This baby will be a hit with youth

THEY did a sterling job of making it look rugged and its tough-boy exterior got my friends talking on how slick it looks. But, this was followed by an “oh” expression when I told them what lurks under the bonnet.

Renault’s Kwid has a 1-litre engine mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox – my friends were not too impressed with the lack of power.

“But it looks good, man,” they said.

Renault worked spectacular optical illusions on the space inside the Kwid. The seats appear high because the 5-speed gear lever is on the floor and long. The dashboard, which seems big, lies beneath an intricate design that sees the windshield overlap it.

I have driven other Renaults, but when idle, the Kwid shakes. I feel it is an unnecessary shake, like a chihuahua in sweltering heat. My issue with the shaking is because the vehicle has one of the lightest engines in the 1-litre range with an aluminium cylinder block and head. Then why does it feel like the engine is heavy?

With the size of the Kwid’s engine, you can imagine I wasn’t too keen to overtake other cars too often. I was driving up a hill on the R24 next to the Silverstar Casino, heading towards Krugersdorp, west of Joburg, and I couldn’t reach 120km/h until I got to the downhill.

I don’t think I trust my daughter’s stamp of approval on the test cars I bring home. Every car I bring home is amazing to her. At least she is learning: she now knows makes of cars and can tell that Kwid looks like her aunt’s Renault because she can distinguish the logos.

The most important revelation about the Kwid came when I asked my younger cousins in their early twenties what they thought of the vehicle.

“I can definitely ride to a club in this baby,” was the mutual standpoint.

I am not the target market. I have a child and a wife, and wouldn’t take them on a family outing in a the Kwid because there’s only one air bag. But if I had to, at least our luggage would fit nicely in the spacious 300 litres of boot space.

All of this does not take away from its meticulous design. It’s robust with a stylish exterior and a welcoming interior equipped with “generous” cabin space. It is, after all, Renault’s new entry-level contender in the SUV-inspired hatchback segment.

The car is innovative, affordable and sure to meet the needs of anyone looking to buy an entrylevel car, like my young cousins. They would enjoy the MediaNav navigation and multimedia system. It has a 7-inch touch-screen with Bluetooth, USB, AUX and MP3 playback. It was the first feature I tried and loved it.

The gear shift indicator that didn’t help me climb up a hill I discovered is more of a demand than a suggestion.

If you don’t change gears according to the indicator (I did high revs in an attempt to move faster), the car loses power. I just couldn’t win – the little engine just wouldn’t go fast.

Power and enough airbags are my minimum requirements for a car. The Kwid doesn’t meet those. When I am driving alone, I want to feel the car move. When I’m with the madam and daughter, I want to rest assured that they also have air bags.

The Kwid is well priced at R124 900 for the entry-level Expression – R10 000 more for the Dynamique.

But Renault didn’t have me in mind when they designed it – they thought of first-time buyers.

Renault has delivered a car with looks and great features in the entry-level segment.