Introduction

The new Kwid on the block is expected to shake up the entry-level hatchback segment like never before. Renault has built an all-new car from ground up for the Indian market, one that intends to challenge the vice grip of Maruti Suzuki on the A-Segment. The Alto has been the best seller in the segment since its inception and even the Hyundai Eon didn’t manage half in volume, though it did create a space for itself.

Renault has lot of hopes from the Kwid, of course not with the intentions of thwarting the Alto, but to build volumes and establish itself firmly in the Indian market. But after driving the Renault Kwid, we pit the new A-Segment hatchback in a spec comparison with the Alto 800 and the Hyundai Eon to find out if Renault will succeed.

Looks

The Renault Kwid exploits our love for SUVs. The car has been designed to look like a small crossover with butch looks and high ground clearance. The rugged looks come with thick honeycomb grille at the front, matte grey body cladding and faux skid plates. The car also looks premium with the stylish bumper that has black fog lamp housings and headlamps with similar black elements.

The rear profile is relatively simple, but does not dampen the overall appeal of the car. Our only major complaint is that the 13-inch tyres look too puny for the car.

The Alto 800 has the classic small car silhouette, but redesigned to fit in today’s world. The proportions are similar to that of the Alto K10, but the car has been stripped of all the fancy elements (if that is even possible) to make it an even affordable hatchback.

The only thing worth talking about in the Alto 800 is the hexagonal grille at the front that lends it some character. We don’t rate the styling of the Maruti hatchback very highly, at best it is more refreshing than the M800 it replaced.

A tallboy modern hatchback that is the best way of describing the Hyundai Eon. The Korean carmaker has made a few really good looking cars and though the Eon does not top the list, it is quite commendable to see such a nice looking car in this segment.

The Eon looks and feels premium with the fluidic design sculpt and there is enough attention to detail to pass it off in the segment above with nicely designed fog lamps, body-coloured door handles and a micro roof antenna.

All three cars use a completely different approach: where the Alto 800 is a typical small hatchback, the Eon is a modern tallboy car with flowing design. Renault on the other hand has taken a whole new route with the SUVish get up and while we won’t want to pass a judgement here, we think the Kwid looks more appealing with its styling.

Interior

The Kwid impresses with its interior as well. The quality of the plastic is more than decent and the fit and finish is brilliant considering it is a budget hatchback. The dashboard is minimalistic with certain elements that remind us of the bigger cars in the Renault line up. The biggest surprise however, is the touch-screen music system with navigation, a feature that is rare on cars that cost twice as much.

The new CMF-A platform has also liberated lot of space inside the cabin. There is ample space for four to sit in comfort both in terms of headroom and legroom and even the fifth person can squeeze inside for a short drive in the city. The boot space of the Kwid at 300litres is also the biggest in the segment, in fact, it is larger than many of the premium hatchbacks including the Hyundai i20.

The Alto 800 has a basic interior, the layout is simple with the 1-din music system integrated into the dashboard. The entire cabin is mainly light grey with silver inserts for the dashboard and the door trims.

The cabin size is decent, but ingress and egress is a problem as the car is low. The boot space at 177litres is acceptable for this segment and there are hardly any features to talk about apart from the front power windows and 12V charging point.

The Eon cabin is typical Hyundai with flowing design. This is the only car in the segment that uses light beige that makes the cabin look roomier. There are plenty of cubby holes in the cabin to keep everything from bottle, cups to smart phones. The rear space is on par with the Alto, the knee room is just about enough, the headroom is decent, but the car is slightly more cramped.

The Eon offers all four power windows, a music system that sounds nice and look and feel that is at least a segment better than everything else. The boot space at 215litres is nice, but loading can be an issue with the high boot lip.

Performance

The Kwid is powered by a three-pot 800cc unit producing 53bhp and 72Nm of torque. The engine has some rattle at idling but smoothens out as the car picks up speed. The Kwid has the highest ARAI rated fuel efficiency in the segment at 25.1kmpl.

The Maruti engine is the least powerful among three, the 800cc unit delivers 48bhp and 69Nm of torque. The engine has been in use for a long time and the refinement levels are good. The car is also efficient with ARAI rating of 22.74kmpl. The car is also available with a CNG kit, which occupies a lot of space in the boot.

Like the other two, the Eon also uses a three-cylinder 800cc engine. The power figures of 55bhp and 75Nm are also on par with the rest, only the refinements levels seem to be marginally lower. The efficiency of the petrol version is rated at 21.1kmpl, while there is also a LPG variant for those looking for even better economy.

On paper, the performance of all the three cars is pretty similar. The Kwid has better efficiency, but misses on CNG or LPG variants. There are no AMTs either, all the three cars use five-speed manual transmission to power the front wheels.

Summary

The Kwid is the newest of the three and pushes the limits of space utilisation a little further. The car looks great with a SUVish stance and offers decent cabin and boot space. The looks are probably the biggest drawback of the Alto 800, though it makes up for that with the resale value and accessibility to the Maruti Suzuki brand.

The Eon is stylish, practical in the city and offers decent number of features for this segment, the only thing that we will complain about in the Hyundai is the engine refinement.

There is no doubt that the Renault Kwid sets a new benchmark for the entry-level hatchback, we will wait to know more about the exact price to see its potential to take on the segment leader.

Renault plans to price the top-end under Rs 4 lakh, which will make it value for money, yet the smaller dealer and service network will be a hurdle.