Adding Brawn

- Ishan Raghava

As Renault India began its presentation for the 1.0-litre Kwid at the drive event in Chennai, the change in their attitude was apparent. In the past, without the Kwid in their portfolio, and minus the significant sales numbers that its brought with it, they always looked a bit apologetic. But things are very different now, and their newfound confidence comes shining through. After all, Renault struggled to find its feet in the Indian market until the success of the Duster. Hot on its heels came the Kwid, and it’s validated their faith in the market – and it’s made them even more bullish than before.

The Kwid, in its new avatar, is really quite similar to its 800cc sibling – in that it’s spacious, well designed and a confident looking car. And it’s certainly struck the right chord with the Indian car buying public. So, to that extent, it remains a positive that not much changes with the 1-litre engine under the hood – with the exception of a little bit more power and a slight increase in torque. Overall weight, thankfully, is still quite low – and so the increased power is certainly a big plus for those of us who enjoy driving. Now 96bhp/litre may not sound like much on a global scale, but in a car like the Kwid it can make quite an impression.