Are Renaults good first cars?

Those in the fortunate position to be shopping for a brand new first vehicle are entering a market packed to the brim with tempting propositions from some of the most well-established brands on earth. There are many factors at play when you are looking for a first vehicle, including price, practicality, performance, efficiency and aftersales service.

In this article, we will be examining Renault’s local model range to determine if they will make for good first cars. 

Space

The entry point into the Renault range is the Kwid, which measures 3 679mm in length, 1 579mm wide and 1 478mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2 422mm, making it reasonably practical, with a 279-litre boot. Moving up the range, the Triber is a far bigger vehicle, measuring 3 990mm long, 1 739mm wide and 1 662mm tall, providing 84-litres of boot space with all three rows of seeing in place and an impressive 625-litres of volume with the third row folded away.

The latest entrant to the Renault line-up is the Kiger, which measures  3 991mm long, 1 750mm wide, 1 605mm tall and features a wheelbase of 2 500mm, providing space for five occupants and 405-litres of boot space. The Duster is the second most capacious model in the range, measuring 4 341mm long, 1 804mm wide, 1 693, tall and has a 2 674mm wheelbase while offering 478-litres of boot space. The Koleos is the largest product that Renault sells locally, measuring 4 673mm long, 1 864mm wide, 1 678mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2 705mm, while providing 464-litres of boot space.

 

Performance and pricing

The entry to the Renault range is the Kwid, which is powered by a naturally aspirated 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that produces 50kW and 91Nm of torque and is paired with either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automated manual gearbox. Both the Triber and Kiger models get a similar engine to the unit used in the Kwid, but these models feature variable valve timing, allowing for improved power and torque figures of 52kW and 96Nm of torque. The Kiger range is also available with a turbocharged 1.0-litre engine and an option of either a 5-speed manual or a CVT transmission. The Duster line-up is available exclusively with a 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine, the option of front or all-wheel drive and either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The flagship Koleos model is powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre petrol engine that is paired exclusively with a CVT gearbox.

 

 

Renault Kwid

	Renault Kwid 1.0 Expression	Renault Kwid 1.0 Dynamique	Renault Kwid 1.0 Dynamique auto	Renault Kwid 1.0 Climber	Renault Kwid 1.0 Climber auto
Engine	1.0-litre 3-cylinder	1.0-litre 3-cylinder	1.0-litre 3-cylinder	1.0-litre 3-cylinder	1.0-litre 3-cylinder
Gearbox	5-speed manual	5-speed manual	5-speed automated manual	5-speed manual	5-speed automated manual
Power	50kW/ 91Nm	50kW/91Nm	50kW/91Nm	50kW/91Nm	50kW/91Nm
0-100km/h	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Fuel consumption	4.7 L/100km	4.7 L/100km	4.4 L/100km	4.7 L/100km	4.4 L/100km
CO2 emissions	112 g/km	112 g/km	104 g/km	112 g/km	104 g/km
Price	R167 900	R177 900	R187 900	R188 900	R198 900

 

*This table was compiled with information sourced from www.duoporta.co.za

 

Renault Triber

	Renault Triber 1.0 Expression	Renault Triber 1.0 Dynamique	Renault Triber 1.0 Prestige	Renault Triber 1.0 Prestige auto
Engine	1.0-litre 3-cylinder	1.0-litre 3-cylinder	1.0-litre 3-cylinder	1.0-litre 3-cylinder
Transmission	5-speed manual	5-speed manual	5-speed manual	5-speed automated manual
Power	52 kW	52 kW	52 kW	52 kW
Torque	96 Nm	96 Nm	96 Nm	96 Nm
0-100km/h	NA	NA	NA	NA
Fuel consumption	5.5 L / 100 km	5.5 L / 100 km	5.5 L/100km	5.5 L/100km
CO2 emission	131 g/km	131 g/km	131 g/km	131 g/km
Price	R190 900	R200 900	R216 900	R226 900

*This table was compiled with information sourced from www.duoporta.co.za

Renault Kiger

	Renault Kiger 1.0 Life	Renault Kiger 1.0 Zen	Renault Kiger 1.0 Zen auto	Renault Kiger 1.0 Turbo Zen auto	Renault Kiger 1.0 Turbo Intens	Renault Kiger 1.0 Turbo Intens auto
Engine	1.0-litre 3-cylinder	1.0-litre 3-cylinder	1.0-litre 3-cylinder	1.0-litre 3-cylinder, turbocharged	1.0-litre 3-cylinder, turbocharged	1.0-litre 3-cylinder, turbocharged
Gearbox	5-speed manual	5-speed manual	5-speed automated manual	CVT	5-speed manual	CVT
Power	52 kW	52 kW	52 kW	74 kW	74 kW	74kW
Torque	96 Nm	96 Nm	96 Nm	160 Nm	160 Nm	160 Nm
0-100km/h	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Fuel consumption	5.3 L / 100 km	5.3 L / 100 km	5.2 L/100km	5.4 L/100km	5.0 L/100km	5.4 L/100km
CO2 emission	126 g/km	126 g/km	123 g/km	129 g/km	119 g/km	129 g/km
Price	R199 900	R214 900	R224 900	R254 900	R274 900	R294 900

*This table was compiled with information sourced from www.duoporta.co.za

Renault Duster

	Renault Duster 1.5 dCi Techroad	Renault Duster 1.5 dCi Dynamique 4WD	Renault Duster 1.5 dCi Techroad auto	Renault Duster 1.5 dCi Prestige
Engine	1.5-litre 4-cyl turbodiesel	1.5-litre 4-cyl turbodiesel	1.5-litre 4-cyl turbodiesel	1.5-litre 4-cyl turbodiesel
Gearbox	6-speed manual	6-speed manual	6-speed dual-clutch automatic	6-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power	66 kW/ 210 Nm	80 kW/ 260 Nm	80 kW/ 250Nm	80 kW/ 250 Nm
0-100km/h	14.8s	12.5s	11.9s	11.9s
Top speed	155 km/h	168 km/h	169 km/h	169 km/h
Fuel consumption	5.1L/100km	5.2L/100km	4.8L/100km	4.8L/100km
CO2 emissions	135 g/km	138 g/km	126 g/km	126 g/km
Price	R327 900	R361 900	R366 900	R374 900

 

*This table was compiled with information sourced from www.duoporta.co.za

 Renault Koleos

	Renault Koleos 2.5 Expression	Renault Koleos 2.5 Dynamique
Engine	2.5-litre 4-cyl petrol	2.5-litre 4-cyl petrol
Gearbox	CVT	CVT
Power	126 kW/233 Nm	126 kW/233 Nm
0-100km/h	9.5s	9.5s
Top speed	185 km/h	185 km/h
Fuel consumption	8.1 L/100km	8.1 L/100km
CO2 emissions	188 g/km	188 g/km
Price	R484 900	R534 900

*This table was compiled with information sourced from www.duoporta.co.za

Warranty & Service

All new Renault models are sold with a standard comprehensive warranty that is valid for 5-years or 150 000km. The Kwid range does not come with a  standard service plan, however, the Triber MPV comes as standard with a 2-year/30 000km service plan. The new Kiger model has two service plans available, with the naturally aspirated petrol engines coming with a 2-year/30 000km plan while the turbocharged models come with a 3-year/45 000km plan. Moving up to the Duster line-up we see a 3-year or 45 000km service plan as standard while the flagship Koleos has the best service plan, which spans 5-years or 90 000km for all models.

Safety

In terms of safety in the event of a collision, Renault is generally regarded as a producer of safe products, however, the 2-Star safety rating achieved by the locally sold Kwid range in a recent Global NCAP test is less than ideal. The MPV Triber fared better in the same Global NCAP test, scoring a respectable 4-Star rating overall, a rating which it shares with the more recently tested Kiger. Moving to the EuroNCAP new car assessment programme we see the Duster achieve a 3-star safety rating when it was tested back in 2017. The Koleos was tested in the same year and achieved an impressive 5-Star safety rating from EuroNCAP.

Verdict

There are a variety of Renault models available, all for less than R550 000, making their range attainable. Aside from the Kwid, the current Renault line-up can be considered safe, while all models are certainly efficient, reasonably practical and competitively priced, making it fair to declare that a Renault may make for a good first car.