2018 Renault Kwid Competition Check

When launched back in 2015, the Renault Kwid had taken the budget compact-car segment by a storm. With the likes of the Maruti and Hyundai offering more or less basic cars, Renault tried to change buyer expectations by offering a large SUV-like tall-boy design for a measly price tag. The Kwid turned out to be quite successful, managing to sell almost 10,000 cars a month at its peak. Now, after three years, the Kwid has received its mandatory mid-life update and we figure out how it fares against its competition

Maruti Suzuki Alto

The Alto has been one of the highest selling cars in India’s automotive history and still continues to lead the compact hatchback segment. But when compared to the Renault Kwid, the latter scores over the Alto in almost all avenues. To begin with, the Kwid offers more space than the Alto straight away thanks to its larger dimensions and tall-boy design. It also has a bigger boot and now gets a 7.0-inch touchscreen display. It offers AMT in both the 800cc and the 1.0-litre engine options just like the Alto and the AMT now gets traffic assist which allows the car to crawl in traffic as well.

Datsun RediGo

The Datsun Redigo shares its platform and engine with the Kwid and hence, there isn’t much to differentiate in the mechanicals. Yet, the Kwid is larger than the RediGo and offers more space inside the cabin as well as in the boot. Also, its SUV-ish looks are still unique to segment and definitely score over the Datsun. With the larger touchscreen and the parking camera added to the features list  along with driver airbag as standard for the higher trims, the Kwid seems to have an upper hand over the RediGo.

Hyundai Eon

The Hyundai Eon has been around for a long time and hasn’t really gotten many updates. Having said that, the little Hyundai is still an able competitor offering a bullet-proof powertrain and a stylish design for the budget buyers. The fluidic design still stands out but it doesn’t get any automatic options. With the two-pedal setup gaining popularity in recent times, the Eon has lost out due to the absence of automatics. It still offers manual AC, power windows, internally adjustable wing mirrors and fog lamps in its features list.