Under the very short bonnet of the Datsun redi-GO is the same 799 cc three-cylinder petrol engine that powers the Kwid. State of tune is the same as well. Output of this compact 57-kilo engine is 54 PS at 5,678 RPM and 72 Nm of peak torque at 4,368 RPM. Claimed fuel economy is 25.17 km/l, which again is identical to what Renault claim for their Kwid. The familiar engine is as smooth in this Japanese car as it is under the bonnet of the French cousin. Power delivery is linear and there is more than enough torque at all times to keep pottering around the old British capital’s legacy laden roads. Overtaking slow moving buses (or the odd tram) and whizzing past hand pulled rickshaws is easily done but the car runs out of breath as you try to access the claimed 140 km/h top speed on the open six-lane tree lined roads of Kolkata’s New Town. This then is a city bred machine that’s best kept within the urban confines.
The redi-GO’s suspension set up is on the softer side of life, which means at city speeds especially over Kolkata’s undulating and potholed roads felt rather supple. As speeds creep up however one can feel an increasing wallowing in the redi-GO’s behaviour. On the dynamics front, the car is definitely nimble footed and quick to turn. However, these manoeuvres are best done at slow to moderate speeds. The car feels less confidence inspiring as speeds rise. The speed sensitive electric power steering is light to operate at slow speeds and turning a crawling redi-GO is child’s play. At higher velocities the steering does weigh up a bit but feels artificial and lacking in feedback. The disc and drum combo, which is used for stopping this Datsun works well enough and without drama. At least that is the impression I got during the first drive.
So a conclusion then. With the redi-GO, Datsun will look to undercut Renault’s prospects with the Kwid. At the same time the product will seek to undermine Maruti Suzuki’s stranglehold on the segment with their Alto. As mentioned earlier Datsun have already said that they will price the car between Rs 2.5 to 3.5 lakh, which on the face of it seems promising. However, that’s not significantly cheaper than the price of the redi-GO’s rivals. So our first impression is that despite having a good product that is a good fit for the purpose it will be used for, it will not be a cakewalk for the Datsun redi-GO.
Technical Specifications on page 4>
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