With a couple of years of poor economy and sluggish sales, the auto industry is back to small cars. Most of the brands are lining up new models in the below 1000 cc engine capacity. Nissan’s Datsun brand, which markets cars for this segment has announced Datsun redi-Go. Datsun redi-Go has an engine capacity of 800 cc and competes with the new Maruti 800 and Renault Kwid. All these cars have comparable engine capacity and mileage.
With similar technical specifications, the cars design, safety features, and feature packages and price will more or less decide who the winner is. Datsun has positioned redi-go as a sporty alternative to other hatchbacks. The first-time budget car buyer can go for a crossover look with Datsun redi-Go, Nissan’s Urban Cross. For those who are looking for this kind of muscular design, the obvious other competitor in the market is Renault’s KWID, which has a very similar exterior design.
Crossover Design
While KWID appears to be wider and heavier just above the wheels, redi-Go’s design gives an impression of being wide at the top. This gives it more of a crossover/SUV look than KWID. Otherwise, both have equally muscular design.
The crossover design is also carried forward when it comes to body clearance and ground clearance. With wider approach and exit angles, the drivers can relax a bit and not worry about the erratic speed breaker designs Indian drivers get.
Height
Datsun is positioning redi-Go as a Compact-Crossver. Along with the exterior design features, Datsun promises drivers a higher seat and therefore better viewing angle. At the higher position, the driver will feel elevated and more in control. This also means it will be easier to tailgate other cars in the front! redi-Go is slightly taller at 1541mm than KWID at the height of 1478mm.
Interior Design
Datsun redi-Go has an impressive exterior design with a tall stance and a diamond shaped grille that goes quite well with the look. I like that the same polygonal design philosophy is taken forward for designing the interiors and is evident in how the Dash looks. The additional wide, open compartments can come in handy for temporary storage.
The electronic dash too looks impressive. The redi-Go instrumentation panel has a nice blue glow and lots of new indicators. For the mileage conscious Indian drivers, the car tells you what mileage the car gives at their current driving style. It also has an indicator which tells the driver to up-shift or down-shift for best efficiency and performance.
Urban driving experience is going from bad to worse. Lack of regard to traffic rules and exploding urban population makes driving a chore than a relaxing experience. With five-speed gearbox, redi-Go will hopefully reduce that stress a bit as you cruise along at 20-30 KMPH without changing gears a lot.
But if you ask me, the real test of this compact-crossover will be in the hilly roads and state highways. A higher seating should give a better view on curving roads in the hills. It would also give buyers a better idea of how the 5-Speed transmission performs on the highways, along with the urban traffic. There’s very little maneuverability when it comes to driving on Indian city roads. So if you are mainly a weekend driver, it is great idea to test drive on the nearest highway.
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