The Sunday News
Lovert Mafukure
IT is not easy to win the hearts of many with a new model in this economy. A majority of the buyers want fuel economy and at the same time they do not want small cars.
Renault designed just the car that is small and big at the same time. Small is the new spacious and spacious is the new KWID.
Duly’s Motors has introduced a new line of Renault vehicles under the new Nissan-Renault Alliance.
It is purposefully built with the developing world in mind. The ground clearance caught my eye, I thought for a second it was an SUV and I had to ask and the answer was . . . it’s only the SUV inspired design. The front is bold and the diamond Renault badge is quite apparent in chrome.
The big bumper dominates the front and houses some fog lamps that come standard on this model. The design is strikingly different, it gives the impression that this is a big car, indeed it looks big for its size but it is quite small in a sense.
The plastic cladding extends from the front flows right to the back adding on that SUV appeal. By right it should be called a hatchback but because of its styling it is stuck in-between — let us say maybe it’s a crossover. It’s like those babies that just look too big for their age. Its ground clearance is a total of 180mm, that’s the highest clearance I have seen on a hatchback but then again it’s not a hatchback its stuck in-between hatch and SUV.
The car is high, it makes for easy manoeuvring on rough roads when you decide to go on that camping vacation or you decide to visit the countryside. You get the benefits of a 4WD SUV in this small package. As much as it is a front wheel drive setup it definitely works very well off the tarmac. Come to think of it, forget the country trips, this is the perfect car for our pothole-infested roads.
The interior is quite neat and plain. The centre of attraction is the infotainment centre. It has a single tone dashboard with a digital instrument cluster that looks the part for a 21st century car. The steering is sporty and very light, it has electronic power-steering so light you can turn it with your pinky finger. Gone are the days of leaky steering racks and hard steering, you can now pay gym fees for that type of work-out. You also get the front power windows while the rears are manual wind-ups. Air-conditioning comes standard on this RXE version of the KWID so you might not even need to worry about opening any windows.
The guys at Renault were creative with the centre fascia, it is dolled up with an upmarket entertainment system with a full touch screen double din display. Bluetooth connectivity is there for your convenience. You can stream your favourite music via Bluetooth and most importantly, there is a Bluetooth telephone setup with a microphone built into the roof of the car. You need not touch your phone ever while driving. This system also has USB and auxiliary connectivity. What more would you want from this mini SUV? It comes packed with goodies. It’s the first car in its segment to offer such, these are considered luxury by manufacturers.
If, for things like triangles and spare wheels, the police have harassed you, you can relax a bit because this car comes with two triangles, fire extinguisher, reflective vest and a serviceable spare wheel. Another interesting thing on this car is the single wiper on the front windscreen. These were popular on yesteryear’s Mercedes Benz models. They still exude a level of luxury and sophistication that is unparalleled. Besides weight saving the single wiper-design is simply KWIDnificent!
So, you may be asking what drives this mini SUV and how much fuel it uses? Well, in his own words, a manager a Duly’s said: “if you ever run out of fuel with this car, just the petrol fumes from a filling station will limp you home.” It is powered by a 3 cylinder 12 valve engine mated with a 5-speed synchromesh manual gearbox. It has a 28-litre fuel tank and if my math is correct you can fill it up with just a little less than $40.
Renault claims that the single 28L tank of fuel can give you a good 700 kilometres; that is 25km per litre which is quite impressive I should say. This car weighs about 660 kilogrammes and its very light but don’t ever think that the engine is too small for the car, its not.
A lot has gone into the weight reduction of this car. The engine has a plastic sump and plastic intake manifold. The wheels only have three studs and bring nostalgic thoughts of the French cars of old that had three studs, namely the Renault 4, Citroen Gs Club and a host of other French beauties.
Lastly, this car meets most safety features and it comes with one driver airbag. It comes at just under $13 000 and you still get a three year/100 000km warranty. For that price tag it has a lot of niceties and luxuries you won’t find in any vehicle in this segment.
A finance plan is also available and you can be paying as little as $200 a month with a deposit of $2 000. It’s not bad, wouldn’t you say? What are you waiting for? Get in-line and order your KWID Today. Get ahead — Live the KWIDnificent life! -@lovert116
