Car Review: Datsun Redi Go to buy or not?

Datsun Redi-Go will be launched in June 2016.Indian auto industry is seeing launch of new small cars at a faster pace than ever before. Leave hatchbacks, even the SUV’s and sedans are getting smaller to please new buyers in this segment. More than 70% of car buyers in India are opting for cars in the under INR 5 lakh range.

Nissan has made it clear more than once. Their India strategy revolves around gaining a market share of 5% by 2020. This is one of the biggest reason behind the introduction of Datsun brand in the country. In over two years, Datsun has managed to register sales of 45,000 units, which according to their Group CEO is a moderate performance.

But, at the same time they are excited about the Indian market. Which is why they have decided to launch their 3rd car, Redi-Go first in India.

Though new for India, Datsun is, in fact, one of the oldest car brands in the world. It was first founded in 1931 and enjoyed global success until it went defunct in 1986. Nissan announced Datsun’s rebirth in 2013.

First showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo in concept form, Datsun Redi-Go debuted in production ready form last month. With the car all set to go on sale next month, we spend two days with the car, driving in and around Kolkata and here is our Datsun Redi-Go Review.

Exteriors
From the onset in 2010, (which is when Nissan India started working on Datsun’s third car! Wonder when they started work on their first car, Go hatchback.) Datsun knew that the car they are going to make will have to carry an attractive and sporty design. After researching at length with prospective customers of today’s generation, Datsun came up with a new design language called YUKAN.

In Japanese, YUKAN means brave and bold, which is exactly what the exteriors of Datsun Redi-Go convey. The concept Redi-Go managed to raise a lot of eyebrows when it was showcased over two years ago. Most of them were very impressed with the energetic and trendy exterior design of Redi-Go. This resulted in Datsun watering down most of its design elements from the concept to the production format.

Datsun Redi-Go Review

Redi-Go looks to have a wider lower body thanks to beefed-up bumpers and wheel arches. This makes the car’s top half look narrower and the lower half wider.

Front is accentuated by a sleek upper body and a meaty lower bumper. In the center is a hexagonal honeycomb grille with Datsun logo in the centre. The character lines which emerge from lower bumper, give shape to the overall muscular looking front. It also houses LED DRLs, which stay on when headlights are off.

Datsun Redi-Go on the iconic Howrah Bridge.
The fluid-front aspect emerging from the headlight cluster gives way to the Redi-Go’s tall stance. Featuring a best in class ground clearance of 185 mm, designers made sure Redi-Go gets raised seating as this helps in giving driver a better all-round visibility, which is very important while driving in a busy city like Kolkata.

Side profile features a low-to-high waistline. This line emerges from the lower side of the front door, and keeps going up gradually before ending into the taillamp, giving the car a dynamic look from the side.

Datsun Redi-Go Review

Rear design is unlike any Datsun car seen till date. It features verticle taillamps with stop light, reverse light and turn indicator; Datsun logo in the center, chrome strip on the hatch lip, chrome garnish on the exhaust.

Overall, Redi-Go brings a fresh new design theme to the segment. Though some angles do remind of Hyundai Eon or Chevrolet Beat, Redi-Go is by far the sportiest looking small hatch on offer.

Interiors, Space & Comfort

Datsun Redi-Go Interiors
In spite of being the shortest car in the segment, Datsun Redi-Go offers best in class interior space. This has been made possible by some clever interior design. Though this has also resulted in compromising quality of some interior parts. For example, the door panels and lower part of front seats have exposed metal parts while seats offer bare minimum cushioning for thigh and back supports.

Finished in grey, dashboard features smart pockets which can be used by passengers as storage. In addition to open storage spaces, dashboard also has a small glove box. Centre console is finished in piano black and houses music system as well as AC controls. Music system is a basic one with Aux-In, USB and MP3 compatibility. Bluetooth is not on offer.

One interesting feature unique to the Redi-Go is its large AC vent above the center console. Along with three circular adjustable AC vents, Redi-Go also gets a large centre AC vent which dedicates 50% of the air flow towards rear seat passengers. AC is powerful enough and keeps the cabin cool even on a hot day.

Steering wheel offers good grip, while the analogue / digital instrument cluster displays speedometer, tachometer, time, DTE, trip meter, engine temperature, seat belt indicator, turn indicator, fuel gauge, battery indicator and much more.

Doors do not get any storage space, except thin pockets which are good enough to keep newspapers, wallet etc.

Datsun claims that the rear seat leg-room is best in class, it is still not enough for passengers who are about 5 feet 8 inches or even taller. Though rear seat gets three seatbelts (two of them are 3 point while the center one is 2 point), travelling with three passengers is quite cumbersome.

Datsun Redi-Go Boot
Boot space stands at 222 liters (Kwid has 300. Why the difference? Redi-Go has more rear seat legroom). This is enough to store luggage of four for a weekend getaway.

Datsun Redi-Go Review

As there are no cubby holes or storage spaces for rear seat passengers, this parcel tray comes handy.

Made for the new generation of car buyers, Datsun Redi-Go is designed to offer fun, confidence, and freedom. Datsun India elaborates – Fun because the car is small, available in vibrant colours. Freedom because Redi-Go gives two-wheeler owners the confidence of buying a four-wheeler while Confidence because it has the best-in-class cost of ownership.

Engine, Transmission & Mileage

Powering the new Datsun Redi-Go is a 799 cc three-cylinder petrol engine delivering 54 PS power @ 5678 rpm and 72 Nm torque @ 4386 rpm. Mated to a five-speed manual transmission, Datsun claims that the engine delivers a fuel efficiency figure of 25.17 kmpl. During our two days with the car in Kolkata city, we managed to squeeze 15 kmpl from the engine.

Tech Specs
Engine 799 cc
Fuel Petrol
Transmission 5 MT
Power 54 PS
Torque 72 Nm
Mileage 25.17 kmpl
Length 3429 mm
Width 1560 mm
Height 1541 mm
Wheelbase 2348 mm
Ground Clearance 185 mm
Turning Radius 4.73 m
Boot Space 222 liters
Front Suspension Mac Pherson strut
Rear Suspension Twist beam
Tyres 155/80 R13
Steering Speed Sensitive | EPS
Driving and Handling

Datsun Redi-Go. Vidyasagar Setu in Kolkata.
One of the main reasons behind Nissan organizing Redi-Go media drive in Kolkata is because they are promoting their new car as an Urban Cross. Though that sounds like a tall claim, what they mean to convey is that Redi-Go has been designed to take on the urban jungles of Indian cities.

The car takes its own sweet time to go forward, but once it is in motion, there is nothing much to complain as far as power and torque delivery is concerned. Its small size and EPS (electronic power steering) definitely helps to zip past through busy roads. Acceleration is better than Kwid, thanks to a lighter kerb weight of about 25 kgs, making the car more fun to drive.

Datsun Redi-Go Review

The small engine of Datsun Redi-Go is good enough to drive at speeds of up to 80-90 kmph. Though the engine can rev beyond the 5,000 rpm mark, it is good to keep it within the 4,500 mark as beyond that it becomes noisy and also sends vibrations to steering wheel. Gearbox is a bit notchy, but Datsun claims it will smoothen up with time.

Braking is taken care by discs at the front and drum at the rear. It offers decent bite. ABS is not on offer (no airbags either), even as an option. The 13-inch tubeless tyres seem a bit small and do not do justice to the car’s overall size. The tyres and suspension setup fails to provide a smooth ride as you feel bumps and potholes inside the cabin. Tyre noise too seeps inside, at speeds of as low as 30 kmph.

Datsun Redi-Go at Victoria Memorial.
Datsun R&D engineers who were present at the drive, stated that these cars have not had any run-in and are straight off the production line. They hinted that NVH and engine is a work in progress. By launch, the same should get sorted.

Verdict

Datsun Redi-Go comes with an attractive styling, ergonomic interiors, a fuel efficient engine and some niggling issues like noisy engine, exposed metal on door panels, stiffened suspension setting, etc.

In addition to that, Datsun has also worked on their brand promotion and after-sales network. More people in India know about them today, than ever before. Compared to two years ago, when there were hardly any Datsun dealerships in the country, today there are over 250 dealerships. This number will touch the 300 mark by the end of this year.

But apart from being a competitively priced small car with attractive and tall boy design, there isn’t much of a USP. Why would a buyer choose Redi-Go, when there is already a Maruti Alto, Hyundai Eon or a Renault Kwid? Well, that is a question only Datsun India can answer.

This article has first appeared in Rushlane.com