After Duster it’s the Kwid which has pushed the French automaker to break its monopolistic jinx in the Indian market. The Kwid was launched in 2015 and has been a well admired car in the Indian auto market. With styling and adequate space that transformed the small car segment, the hatch has been a breath taker for some vary reasons. Built and developed specifically for the Indian market and giving it the heavy localization levels to keep its price competent. In spite of entry level segment, Kwid sports some first in class features, SUV stylish and more than decent ride quality of any small car. All these USPs made it to grab many cars of the year awards.
Kwid 0.8 is one of the most loved cars with very little to complain about. One of the drawbacks of that variant was its underpowered highway performance but it was resolved with the launch of 1 litre engine. Now to further strengthen its aroma, the carmaker has launched AMT gearbox with 1.0 litre engine. We have already driven it and you can find it on our expert review segment. We are here to tell about the Pros and cons of 1.0l AMT Kwid.
High
- Once AT was considered as costly option for entry level hatches but it has changed altogether with Maruti Suzuki Celerio and Alto K10. Kwid AMT costs Rs. 30,000 more than manual trim so you get city convenience for a pocket friendly price.
- The Kwid 1.0 litre manual variants deliver an ARAI rated mileage of 23.01 Kmpl whereas AMT delivers 1 Kmpl more at 24.01 Kmpl unlike other conventional torque convertor ATs.
- The Rotary AMT not only saves space but is also one of the better gearboxes on offer in its segment. It makes quite an impression as it is smooth, responsive and makes it a fun car to drive.
- Owing to good suspension set up, this vary variant offers balanced ride with natural handling which is well complimented by 180 mm of ground clearance.
- As it is based on top end RXT variant, you get all the bells and whistles such as touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, digital instrument cluster, 12V power socket, twin glove box, piano black finish, drive side airbag, central locking and much more.
- The SUV inspire tall boy styling, best in class cabin space not only makes it an attractive car but also one of the major reasons of its success in India.
Low
- Though the AMT gearbox is well calibrated to engine still the absence of manual mode and creep function hurts a bit as at time you’ll surely miss these options.
- Despite some first in segment features it misses out on some necessities like no internally adjustable ORVMs, height adjustable and retractable seat belts. Still, no ABS is offered.
- The engine feels noisy at times and it is best suited for city throttle as it runs out of breath on Highways.
- Renault after sales service is still hit or miss and average than Maruti Suzuki.
