French car manufacturing company, Renault grabbed a great amount of attention of the Indian car buyers by launching the new Renault Kwid entry level hatchback model. Although an entry level hatchback, the Renault Kwid created a huge wave with its mini SUV stance, good features and class-best interior space and ground clearance. The SUV stance was never expected in the mini hatchback segment of India, but the Renault Kwid changed all that and created a new benchmark in the segment which scared even the country’s top selling car, Maruti Szuki Alto. However, this is not all, as Renault decided to make things even better and take the attraction of the Kwid to the next level and thus, came the more powerful Kwid and more recently the AMT version of the car to simply bowl over the first time car buyers of India.
Renault really made a special place for itself in the car market of with its immensely popular Duster compact SUV, and now it has become a household name with the much more affordable and entry level hatch Kwid. Encouraged by the huge market response that the Kwid received, Renault already introduced a more powerful 1.0-liter petrol mill under the hood of the car which the company said was in response to customer demands. Renault didn’t stop at that and recently launched the much awaited Kwid AMT version. The new automatic avatar of the Renault Kwid has been named as the ‘Easy-R’ and has totally impressed the car buyers of India all over again. The new Renault Kwid Easy-R with its Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), is definitely a lot more alluring than the standard Renault Kwid and is rightly expected to skyrocket the demands of the small hatchback model. Here we are going to consider all the things that make it better and more attractive than the regular Kwid that was first launched in the car market of India:
First of all, the one thing that makes the Renault Kwid Easy-R all the better than the stock Kwid is its AMT (automated manual transmission) gearbox. It is good to mention that the new Kwid AMT actually comes equipped with the same 5 speed manual transmission that the standard model gets, but it gets empowered by a Bosch AMT shifter module. The Kwid AMT is definitely one of the finest units that we have tested till now.
Another remarkable thing in the Kwid Easy-R is that it does not come with a traditional gear stick. In order to make things really interesting, Renault has introduced a cool rotary knob on the Kwid AMT’s dashboard which offers three gears, namely – R (Reverse), N (Neutral) and D (Drive). This rotary knob takes the easy driving experience to a new level, as the driver simply selects the gear by turning the knob. This rotary gear knob really adds a superb premium touch to the entry level hatchback, as such a similar system (although much more sophisticated) is available in high-end cars like Jaguar and Land Rover.
However, the gear selector on the Renault Kwid AMT offers only three driving options and unlike the other AMT units, it does not offer a sport mode. This primarily means that the car can’t sprint at high speeds to offer a really sporty driving experience. The Kwid’s AMT unit again unlike the others, also does not offer the flexibility of a manual gear shift.
The new Renault Kwid AMT comes with a standard ‘brake hold’ feature which comes in handy when the car is in a standstill position, but the rotary knob is set in ‘Drive’ mode. The brake hold feature keeps the car from creeping forward, unless the driver presses on to the throttle pedal. This also means that physically holding down the brake pedal or shifting to Neutral is not required every time the Kwid comes to a halt due to crawling traffic situations to refrain the car from rolling forward. This is indeed a great feature to offer superior easy driving experience in busy city roads, while also helping the new drivers to get a hang of an automatic car model.
Unlike the standard Kwid, the AMT version is available exclusively with the more powerful 1.0-liter petrol motor and not with the smaller 0.8-liter engine option. The 1L mill offers a max power output of 67 Bhp and a top torque of 91 Nm. The car’s power delivery is very smooth and the AMT unit is also very useful.
The AMT unit although is a bit jerky as in the case of any affordable automated manual unit, it feels overall smooth. The first and second gears feel a bit rough, but things really get better on the other gears and offer a smooth and hassle free drive experience. The AMT model is definitely a plus over the top manual model trim, as the AMT version offers great easy driving on a daily basis for the urban drivers.
The AMT version is offered only on the range topping RXT model and the company will also launch the AMT option in a lower variant in the future depending on demands. The new Renault Kwid AMT can be booked with a token amount of only Rs. 10,000.
The Renault Kwid AMT being the top model is packed with great features including the touchscreen infotainment system with navigation. The Kwid’s class leading cabin space and good cargo area remain to be its plus points in the AMT version as well, while the missing gear lever adds more space and neatness on the car’s central console.
The Renault Kwid Easy-R AMT gets the identical design of the manual 1.0L variant. It flaunts the chequered flag body decals and added Easy-R logo. The Kwid AMT is tagged at Rs. 4.25 lakhs (ex-showroom, New Delhi) and the model locks its horns with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 AMT and the Tata Nano AMT in its own segment, while also rivaling the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R AMT and the Maruti Suzuki Celerio AMT from a segment a notch above.
Author: Amit Kumar
Amit is the founder of YoursNews. This is a next generation blog, proved that blogging is an art; focus on valuable ideas and genuine stories, rest everything will fall into place.
