SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down menu that appears.

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Back to basics: 2017 Renault KWID 1.0 Dynamique

Choices and changing expectations   

Posted: 3 February 2017

The numbers
Base prices: R124 900 (Expression) and R134 900 (Dynamique)
Engine: 999 cc, three-cylinder, 12-valve naturally aspirated
Power: 50 kW at 5500 rpm
Torque: 91 Nm at 4250 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 13.8 seconds
Maximum speed: 152 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6.1 l/100 km
Tank: 28 litres
Luggage: 300 - 1115 litres
Warranty: 5 years / 150 000 km
Servicing at 15 000 km intervals
Optional service plans: 2 years/30 000 km at R5 746, progressing to 5 years/75 000 km at  R19 383

Buying an entry-level car is rather like house hunting. Your realtor says, “Tell me how much you would like to spend and the features you want in the house. Then we’ll share a jolly good chuckle and get down to hard facts.”

Those for whom about R130 000 represents their upper limit state bravely that all they want in a new car is the basics; something to get from A to B economically, safely and without drama. They subconsciously, however, expect ABS with EBA and EBD, ESP, at least two airbags, hands-free phoning and, oh yes, satnav is not negotiable. That’s when your car dealer steers you toward the chuckle-sharing and fact-facing part of the interview.

Apart from one tiny Chinese cherry you scarcely get even half that in the price range you’re looking at so one has to face reality. SA-market Renault KWIDs offer a competent radio with Bluetooth and the usual input sockets, an airbag for the driver, electric windows in front, electrically assisted steering, an air conditioner and a trip computer. The fancier Dynamique version adds satnav with an 8” touch screen, audio streaming, voice control, front fog lamps and a few different trim items.

What you will not get in either version is ABS/EBA/EBD or ESP, adjustable driver’s seat or steering wheel, remote function buttons, powered mirrors, alloy wheels or automatic locking. Basics, remember? Fewer toys translate into less to go wrong, although Renault India is apparently considering a second bag and ABS as future options.

KWID, a high-standing little crossover with Duster aspirations, was built in India for a market that’s possibly even more cash-strapped than ours and with roads at least as rough. Eight-tenths of its development happened there and 98 percent of its parts were sourced locally to keep costs down.

Their top-spec, five-speed manual KWID, equivalent to “our” Dynamique (they also have a semi-auto that isn’t on offer here) sells for INR430 679, or about R86 189, on-the-road. Bearing in mind that the rule of thumb for South African car tax content is about 40 percent of retail, that scales up to a bit over R143 000; close to the R134 900 plus bits and bobs that we pay here, so please don’t feel too exploited.
 
The look: KWID stands tall and skinny with narrow little 155/80 R13 tyres on steel wheels with plastic caps. Black cladding on doors, wheel arches and rear bumper, along with 180 millimetres’ ground clearance, lend it some SUV cred. The view inside is utilitarian with Stepway-style window buttons on the dash, no makeup mirrors, simple ventilation controls, no rev. counter, a conventional parking brake, no-nonsense instruments and steering wheel, and  plain but serviceable seats.

The experience: The engine is a 999 cc, twelve-valve triple with indirect fuel injection and no turbo. It develops 50 kilowatts and 91 Newton-metres of torque. The latter peaks quite high up the scale, at 4250 rpm, but about 80 percent digs in from 2000 rpm. Our test car had just over 2000 km on the dial when it arrived, so some factory-fresh tightness was to be expected. It wasn’t a ball of fire by any means and we had to use the gearbox more than we would have liked, but as a city car it’s perfectly adequate.

Freeway performance and sound levels were better than anticipated. It wasn’t unduly loud, for instance, there was no vibration and it kept up with traffic quite easily. Those narrow tyres and high stance won’t compete along fast winding roads against anything with RS on its name plate but KWID isn’t intended to. It’s a low-powered city car, so within its design brief it handles very well.

Because it’s Indian and expected to take it, we tried it on a nearby Provincial gravel road with ugly little stones embedded in the surface. It’s a mean test. The suspension is firm but decently compliant. Bumps and ripples were soaked up readily and the KWID stayed firmly on course at all times. It could give lessons to some fancy cars we’ve driven.
 
The fit: The boot lid opens with the ignition key or a tab by the driver's seat. Its sill is 73 centimetres high and the aperture is 20 cm deep. Interior trim is minimal and there are no lights or hooks but the 300 litre space is fully usable. A standard spare is in the usual place under the base board. The one-piece seatback can be folded after lifting tabs at each end. If you don't like the resulting step, you could remove the backrest altogether. It has lugs at each end, that drop into slots.

Rear seat headroom is sufficient for six-footers but those sitting behind tall drivers could feel cramped. Space for feet, below the non-adjustable driver’s chair, is generous. Two built-in head restraints and a pair of full belts look after outer passengers although anyone in the middle has only a lap belt. Unusually, there is practically no central hump, so bigger third passengers could be accommodated. Do not expect cup holders, seatback pockets or door bins although there is a pair of panic handles.

Those in front fare better with a pair of cup holders, a 12-Volt socket, oddments trays, three generous cubbies, two of which have lids, and nice big door bins. The conventional hand brake mentioned earlier has a firm, progressive action and the five-speed manual shifter works smoothly. Despite not being adjustable, the driver’s chair offers almost a fist-width of headroom, so although one is perched up high, it isn’t uncomfortable. Pedals are well spaced but there is unfortunately no rest for the left foot. It has to be placed on the floor, below the clutch pedal.

Outside of its home country, Renault’s little KWID has received rather indifferent press. That’s mostly because of a lack of safety items and toys we have come to demand. Many writers also assume that its high stance and skinny tyres will cause it to handle like a pig on a skateboard. That’s not true and a little unfair because kit costs money and you can’t have everything in a truly entry-level car. The stuff we expect can easily be found, provided we’re prepared to pay a third more; like around R180 000.
 
For KWID’s price, you get decent value so if you're in the market for a good basic car you can comfortably put this one on your shopping list. Life is about choices and adapting expectations, after all.

Test unit from Renault SA press fleet

Read our launch report on the 2018 KWID AMT automatic here

Read our review on the automated manual KWID here

What We Do

 
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the lef

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There
is no "editorial policy" and no advertising, so there are no masters to please. What you see is what I experienced on the days I drove the vehicles.

I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships providing the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer
every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you
can see I do actually exist.

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