The budget-friendly Renault Kwid has rolled into South Africa and we drove the pint-sized city crossover in sunny Durban this week.

With the new car market continuingto suffer declining salesand consumers struggling to make ends meet, deciding which new models to introduce in the local market (and which to avoid) has become increasingly important for car makers. With the new Kwid – a city car with the look of a compact crossover and attractive pricing–Renault appears to have hit the nail on the head. After all, it is clear that consumers want crossovers, but that they want to pay less!

It's not marketed as a crossover, however, yet it comes with visual and functional aids to make the Kwid surprisingly useful when the tarmac makes way for gravel andpot-holed surfaces. The vehicle looks chunky and solid while boasting 180 mm of ground clearance. Combined with high-profile tyres, you'll soak up the bumps with no fussat all.

It's powered by a naturally-aspirated 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, which was a surprise given the brand's fondness for the 0.9-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit which does duty in many of its products. Nevertheless, it's a pleasant powerplant and it pushes out 50 kW and 91 Nm. Power reaches the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission.

For specifications and in-depth details about the Renault Kwid, click here.

Top-spec Dynamique models gain front fog lights.

The Drive

Those outputs look meagre on paper, so you'd expectperformance to be sluggish. However, the Kwid has a trick up its sleeve. It's terrifically light and tips the scales at under 700 kg without a driver. This means it has an impressive power-to-weight ratio and straight off the bat we were able to navigate the confines of King Shaka Airport with a spring in our, erm,step. The steering is power-assisted, making maneuvering easy and parking in tight spaces a cinch.The Kwidhas commendable performance in the first three gears and only once your speedometer ventures over the 100 kph mark does the engine start losing its breath.

The gearbox and clutch are pleasantly light, and the shift action is smooth. Cars in this segment are generally a little coarse and unrefined, but the Kwid demonstrates that some degree of refinement is really appreciated. There is also very little vibration through the steering wheel and gearknob – a common affliction in this segment. Typically, 3-cylinder engines are a bit gruff and the Kwid's is no exception as the revs climb through the range.

The downsides? Well, its mass is not conducive to high-speed stability and at the national speed limitthere was no hiding the vehicle's lightness. Coupled with a strong gusting wind straight off the Indian Ocean, the little Kwid needed the driver's focus to keep it in its lane.

Chunky rugged looks combined with 180 mm of ground clearance mean the Renault Kwid can handle potholes and rough roads.

Elephant in the room

The main gripe with the Renault Kwid is its safety package, or rather, lack thereof. UsuallyRenault South Africa's products are comprehensively specified in this department. The Kwid,at first glance, is the odd one out. It received just a single star rating in a safety test and features only an airbag for the driver. While an airbag certainly adds value in the safety stakes, surely anti-lock brakes (ABS) would be more beneficial as they'd help prevent the accident in the first place? Nevertheless, it was evident that Renault SA plans on doing something about this and will be looking at enhancing this offering's safety features. Just up the spec to 2front airbags and ABS, and you'll have a winner, Renault!

Summary

There's a small risk of this vehicle suffering from Datsun Go syndrome –the two vehicles share the CMFA common platform thanks to the Renault-Nissan Alliance. As witnessed in the sales figures, customers in this segment rate value for money over safety, and the need for a brand-new vehicle will counterweigh some hesitation over the lack of anti-lock brakes. Renault and Datsun may be in the limelight for a lack of safety features, but they're not the only culprits, as entry-level versions of the Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10 do without anti-lock brakes too.

While this piece is not meant to represent a head-to-head comparison of the Kwid and Go, it has to be said that the Kwid appears to hold a couple of important advantages.It feels substantially more solid, drives better and boasts cabin quality and features on par with vehicles costing more.It may be cheap, but it's far from nasty.

As it stands, we're getting the highest specificationKwid. The version sold in the Indian market offers an airbag as an optional extra!The Kwid's specification is decent for a vehicle in this segment and we wereimpressed to see the comprehensive infotainment/satnav unit from the Duster make its way into the spacious cabin. With such an aggressive pricing strategy and the bonus of a year's free insurance thrown in, the Renault Kwid is ticking many of the boxes for those who have started climbing the car ownership ladder.

Satnav infotainment system is clean and intuitive, with a simple user experience.

Pricing and after-sales support

The new Renault Kwid comes standard with a 5-year/150 000 km mechanical warranty and a 6-year anti-corrosion warranty. Services take place at 15 000 km intervals. Optional service plans are available.

1.0 Expression 1.0-litre SCe –R119 900

1.0 Dynamique 1.0-litre SCe– R129 900

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