Renault Kwid vs Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 vs Hyundai Eon Comparison

Renault’s new ‘Kwid’ in town aims to shake up Maruti Suzuki’s hegemony in the A-segment and give India’s most successfully selling car, Maruti Suzuki Alto, some serious competition. With the focus on both the king of this class and the new challenger, there is also a third competitor patiently waiting in the wings, the Hyundai Eon. Now Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai may have taken the tried and tested path by sticking to the typical hatchback design, but Renault decided to change the game with a very contemporary SUV look, which makes it stand apart from the competition. Priced from Rs 2.56 lakhs to Rs 3.53 lakhs, the French car manufacturer has managed to make the Kwid the most affordable car in its class.

Dimensions

With class leading dimensions – length: 3,679mm, width: 1,579mm and wheelbase: 2,422mm, the Renault Kwid is more spacious than the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon. Keeping not only comfort but also practicality in mind, the Kwid has the tallest ground clearance, 180mm, compared to Eon’s 170mm, while the Alto manages 160mm. The Renault Kwid does not deny you of retail therapy as it has the biggest boot space, 300 litres, while its closest rival, the Eon, has 215 litres and the Alto 800 comes with only 177 litres.

Powertrains

As this is the battle of 800cc, the Hyundai Eon has an 814cc engine underneath the bonnet, the biggest displacement among the three, and also has the highest output of 55bhp. Renault Kwid’s 799cc has a shade lower output of 53bhp. Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, on the other hand, has the smallest engine, 796cc, which also pumps out the least power of 47bhp. When it comes to fuel economy, which is extremely critical in this segment apart from the price of course, the Kwid leads the pack with 25.17km/l followed by Alto 800 and Eon with 22.74km/l and 21.10km/l respectively.

Features

Hyundai is considered as the king in this department, but here Renault Kwid has managed to outdo the Korean manufacturer. The Kwid’s top of the line variant RXT comes with a segment-first seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which also has a navigation system. It is equipped with four speakers, plays CDs, comes with USB port, Aux-in and Bluetooth connectivity. Apart from power steering, front power windows, air conditioning and central locking, it also has an all-digital dashboard, again a first in the segment.

Hyundai Eon’s Sportz variant is the only car in the segment to come with a driver airbag as standard equipment. Apart from this, it has a 2-Din audio system with Aux-in and USB port. The Eon also comes with tilt adjustable steering wheel.

Maruti Suzuki Alto 800’s features feel and look basic, like two-speaker audio system, which has both USB and Aux ports. It comes with power steering, front power windows and air conditioning

The Kwid could make Renault a serious player in the Indian market, but they need to increase their network in metro cities and tier 1-2-3 towns if they want to dent Maruti Suzuki’s supremacy.