Renault India came up with the 2019 Kwid (facelift) a few weeks back. The new model brought along a slew of updates intended to keep the Kwid fresh from inside-out. But, at the same time, the facelifted Kwid lacked the BS-VI status which is critical to passing the upcoming emission norms to be seen in action from 1 April 2020.
In the recent updates, a Renault Kwid has been spotted in broad daylight in a partial camouflage form. The fact that it was seen with an emission test kit nutted on to its rear-end only hints that spied mule is the BS-VI test unit which will be launched in near future.
As visible, the test mule is the top-spec Kwid Climber which comes with a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder, petrol engine. This engine, in its current BS-IV form, delivers 68 bhp of maximum power and 91 Nm of peak torque. It comes mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automated manual transmission (AMT).
This engine returns a fuel economy of 21.7 km/lt with the 5-speed manual gearbox, while with the 5-speed AMT, the figures rise to 22.5 km/lt. The BS-VI update is expected not to alter the power output figures of the engine, but the fuel economy may stumble by as much as 5 to 10 percent.
Apart from the BS-VI 1.0-liter unit, the 0.8-liter, three-cylinder, petrol offered in the entry-level Renault Kwid is also expected to be updated to BS-VI standards soon. This engine pushes out 54 bhp and 72 Nm of peak torque in its current BS-IV avatar. It is pared to the standard 5-speed manual and returns 22.2 km/lt of fuel economy.
The BS-VI update will also attract a tad higher price tag and hence expect the current Rs 2.83-4.92 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) retail price of the Renault Kwid to go up by as much as Rs 10,000 to 15,000.
Sources - YouTube & Power Stroke
