Ever since, Renault has revealed their first ever entry level car, Kwid in India, people have been comparing that car with largely popular compact SUV Duster. The primary reason for this comparison is the visual similarity between these both especially when seen from front. Apart from looks, is there anything else in these cars which one can compare? Well, this is what this article is all about as we bring you the facts and figures which tell you the exact similarity and differences between both these cars. Let us find out in detail.
Dimensions
The Kwid takes styling cues from Duster especially for its face which makes it look like a mini Duster. The wide and high bonnet placed with twin barrel headlamps on each side gives it the same presence as Duster. The round shaped foglamps, high ground clearance and big Renault logo on its front grille further increases the visual resemblance. Apart from visual similarity there is huge difference in their body dimensions as the Kwid stands at 3679mm and 1579mm in length and width while the Duster measures 4315mm in length and 1822mm in width. The Duster sits higher due to its high ground clearance of 205mm which is 25mm more than Kwid and it also rides on bigger 16-inch wheels while Kwid rides on small 13-inch wheels.
There is enough space inside both the cars due to their long wheelbase and these both cars offers good amount of legroom for all passengers. The Kwid has a wheelbase of 2422mm while the Duster has a wheelbase of 2673mm. Both cars are five-seater and offer decent amount of boot capacity as Kwid has a boot capacity of 300Litres while the Duster offers 475Litres of boot capacity. The Kwid is one of the lightest cars available in India as it weighs 669kg while the Duster weighs 1160kg.
Engine
Since the Kwid is only available with a petrol engine so we will only compare it with the petrol version of Duster. The Kwid is powered by an all new 799cc, 3-cylinder, DOHC petrol engine which churns out a peak power of 53bhp@5678mm while its utmost torque output is of 72Nm which arrives at 4386rpm. The Kwid is expected to be launched with a more powerful 1.0L petrol engine later equipped with an AMT gearbox. The Duster on the other hand is powered by almost double the engine capacity of Kwid.
It comes equipped with a 1.6L petrol engine which has a power and torque output of 102bhp and 145Nm respectively. Both Kwid and Duster are equipped with five-speed manual gearbox. The Kwid with an ARAI certified mileage of 25.17km/ltr is currently the most fuel efficient petrol car in India while due to the heavy weight and higher engine displacement, the Duster manages a fuel efficiency of 13.05 km/ltr. So the double power and torque benefit of Duster results into almost half the mileage of Kwid.
Features
This is one department in this comparison where Kwid clearly has an upper hand over Duster. The top variant of Kwid is priced at INR 3.53 lakhs and comes standard with features such as full wheel covers, fog lamps, roof mounted antenna, dual tone interiors, front power windows, glove box lamp, all digital instrument panel with gearshift indicator, 7-inch touchscreen audio system with navigation system and Bluetooth connectivity, internally adjustable ORVMs, manual A.C, power steering, central locking and optional driver side airbag.
The Duster on the other hand which is priced at INR 8.30 lakhs comes only with single tone interiors, internally adjustable ORVMs, front power windows, steel wheels, manual a.c, power steering, MID and rood rails. It does not get any music system and safety feature such as Kwid and feels deprived of many basic and premium features (above interior image of top-spec Duster for representation purpose only) (All prices, ex-showroom, Delhi).
Verdict
To summarize, we can say that practically both cars are poles apart and difficult to compare but even if we do then we can see that Kwid justifies its pricing with its modern styling, spacious interiors, fuel efficient petrol engine and premium features which makes it a very good deal while the Duster with its macho SUV stance, powerful petrol engine comes second in mind in terms of value for money especially due to shortage of features in its base model which brings us to the decision that yes, both the Renault cars are stylish, spacious and different from each other but it is the Kwid which is hard to beat as an overall package and is our pick in this comparison.
[“source-motortrend”]