Maruti CelerioX vs Renault Kwid: Who should buy what

Maruti has launched a new version of the Celerio known as the CelerioX. The more rugged version of Celerio comes with an updated visual appeal. The CelerioX will take on the Renault Kwid directly in the market. If you’re out in the market planning to buy a car in the segment, here is a comparison between two.

Which looks better?

The Renault Kwid started the micro-SUV looks in the segment which made it very popular. The newfound love for SUVs of Indian customers alongside the affordable price tag, the Kwid attracted a lot of buyers. The Renault Kwid gets flared wheel arches and a bulgy bonnet, which makes it look like a mini-Duster. The Kwid’s imposing look is added by its high-ground clearance. The Kwid also gets plastic cladding but only on the wheel arches.

The CelerioX is really looks refreshed with the added visual accessories. The car gets a new front and rear bumper with silver skid plates. The CelerioX also gets plastic cladding all around the car. It adds an extremely rugged look to the vehicle.

The CelerioX is longer, wider and higher than Kwid on paper; the Kwid has a higher ground clearance of 185 mm. The CelerioX only gets a ground clearance of 165mm. The Kwid has a more SUV-ish silhouette than the CelerioX.

Better interiors?

The newly launched CelerioX gets an all-black interior theme with white accents to give a sportier feel. The CelerioX offers regular infotainment system and analogue driver console. On the other hand, Kwid offers a very funky and youthful interior. Renault offers a fully digital driver console and a touch-sensitive infotainment system too. The dashboard of the Kwid has more gadgets than the CelerioX and looks better too.

Which one offers better space?

Both the models offer ample space inside the car to hold 1-litre water bottles. Both the cars get almost similar wheelbases. The CelerioX has a wheelbase of 2,425mm while the Kwid offers 2,422mm. However, the Kwid’s 300-litre boot space eats up the rear seat space and makes it little more cramped than the CelerioX.

The CelerioX offers 235 litre of space, which seems less but it holds up luggage of 4 people on a weekend trip easily. The lower boot space allows Celerio to have better rear seat legroom than the Kwid.

Both the cars offer many cup holders, bottle holders and cubby holes for small items in the vehicle. Purely on passenger comfort, the CelerioX is better than the Kwid while Kwid offers more luggage space than the CelerioX.

Tell me about the engines

Maruti offers the CelerioX with an only 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engine that develops a maximum of 67 Bhp and 90 Nm. The Kwid, on the other hand, gets a 0.8-litre engine that generates 53 Bhp – 72 Nm and 1-litre engine that generates 67 Bhp and 91 Nm.

The Kwid is much lighter than the CelerioX, which makes it quicker and much more fun to drive around. The gross weight of the CelerioX is 1,250 kg, which is much higher than the 699 kg of the Kwid. Despite getting similar power outputs, the Kwid has a better power-to-weight ratio.  Both the vehicles get the 5-speed manual as standard and 5-speed manual transmission as an optional feature.

Both the vehicles are only offered with only petrol engines. The CelerioX returns 23.1 km/l while the Kwid 1.0-litre returns 23.10 km/l. The 0.8-litre version of the Kwid offers 25.17 km/l. The Celerio will make less stopover at the fuel pumps as it gets a 35-litre tank compared to the 28-litre tank of the Kwid.

Safety

There have been concerns raised about the structural integrity of the lightweight Renault Kwid in the past. Also, the Kwid offers only the driver side airbag and that too as an option with the top-end RXT variant. The CelerioX offers driver side airbag as standard equipment across all the variants. The ABS and the passenger side airbag are available as an optional feature in the higher-end variants.

Who should buy which one?

The Kwid offers youthful interiors than the CelerioX, but the larger dimensions of the CelerioX translates into better cabin space. CelerioX is also safer than the Kwid with additional safety equipment. If you’re looking for a car that can be driven on the highways during the weekend and is a perfect city dweller during the weekdays, the CelerioX is a much better choice. However, if you do not get on the highways at all and travel mostly with two people on board, the lightweight Kwid will be a better choice in the segment.

The CelerioX comes with a starting price of Rs. 4.97 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi. The Kwid starts at Rs. 3.8 lakh, ex-showroom but misses out on the driver side airbags, which is an essential safety feature.