Review: Renault Kwid AMT

By Martin Pretorius 

South African buyers love small cars, and they love SUVs just as much. So combining the two should make for a compelling choice, correct? Many manufacturers seem to think so, and the sales figures support this theory, as the popularity of things such as the Etios Cross and Suzuki Ignis proves. So it's only logical that Renault would aim their smallest crossover into this market segment as well, but with a slight twist: the Kwid is also meant to be really, really affordable.

It's very small indeed.

Its outward dimensions reveal a car of extremely compact proportions, with the only unusual measurement appearing in its height – that high roofline and extended ground clearance adds a measure of validity to the Kwid's claims to being a crossover. That raised roof also leads to the only area in which a Kwid could be called spacious, as it endows the little car with generous headroom in the cabin.

It's very small everywhere else, however. While there's enough legroom for a taller driver, those in the rear seat will feel considerably less comfy. And don't even think of fitting 3 passengers into the rear compartment, because, as with the front pews, there's barely enough elbow room for two people. Let's put it mildly: if a Kwid carries more than one person, they'd better be on really good terms, as they will be sharing much of their personal space. Luggage space is however surprisingly generous, with a minimum volume of 300 litres, expanding to 1115 litres with the rear seat folded down.

Cheap inside and out

Ruthless cost cutting is in evidence everywhere in the Kwid. It shows in the three-lug wheel mounting (because adding the usual fourth wheel bolt would add to the price as well), and in the luggage compartment trim, which comprises a thin mat on the boot floor and nothing else. The tailgate has no lining, and the sides of the boot aren’t covered either. 

Moving into the cabin reveals the same philosophy, because it is obviously built down to a price. The basic dashboard design is quite pleasing to the eye, but the execution smacks of a low-budget approach: switchgear is at an absolute minimum (mainly because there's just about nothing to switch on or off), and the dashboard and extremely thin door cards are made of hard, scratchy plastic pieces with exposed flashing lines (where sections of the mouldings are joined together to create a single piece). Truth be told, the Kwid's cabin really isn't a very nice place to spend time – if you're used to better, that is...

The engine tries, at least.

Three cylinders, a 1.0-litre displacement and no forced induction means that the Kwid isn't exactly over-endowed with power. The little mill offers up its 50 kW and 91 Nm willingly, but even with the Kwid's spritely kerb weight of only 698 kg, that doesn't translate into any measure of stimulating performance. The best that could be said about the 0 – 100 km/h sprint is that it is probably possible, and the quoted top speed of 152 km/h will take a long time and possibly a tailwind to achieve.

But while the Kwid's engine is at least reasonably alert and responsive given its size- and technological constraints, the “Easy R” gearbox tries to undo what little pep the engine manages to deliver. “Easy R” is Renault's brand name for their automated manual transmission (AMT) – basically a traditional 5-speed manual gearbox with hydraulic actuators to control the clutch and change gears.

It only appeals if you really, really hate changing gears.

Many illustrious manufacturers have tried using this sort of gearbox in the past, among them Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and BMW, and in none of those applications did the gearbox deliver on its promise of manual efficiency and performance combined with automatic gearbox convenience. The reality is that automated manual gearboxes are always slow to shift, jerky in operation, and finicky to drive.

Forget about gearshift paddles or a Tiptronic-style gear lever, because the Kwid AMT offers only a single control for the gearbox: a round dial-type selector mounted on the dashboard, with positions for drive, neutral and reverse. The space usually occupied by the manual Kwid's gearlever is now vacant, and houses a rather handy storage bin.

Driving the KWID AMT

Now if an AMT didn't work at all well in a Ferrari or a BMW, it's probably unreasonable to expect one to work well in a little budget car. This assumption is entirely accurate, as the Kwid's transmission is exactly as clunky in operation as you would expect. To start the car, the gear selector has to be in neutral, with the driver's foot on the brake, following which the gearbox's hydraulic gubbins would prime themselves for operation before finally allowing the starter to turn. 

Pull-away is surprisingly smooth, and appears to generally match the driver's mood, with a gentle take-off if the throttle is applied gradually, and a rather abrupt launch if the driver stands on the accelerator pedal. Care must however be taken on inclines, as the gearbox has no “creep” function, so the car tends to roll back when the driver releases the brake pedal. Judicious handbrake application is advised.

So far so good, but it all comes undone when the time comes to shift into a higher gear. In contrast to modern automatics and dual-clutch transmissions, the Kwid's AMT takes ages to shift from one gear to the next – it could easily take up to one-and-a-half seconds to complete the shift, during which time there's no acceleration at all. Downshifts are just as slow, although the control unit does blip the throttle when selecting a lower gear. On part-throttle, the change from first into second occurs around the 20 km/h mark, and with the accelerator pressed into the floor, it happens at 35 km/h – all due to the very short gearing needed to extract some propulsion from the tiny engine.

This is quite disconcerting when turning across a stream of traffic, when you just want to get out of the way, but then... the gearbox decides to hunt for second gear as soon as you've committed to the manoeuver, leaving you inching along the road, sweating in the face of the

oncoming vehicles. It's best to rather not take any gaps in traffic, as the gearbox and its slow shifts could leave you exposed to danger when you really shouldn't be.

To be fair, the Kwid AMT's gearshift speed is roughly on par with that of a learner driver, and it's about as poorly timed as said learner driver's gearchanges as well. And, while it's really easy to criticize the gearbox for its sluggish action, it does remove the need to change gears yourself. If you really hate operating a clutch, the Kwid AMT will get you there. Eventually. 

Safety is still a concern.

Much noise has been made about the Kwid’s poor safety credentials, and the arguments still stand: a single star in the NCAP crash test programme doesn’t point towards a safe vehicle at all. But the reality is that the Kwid is most likely still safer than the typical pre-owned car in the sights of the budget buyers who’d consider a car such as this – the old Picantos, Tazzes and Corsa Lites which clog up the bargain basement of used-car dealers.

The Kwid is also likely to be safer than riding in an ageing taxi being piloted by a kamikaze driver. And that is the crux of the matter: it’s meant to give first-time owners an opportunity to get out of cheap jalopies and public transport, no more and no less. Sure, you can get an objectively much better used Anything Else for the same money, but slipping in at R147 900, the Kwid AMT is least-expensive new self-shifting car on our market.

Affordability

Renault offers some innovative finance packages to Kwid buyers (R2000 a month all in, with the first year’s insurance on the house), which allows first-time buyers to get an affordable car with that new car (albeit glue-like) smell and the peace of mind of a brand-new factory warranty. But motoring aficionados would still be much better served to look elsewhere.

Renault Kwid AMT Specifications

Engine (displacement, cylinders, fuel)    : 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol

Outputs (kW, Nm)                                              : 50 kW @ 5500 r/min, 91 Nm @ 4250 r/min

Performance                                                        : N/A 0-100 km/h, 152 km/h

Price                                                                         : R 147 900