Renault Pulse gets a new Voyage Edition variant

The slow selling Renault Pulse hatchback has been outfitted with additional features to get car buyers interested. The Voyage Edition of the Pulse comes with a Multimedia Infotainment package that consists of a touchscreen multimedia unit that also doubles up as a navigation aid. The Pulse Voyage Edition also features speakers from FOCAL.

Apart from the feature additions, which Renault India claims is worth 58,000 rupees, the slow sales of the Pulse has meant that the hatchback is now available with hefty discounts. Free insurance for the first 2 years (worth 35,000 rupees), additional extended warranty for 2 years and a four year free roadside assistance are the three other freebies offered on the Pulse.

Apart from these feature additions and discounts, the Renault Pulse hatchback continues unchanged in terms of its looks and features on offer. The car is available with petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol engine of the Pulse is a 1.2 liter-3 cylinder unit that outputs 74 PS-104 Nm while the diesel engine is the 1.5 liter K9K turbo diesel unit that outputs 65 PS-160 Nm.

Among these engines, the diesel motor is the pick of the lot due to its high fuel efficiency and turbo-lag free demeanor. Both engines drive the front wheels of the Pulse by means of a 5 speed manual gearbox. The car is available in 3 petrol variants and 2 diesel variants. ABS continues to be a glaring omission even on the top end RxZ variant of the Pulse.

The Pulse starts at 4.49 lakh rupees for the RxE petrol (base) variant with the top end RxZ variant selling at 6.88 lakh rupees, both prices reflecting ex-showroom Delhi figures. The Renault Pulse is a badge engineered Nissan Micra. Barring a design change on the outside, the Pulse and Micra are similar cars built at the same Renault-Nissan production facility at Oragadam, off Chennai. The Pulse, priced higher than the Micra, hasn’t found many takers in India. The Pulse is more of a presence marker for French automaker Renault, whose major sales volumes come from a solitary automobile, the Duster SUV.