Maruti Suzuki S-Presso V Renault Kwid

Two mini cars in our fleet (sorry but we are not going to call these SUVs) thoroughly tested over three months

Numbers often tell you almost everything that you need to know in a comparison. 67bhp and 91Nm. Those are the numbers that took the Renault Kwid to the top of the sales chart in a segment it created. Our fixation with SUVs must have played a part in the cars in this segment being called micro-SUVs. When Maruti Suzuki threw its hat into the ring with the S-Presso, it was obvious who they were targeting. And they matched the Renault Kwid spec-to-spec.

A head-to-head comparison looking at the spec sheets of the two yields very little, and both cars seem to follow a template. High ground clearance? Check. 1-litre petrol engines? Check. Even a straight driving comparison seemed futile. Until, it so turned out that we have both parked in our garage.

Over the last three months that we have spent with the two micro-SUVs in our evo India fleet, it seemed only natural to want to delve a little deeper and try and paint a more nuanced picture. And instead of the rigmarole that we usually subject our test cars to (city driving, lap of Mutha, some highway driving) we decide to do something a lot more comprehensive this time.

How easy are they on the eye?

Now this was one aspect where one car was miles ahead of the other. The Kwid is easily the more handsome of the two. The split headlamp, attractive paint job and wide, muscular face in particular are eye-catchy. The S-Presso on the other hand with its boxy, unusual design might not be to everyone’s taste and looks odd when compared to the Renault Kwid.

Can they fit five?