunk capacity and 60:40 folding rear seats allow enough luggage room for airport runs, grocery hauls, or mini-getaways.
Compact Easy to Maneuver Size: At just 3731mm in length by 1579mm in width with a 2498mm wheelbase, the Renault Kwid finds parking or making tight u-turns effortlessly in congested cities through its compact dimensions.
Rear Armrest: The Renault Kwid's rear armrest is an excellent addition that helps provide extra comfort for backseat passengers. It folds down from the centre of the rear seat and gives rear occupants an elbow rest and a bit more support.
Though the value-packed Renault Kwid has positively surprised compact hatchback buyers with its SUV-inspired styling and extensive features at an irresistible price point, the competition in this rapidly growing budget car segment remains highly fierce for any model. The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso, Tata Punch, and Hyundai Exter have emerged as the Kwid's closest challengers, offering unique selling points around space, features, efficiency, and even micro SUV looks to target the same price-conscious buyers.
Design & Looks: When it comes to design, the Renault Kwid and Maruti Suzuki S-Presso have distinct personalities. The Kwid boasts a more muscular and SUV-inspired design, with its flared wheel arches and higher ground clearance giving it a rugged and adventurous appearance. On the other hand, the S-Presso has a boxy and upright stance, resembling a mini-SUV, but it looks more basic in comparison to the Kwid.
Dimensions: In terms of dimensions, the Renault Kwid is the larger vehicle of the two. It measures 3731 mm in length, which is 166 mm longer than the S-Presso's 3565 mm. The Kwid is also wider, spanning 1579 mm compared to the S-Presso's 1520 mm. Additionally, the Kwid has a longer wheelbase of 2422 mm, providing more space inside the cabin than the S-Presso's 2380 mm wheelbase. However, the S-Presso stands taller at 1564 mm, while the Kwid has a height of 1474 mm.
Features: Both the Renault Kwid and Maruti Suzuki S-Presso come equipped with a digital instrument cluster, but the Kwid's cluster is more significant and provides more information to the driver. When it comes to infotainment, the Kwid offers a bigger 8-inch touchscreen in its top trims, while the S-Presso settles for a 7-inch unit.
Engines: The Renault Kwid has a 1.0-litre petrol engine that generates 67 BHP, and the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso has a 1.0-litre unit that produces 67 BHP.
Safety: The Renault KWID and Maruti Suzuki S-Presso offer standard dual front airbags, ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), and rear parking sensors. However, the Kwid goes further by providing a rear camera and seatbelts with pre-tensioners unavailable in the S-Presso.
Exterior Styling: The Renault Kwid follows a quirky mini-SUV-inspired exterior design with a tall boy stance, contrast colours, and a rugged skid plate holding visual drama from certain angles. On the other hand, the Tata Punch gets proper compact SUV proportions with classic squared-out panelling and body cladding that look butch and substantial over the playful form of Kwid.
Space and Practicality: Despite similar sub-4 meter lengths, the smarter interior packaging of the Punch allows more usable legroom, headroom, and boot space than the Kwid, which prioritises flashy exterior shapes, compromising cabin room for occupants and luggage alike. However, the Kwid claws back appeal through peppier 1.0 Liter engines.
Features and Equipment: Higher Punch variants clearly take the lead here, packing a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment with phone mirroring, push-button start, auto climate control, cooled glovebox, rear AC vents, and a semi-digital instrument cluster — most of which are glaring misses in the Kwid lineup, barring base variant essentials like power windows and steering-mounted controls.
Safety Ratings: The Punch boasts solid 4-star adult occupant protection ratings in Global NCAP crash test analysis. This gives it a significant edge over the Kwid's worrying 1-star result, which indicates compromised structural integrity and unrestrained passenger movement risks in high-speed collisions.
Design and Appearance: The Renault Kwid has a distinctive, muscular design that mimics the look of a small SUV. It features a bold front grille, flared wheel arches, and a high ground clearance, giving it a rugged appearance. On the other hand, the Hyundai Exter is a brand-new model that sports a modern and stylish design. It has a more upright stance, a wide cascading grille, and sharp LED daytime running lights that give it a premium look.
Interior and Features: The Renault Kwid's spacious cabin offers decent headroom and legroom for both front and rear passengers. It also offers features such as a digital instrument cluster, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, manual air conditioning, and power windows. In contrast, the Hyundai Exter offers a more upmarket interior with premium materials and advanced features. It comes with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, automatic climate control, wireless charging, and connected car technology.
Engine and Performance: The Renault Kwid is powered by a 1.0-litre petrol engine that produces 67 BHP of power and 91 Nm of torque. It has a 5-speed manual gearbox and an optional AMT (automated manual transmission). The car offers a peppy driving experience and delivers good fuel efficiency. On the other hand, the Hyundai Exter is powered by a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated unit producing 83 PS and 1134.8 Nm of torque.
Safety: The Renault Kwid has dual front airbags, ABS (anti-lock braking system), EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution), and rear parking sensors. However, it received a disappointing 1-star safety rating from Global NCAP. As a newer model, the Hyundai Exter has a stronger focus on safety. It offers a comprehensive safety package that includes six airbags, electronic stability control, hill-start assist, and a rear-view camera.
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