Review of Renault Kwid

Review of Renault Kwid

For every car, there is something that will attract buyers. It could be the design, speed, practicality or fuel economy.

However, of recent car manufacturers are focusing on fuel economy and it is one area that Renault would want to capture most with its range of fuel economical cars. One such car is the SUV inspired Renault Kwid.

The Kwid is not an SUV but rather a simple hatchback with an SUV inspired design. The design aside, what attracts attention more are the engine sizes in 800cc and 1,000cc.
You cannot beat that.

Robina Mulera aka Bina Baby, a radio presenter with Dembe FM drives a Toyota Vitz, which she says, saves her lots of money with Shs100,000 worth of fuel taking her for more than three weeks. Her Vitz is fitted with a 1,000cc engine.

Now with 800cc, one wonders how much Shs100,000 worth of fuel can take you, if not forever.

It is dubbed as India’s most fuel efficient petrol car at 25.17km per litre. The Renault Kwid is quite affordable at just $14,000 (Shs49m) for a brand new car. $14,000 (Shs49m) is for the manual version while $15,000 (Shs52.5m) is for the automatic transmission version.
Those in the know will tell you how it is almost impossible to buy a brand new car at such prices. Most brand new cars on the market start from $20,000 (Shs70m) upwards.

SUV inspired design
The SUV inspired design has the Kwid finished off with short front and rear overhangs along with a high ground clearance (180mm) giving off an impression of strength and robustness. The interior carries forward the bold styling as the outside.
The horizontal, uncluttered lines of the dashboard convey an impression of width and refinement.

The digital instrument cluster and piano black centre fascia with chrome surround harmoniously houses the centrally-positioned MediaNav (multimedia and navigation) system, creating a contemporary feel that combines style and practicality.

Better visibility
A high driving position offers better visibility. The multimedia and navigation system features a seven inch touchscreen display complemented by two speakers in the front.

It comes with a range of function such as navigation with turn by turn voice guidance, MP3, AM/FM radio, Bluetooth audio streaming and hands free telephony, USB and AUX input ports and speed sensing volume control.

The innovative and easy-to- read digital instrument cluster with on-board trip computer provides valuable information such as average fuel consumption, distance to empty, average speed and more, while the gear shift indicator helps achieve optimum fuel efficiency.

36-month warranty
The Kwid holds a 36-month warranty or 100,000km. According to Samuel Kato, a marketing and sales executive at Renault Uganda, Merca, a subsidiary of General Machinery, apart from the manual version the other one is AMT meaning it has a manual gearbox that is automatically operated.

“It is one of the most affordable new cars on the market today. At 180mm, the ground clearance is close to some SUVs and quite good for Ugandan roads,” he says.
Although it looks small, the Renault Kwid can comfortably sit five passengers and that is what we call practicality.

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Compiled by Beatrice Nakibuuka