[dhruvky94]

Hi All,

I hope everyone is having a nice day. So I have booked a Renault KWID Climber AMT and I am getting the delivery in 2 days. The reason I have chosen this car is as follows:

1. Price - It's costing me 7.3 Lakh on road in Bangalore
2. It's my first car and people recommended I go with a smaller car
3. Availability - I am getting the car in 2 days and AMT is readily available
4. Automatic - I need an automatic for Bangalore traffic
5. Decent feature set - Getting features like reverse parking cam, nav etc
6. Small size - Will be good since it's my first car and good for city driving
7. I like the overall look of the car

I was thinking of going with a Hyundai Venue earlier but cancelled it due to long waiting times, increased price and this being my first car. Now, people are recommending me agains KWID saying that it's not safe and AMT will have issues with Inclines. Is KWID Climber really that unsafe? I like the car overall, but will avoid it if it's really unsafe. My use case would be 95% city driving.

Thanks in advance everyone!

[vishy76]

As the owner of a pre-facelift Kwid, my opinion is you should stay away from this car. I am not saying the Kwid is a bad car, I would still pick it from the current crop of entry level hatchbacks. But do I find it worth 7 big ones? Absolutely not.

The overall build quality, the refinement and the fit and finish aren't upto 7L standards in my opinion. The AMT is a crude implementation (although improved on the facelift with creep mode), there's no manual mode, it has a very poor safety rating and the overall reliability of the Kwid isn't the best either. Costs have been cut very aggressively. Again, acceptable for an entry level hatchback, but not justified when you are paying 7L.

I would suggest stretching for an Ignis Delta AMT. The Ignis Delta AMT might miss out on one or two features such as the fancy touchscreen and a reverse cam, but it's a much better engineered car in my opinion. It gets a better AMT, a 4-pot petrol, will be a lot more hassle free to own and is also backed by a good service network. It might also be safer than the Kwid for whatever it's worth (don't expect a 4 or 5 star rating of course).

[dhruvky94]

Originally Posted by vishy76

As the owner of a pre-facelift Kwid, my opinion is you should stay away from this car. I am not saying the Kwid is a bad car, I would still pick it from the current crop of entry level hatchbacks. But do I find it worth 7 big ones? Absolutely not.

Ok now I am concerned about the reliability point. Can you please elaborate a bit on that? Like have you faced major reliability issues during your ownership? I had checked out Ignis but found that the waiting period was 2 months. Whereas KWID is available in 1 week. It would help me avoid getting drenched in Bangalore rains sooner

Also, 7 lakh is on road with all the bells and whistle. Ignis is coming around to 9 lakh for the same feature set.

[Vishal.R]

Manual mode is essential in AMT.

If Kwid AMT still comes without manual mode, it is sufficient reason to stay away.

[dhruvky94]

Originally Posted by Vishal.R

Manual mode is essential in AMT.

If Kwid AMT still comes without manual mode, it is sufficient reason to stay away.

Yeah there is no manual mode still. Is that a big issue for city driving?

[RavSam]

Originally Posted by dhruvky94

Ok..Also, 7 lakh is on road with all the bells and whistle. Ignis is coming around to 9 lakh for the same feature set.

Hi! Check as to how much is the difference in the EMIs of both the cars.

The premium on Ignis is just well worth it. I went for it when I was 100% sure on getting the Spresso.

Otherwise check the Wagon R which is slightly cheaper for 1.2L AMT and a little bit more cheaper for 1.0L AMT

If you are OK with Kwid's safety or the lack thereof, get the Spresso since it would be as safe as Kwid with the twin-airbags.

[ishan12]

Just going by the fact that you are spending 7 lakhs, there are way better cars to choose from if you can extend your budget just a little bit. I would highly suggest looking at Ignis, Swift, Tiago, I10 in their AMT variants. Relative to the Kwid, these cars are way better engineered, safer, bigger in space. The extra that you would spend on these cars is well worth it as these are way better cars than the Kwid. Also, the extra you spend would be covered in the reasle value itself, as any Maruti/ Tata/ Hyundai will hold a better resale than a Renault Kwid.
Any missing feature, like the reverse parking camera etc can be easily installed in the aftermarket.

[Vishal.R]

Originally Posted by dhruvky94

Yeah there is no manual mode still. Is that a big issue for city driving?

I have personally felt the need of manual mode in following situations.

1. Coming out of basement, climbing steep incline.
2. During overtaking in two lane roads

From above two for first auto mode is actually workable, but for 2nd case manual mode helps a lot.


Having an option to override AMT increases level of peace of mind for me.

Have also observed that "city use" car may ended travelling out of city sometimes due to many reasons. So batter to be prepared.

Existing Kwid AMT owners may share more details if it is indeed an issue.

Also I would suggest you to try an AMT car for a day from any self drive rental agencies and try to understand its behavior.

[dhruvky94]

Originally Posted by RavSam

Hi! Check as to how much is the difference in the EMIs of both the cars.

Hi! I am not going for car loan, will make full payment. I am considering Ignis now, seems like a good option. The only problem being the long waiting time.

Originally Posted by ishan12

I would highly suggest looking at Ignis, Swift, Tiago, I10 in their AMT variants.

Yeah now I am also leaning toward Tiago. Is it a good car?

Originally Posted by Vishal.R

I have personally felt the need of manual mode in following situations.

This is very informational.Thanks !

[shashi792]

I will also not recommend kwid. Tiago is a very good car. I would avoid any car with lesser than 4 NCAP ratings. If you are open to a pre-owned route, you will find many options within your budget.
Why not pre-owned Brezza AT, it's a 4-star car (benefit from Bangalore potholes + easy on the pocket for maintenance).

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by dhruvky94

Ok now I am concerned about the reliability point. Can you please elaborate a bit on that? Like have you faced major reliability issues during your ownership? I had checked out Ignis but found that the waiting period was 2 months. Whereas KWID is available in 1 week. It would help me avoid getting drenched in Bangalore rains sooner

Also, 7 lakh is on road with all the bells and whistle. Ignis is coming around to 9 lakh for the same feature set.

Sure. I will list down whatever has been replaced so far:

- The AMT actuator failed at 10K km. The AMT refused to slot into gear randomly. Replaced under warranty fortunately

- The oil sump seems to be a common failure point. Thanks to it being made of plastic. My car has never had an underbody impact, but the sump still had a crack and was leaking oil

- Front bumper was misaligned from the factory. The bumper clips are not fastened correctly. As a result, the bumper edge rests on the headlamp and has cracked it

- Lots of juddering and jerking. Renault says this is normal. I believe the clutch has worn at 50K km.

- The blower motor has started making noise and gone weak in the 5th year of ownership.

The AMT is a real sore point. The shift quality tends to be alright for the first 20-30K km, but deteriorates rapidly after as the clutch ages. If the waiting period is what concerns you about the Ignis, trust me it's well worth waiting for. If you still can't wait, get a used one.

[Everlearner]

Originally Posted by dhruvky94

Yeah now I am also leaning toward Tiago. Is it a good car?

I also strongly recommend Tiago AMT. My brother owns one for the last 4 years and no issues so far.

IMHO, Tiago is a no brainer.

For additional 74k, you get
. 4 star safety rating
. Better build quality
. Bigger engine
. Better suspension
. ESP

Kwid does have some additional goodies like touch screen display, LED DRL, LED tail lights etc., But they are not deal breakers and can be easily upgraded later

[Joelinf]

As many members have put, avoid the Kwid. It is not worth 7 lakh. Someone I know is getting very poor fuel efficiency from Kwid. I am not sure if it is the same for all kwids. In this segment, you have to consider that as well. Ignis on the other hands provides decent fuel efficiency.

[dhruvky94]

Originally Posted by shashi792

Tiago is a very good car. I would avoid any car with lesser than 4 NCAP ratings.

Yeah now even I am leaning towards Tiago. Brezza AT is costing 12 lakhs here, so out of budget.

Originally Posted by vishy76

Sure. I will list down whatever has been replaced so far:

Thanks for the detailed breakdown. Reliability looks to be a problem. I’ll checkout Tiago or Ignis.

Originally Posted by Everlearner

I also strongly recommend Tiago AMT. My brother owns one for the last 4 years and no issues so far.

I think I am aligned now, Tiago does seem to better in every aspect. Thanks for the information!

Originally Posted by Joelinf

As many members have put, avoid the Kwid.

Yeah I think I’ll go ahead with Ignis or Tiago. Will cancel the booking for Kwid.

[prasanna_indaje]

Originally Posted by dhruvky94

Hi All,

I hope everyone is having a nice day. So I have booked a Renault KWID Climber AMT and I am getting the delivery in 2 days.

Its better to have an AMT car with manual override.
Manual override will immensely help in real life scenarios such as climbing the ramp at a mall next door.