Competition Check: Renault Kwid vs Rivals

The French car giant, Renault, globally unveiled its small sized hatchback Kwid a few days back in India. The car has received widespread praise in the country and overseas for its butch crossover like looks and an attractive price bracket that the manufacturer will be placing it in. Kwid lands in the major volume churner segment of small cars, hence, it will face most fierce competition with rivals like Maruti Suzuki Alto K10, WagonR and Hyundai Eon that are leading the segment. To accomplish high sales, Kwid has to be an ace in the hole, just like the Duster. We bring forth the major highlights that gives it an edge over its competition.

Price

Renault has declared that Kwid will be coming around this year’s festive season and will be launched in the price tag between INR 3 and 4 lacs. The outlay undoubtedly, is very competitive as Alto K10 is priced between INR 3.2-4.0 lacs, Wagon R between INR 3.5-4.5 lacs and Eon between INR 3.1-4.3 lacs (prices approx), making Kwid’s preposition very valid and attractive. 

Looks

The small sized hatch segment lack in this field as Alto K10 and Wagon R are not good lookers, yes they could be better than their previous generations but when compared to Kwid or Eon they fall short of looks. Eon is a good looking car, but the crossover-like resemblance makes the Kwid a better and more stylish vehicle than the competition. And as we Indians have an affinity towards SUVs, this upcoming Renault’s offspring will work for many of us. The major design highlights include pronounced wheel arches, all-around body cladding, flickered bonnet, an incredibly placed nose flanked by blacked out headlamps, imposing fog lamp housing and a classy rear. All of that is seldom seen in the class it belongs to.

Interiors

The insides too are handsomely done, though there isn’t much that has been done on the inside still it will be a great deal at a price ranging from 3 to 4 lacs, as said by Renault India. There is a unique driver information cluster that makes it looks the part, the central console gets segment-first infotainment system, fair amount of cubby holes, all making it a better proposition. Considering the competition, Wagon R’s interiors have become quite dated while Alto’s could seem a bit claustrophobic to some, Hyundai Eon too gets stylish interiors but are dated as well. 

Engine

As declared earlier, Kwid will be getting an 800cc petrol motor mated to a 5-speed manual. Renault promises of delivering a segment-best mileage and as of now, no word has been made regarding the power figure of the car. On the downside, since, it is not a 1000cc motor, it is expected to be less powerful than the K10, Wagon R and Eon's 1.0 litre, till Renault play some neat tricks with the motor’s tuning.

These four points could make Kwid a bully in its class that could rob-off a fair share of sales number from this segment in favour of Renault.

Source : Competition Check: Renault Kwid vs Rivals