[PrasannaDhana]

Update:
Odo: 18118 km

Kwid is being driven by driver totally. Found 16.6 kmpl on the MID. Given the sedate driving style of our driver and the fact that it is being driven for school runs for my niece whose school is on the highway, I suspect driver is keeping the car idling for ac while waiting.

Kwid used to return 17kmpl for me, me being an aggressive driver.

[PrasannaDhana]

Odo update: 23,741 km




As said before, it is being used for school runs alone. Now the fuel efficiency has gone up to 17.9 kmpl.

With the daily driver of mine - Ciaz

[PrasannaDhana]

Update : 25100 km

25000 km service was done on Monday. Oil replacement, filter replacement was done. Total cost of service : 5800 INR

The battery died yesterday. In just 2 years and 25000 km :( I have no idea why because the car is being driven only by the driver.







My Ciaz has its stock battery to date, 4th year and 70000 km since purchase. Replaced with a new Amaron battery. Costed 4000 INR.

[PrasannaDhana]

Kwid's 3rd Ayudha Pooja, and most probably the last in my garage.

Odo : 36,000 km

[PrasannaDhana]

An update after a long long time-


Odo: 45000 km



My daily driver Storme V400 is doing inter-city duties for my dad, my previous daily driver Ciaz has also been sold and I am using his daily driver (he loves this car somehow) Kwid 1.0

Just got it serviced yesterday, just the routine stuff. Costed a very cheap 4300 INR.

Did the same speeds as I would in my 154 BHP Storme on the highway. Had to have music high in volume to ignore the NVH of this puny 1.0 engine.

The gorgeous cute looks has become my dad's favourite amongst his 2 cars - the Celerio and the Kwid.



On the kind of usage that it isn't built for, - triple digit highway cruising

[Trapezio]

Happy to see your ownership thread! I really love the Kwid as well! I have been reading about your journey and could relate to some of your thoughts!

This is the thing about a small economical car. They can be fun, quite cheap to run, and can give a smile. Once in a while, one such small car will come which almost breaks the traditional 'I am cheap and apologies' attitude.

The Kwid is really fresh with its 'I forgot that I am a small car' styling and some useful SUV-like values. If imitation is the best form of flattery, this car is the reason for the existence of S-presso and the inspiration for Tata HBX, Hyundai small SUV, etc. I find its ride quality quite good as well. Even some B-seg cars should learn from it.

My main use is in the city. Its compact dimensions are really a boon in urban traffic. With the cheap maintenance, it is in its elements against the swarm of scooters (which even a full-size SUV can't!). It really is a fun and cheeky car.

[PrasannaDhana]

Update :

With the ciaz sold, Tata Safari storme Varicor 400 has become my daily driver. And with our driver being sent on a long leave, my dad being 70 and reluctant to drive anymore, both the celerio and kwid 1.0 were sitting ducks.

That was until last week, when I decided to add kwid to my little personal garage to help my storme take a little less load off the monthly running.

Odo : 47,200 km



I am currently using the kwid for city errands and gym runs. For the first time, i am calculating actual fuel efficiency by tankful to tankful method. I have observed 4 tankful readings, albeit done within a couple hundred kilometers of usage between them. A total of 500 km used and the FE observations are below :

Ranging from 13.4 kmpl to 19.5 kmpl. Usage 60:40 - City : highway



I may use it for work too, which usually puts 100km a day. I will post how fuel efficiency fairs in the long run.

Here is the fuel efficiency figure of today's morning drive. No AC, sedate driving. 7 km covered in a little over 200 ml of petrol (MiD data). An astonishing 29 kmpl. Let's see how good or worse it can get after 400 km of usage in this tankfull.




PS: Kwid is a lot more fun to drive than my celerio

[PrasannaDhana]

Update :

Completed 700 km so far in this month on the Kwid.

The fuel efficiency is evolving and I am getting the hang of Driving it for max fuel efficiency. With no tachometer , the engine RPM is a mystery and I have to make do with the engine note and the way accelerator input acts.

Got 20.75 kmpl for the last tankfull.



50 : 50 - Highway : City

Did 120 km (usual daily workload) in the kwid and I didn't find any discomfort.

The MID slightly exaggerates the fuel efficiency figure, by 0.5 kmpl



As you can notice, the MID's calculated fuel consumed is a bit lesser (by 300 ml) than actually what was burnt by the car (refer pic 1 of Fuelio app screenshot above)



20+ kmpl actual fuel efficiency is amazing!

The kwid 1.0 will be clocking more km now on. For instance, my storme v400 has clocked 1500 km so far in July, while Kwid has clocked 700 km so far.

The 3200 km monthly work load will be shared 2200 km with storme and 1000 km with kwid most probably. Will update more frequently now on.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Update :


The kwid 1.0 will be clocking more km now on. For instance, my storme v400 has clocked 1500 km so far in July, while Kwid has clocked 700 km so far.

The 3200 km monthly work load will be shared 2200 km with storme and 1000 km with kwid most probably. Will update more frequently now on.

Well, July 2021 has seen kwid being driven for 1350 km, taking off the load from my daily driver Safari storme which would have been driven 3750 km in this month, if not for the kwid. So it's share has been reduced to 2400 km.



Major update on fuel efficiency. The kwid 1.0 is even more fuel efficient than my Celerio 1.0.

I have been able to extract 26.25 kmpl from the kwid by driving it very gently, with AC Off. 24 kmpl is the norm if driven gently without AC.



With AC, I get an easy 19-22 kmpl.

Odo : 48048 km

A few pics of the cute Kwid

The humble garage mates, with no additions in the foreseeable future




The kwid is going to be 5 years old in a month. The car is also closing in on 50000 km. Issues to be addressed:
1. Tyre replacement : It's on stock ceat 155 sections. I might go up to 175 mm or atleast 165 section tyres next.

2. Tailgate's pneumatic struts have failed. It just won't stay up.

[PrasannaDhana]

Odo : 48,700 km

The Safari Storme was used for a couple of long runs this month, and had clocked 1700 km already in August. Kwid on other hand has been used on more Number of days, but has clocked lesser mileage in August, about 600 km. The remaining days of this month, Kwid will be used mostly.

It was time for wheel balancing and alignment and then I had a closer look at the tyres. The stock ceat tyres were totally worn out, though they looked alright from a distance. The tyres are 5 years old, come this September. Too long to be running, though it has run only 48k km (48k is a decent mileage I guess, for such a small radius tyre).

Options for replacement :

1. Bridgestone 175/70 R13 - Would look great on the car, but will make the steering a bit heavier (which I would love) and may reduce the fuel efficiency by 1 kmpl (which isn't an issue given the excellent fuel efficiency I get). What irked me was the price. Almost 5k (4.9 precisely) per tyre.

2. Continental 155/80 R13 - Stock size, I loved the continental brand in my Ciaz (used 2 sets of them) and our Polo GT 1.6 (CC5 205 sections). Price 4.1k per tyre

3. Apollo 155/80 R13 - Stock size and the cheapest of the lot at 3.3k per tyre.

Being the beater car, I chose the cheapest option. Moreover Apollos are much better than the stock Ceats.

This was the condition of the stock tyre








New set of shoes













New tyres are great to look at. Look at the depth of the thread!!



Damage to the wallet : Rs.13,500


And they gave a small compliment - a duffel bag and a box of paper towels

[PrasannaDhana]

5 Years & 50,000 km with the Renault Kwid 1.0

The kwid turned 5 on 15th September 2021, coincidentally clocking 50,000 km milestone.



It has been a trouble free little car all the while





After 5 years of ownership, my take on the car

Pros

1. Looks
Dashing and gorgeous. It's a cute little car which is beautiful to look at. The roof wrap was the best decision that I took, followed by dechroming the front grille.







2. Handling and low seating position

While majority of people want a high seating position, I have been fed up sitting high up and driving (blame the Safaris, Sumos and Scorpio ownerships), I absolutely love to be seated low.

The Kwid's steering is also direct and it feels like a go-kart. I love pushing it through rural curvy roads, ALL THE TIME

While replacing the stock tyres, I did contemplate 175 mm wider sections. But then, I didnot want to compromise losing on a little bit of performance from that puny engine and also a bit of fuel efficiency.
I also love how the glass area is small and gives a nice cocooned feel that a sedan would give (I absolutely loathe my celerio for that massive glass area).

3. 1.0 liter engine is frugal and can also be fun

The low weight of the kwid helps to do decent pave with the 1.0 liter engine. I have driven it extensively on the highways and have done some crazy speeds that many wouldn't even believe a kwid could do.

While we keep in mind it's an unsafe car to be doing triple digit speeds, I can safely say it can do 110-120 kmph without much stress, for hours together (ie if you can ignore the NVH at those rpm)

It can also be terrifically fuel efficient if you are gentle. I have attained 26.25 kmpl actual fuel efficiency in a tankful. It's pretty easy to get 24 kmpl cruising at 80 kmph on the highways.

I have also gotten as low as 13 kmpl driving spiritedly.

4. Low service costs and good reliability

I haven't had a service bill more than 4000 rupees all these years. The car hasn't failed even once. Everything works as it should (except the tailgate, which I will explain later). The engine, transmission and braking are all as good as it was new. It became harsh in the middle when the car was handled by a couple of different drivers of mine. But the last 4000 km it has been with me , I have witnessed the engine becoming much smoother and fuel efficient.

5. Good AC, seats, headlights and Ride quality

I have been accustomed to some of the most comfortable mass market cars, and I drive a lot everyday. Comfort does get to the top of my priorities. The kwid's front seats, though has no side bolstering whatsoever, still offers good support. In contrast, the celerio has wider seats but offer no support at all.

AC is also a chiller. The suspension offers good ride quality. The headlights are surprisingly good.

6. Interiors hold up good

After all these years of usage, there is no rattle whatsoever. Every switch works, nothing has broken off. I was skeptical about the touchscreen durability. It still works perfectly.



7.Small Size is a boon in urban areas



Driving it or finding a parking for it, the kwid makes life very easy. I have to plan parking in my Safari Storme, but with Kwid, I can just go anywhere and park it close to the walls and there will still be space left for other vehicles to pass.

Cons

1. Lack of some basic features

Like rear power windows, adjustable ORVMs, day-night IRVM, speed sensing auto central locking and a passenger airbag.

2. Safety

Less said the better. It's safer than a two wheeler and that's where the topic has to end.

3. Cost cutting is evident

No complaints here. You get what you pay for. Single wiper, pathetic rear seat belts, lack of proper headrests at the rear to name a few.
The tailgate struts have failed. It will hold in place for 30 seconds and slowly lose pressure and start closing.

4. Low end torque is poor

Specially when loaded with 4 on-board, you would definitely wish you had more torque to work with. The car does struggle to build up pace.

5. Space

I drive 90% times solo. 10% there will be another passenger at most. If you want to travel with 3 or 4 people, the legroom is just about ok. I am on the taller side and sitting behind me is impossible for adults. It's a 4 people car and not 5.

Conclusion

Renault Kwid is a very good car for an individual/family with a limited budget (say 5 lakhs) who want a car to replace their two wheeler. It is very value for money, has great fuel efficiency, extremely cheap to own, run and maintain.

It can also be a great beater car, like in my case. A perfect urban runabout. You don't have to worry about parking nor about scratches and damages. It's fun to drive and also very easy to use.

But if you can spend a few more lakhs, I would suggest that there are better cars that are safer and more spacious. But at 5 lakhs OTR, kwid makes a very strong case for itself, even today.

A few pics if my kwid.

With my 16 year old Tempo



With our Harrier










Signing off for now. . .

[MaheshY1]

I don't recommend first-gen products or products with critical first-gen tech. But your post is reassuring. Since I checked out the new Kwid, I'm recommending it to people with a similar budget.

The driver seat feel is on par with my Beat - good bolstering, fat steering with contours, LED DRLs, double-barrel headlamps, and the doors feel surprisingly heavy and nice to operate.

The FE you're getting is shockingly good. I get that from a diesel.

OT:
Can you please tell me a bit about the Tempo? When and how often do you use it? Is it with personal number plates? Does it require a commercial vehicle license?

[theabstractmind]

I really wonder how you managed such high FE? My (ex) Kwid AMT returned ~10kmpl in bumper to bumper traffic (AC on and driver only) and ~18kmpl in highways with full load and AC on when driven between 90 kmph to 110 kmph.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by MaheshY1

The driver seat feel is on par with my Beat - good bolstering, fat steering with contours, LED DRLs, double-barrel headlamps, and the doors feel surprisingly heavy and nice to operate.

The FE you're getting is shockingly good. I get that from a diesel.

OT:
Can you please tell me a bit about the Tempo? When and how often do you use it? Is it with personal number plates? Does it require a commercial vehicle license?

I owned a Chevrolet Beat diesel before the Kwid. Used it for 94000 km in 3 years. A lovely little car and yes, kwid's seats are very similar, in a good way.

I get above average Fuel efficiency because

1. I live in a tier 2 city where B2B traffic is rare.

2. I have trained myself to extract 17+ kmpl from a 156 PS 400 Nm storme So driving gentle is a cake walk for me.

The tempo is the oldest vehicle of mine. I run a few schools and have 2 such tempos. This one is a 2005 version while the other one is a pretty new 2017 version.

This one is a own board vehicle and hence doesn't get stopped by cops often. I drive it very rarely and I have LMV license only. But my school drivers do have heavy vehicle license. I use it for vegetable purchases and for medical emergencies at my hostel.

The other tempo is an yellow board, which I use to transport special kids to my special needs training center. Also use it for medical emergencies and purchases at another hostel of mine.

This is the newer tempo, which has power steering and is much nicer to drive.

Originally Posted by theabstractmind

I really wonder how you managed such high FE? My (ex) Kwid AMT returned ~10kmpl in bumper to bumper traffic (AC on and driver only) and ~18kmpl in highways with full load and AC on when driven between 90 kmph to 110 kmph.

As you can see, my overall average stands at 19 kmpl. While best is 26.25 kmpl and worst being 13 kmpl.

In my experience with the kwid 1.0, the best cruising speeds on highways for max fuel efficiency is 70-90 kmph, where you will definitely get 22-24 kmpl.

With full load, AC and 90-110 kmph cruising, I think 18 kmpl is actually impressive for such a small motor.

[Phantom 510]

That is one detailed ownership review I must say. Kwid is one of the best in it's segment and certainly deserves more sales. I got to drive one (0.8L variant) on many occasions, it really impressed me with it's plush ride quality & the grown up feel which is a rarety in it's segment.