Datsun Redigo review, road test

This stylish offering stands tall in the budget hatchback segment.

Published on Sep 12, 2016 07:00:00 AM

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For its sub-three-lakh rupee price, the Redigo is very stylish.

The dashboard design is funky yet functional. Steering wheel is nice to touch and hold.

The Redigo uses the same 799cc, three-cylinder petrol engine as the Kwid with identical power and torque ratings of 54hp and 72Nm respectively. However, the engine has been tuned differently in the Redigo and feels peppier off the line when compared to the Kwid. At mid-revs, however, power delivery seems to flatten and taper off as you near the redline, thus resulting in a 0-100kph time two seconds slower than the Kwid’s. Stay just above idle and this car will reward you with its competent responsiveness. Part-throttle inputs are enough to keep up with city traffic and it doesn’t give you a reason to rev the engine hard at any time. The motor packs enough punch to pull itself up inclines effortlessly and for most scenarios, it doesn’t require a downshift.

If you do end up driving hard, upshifts will be warranted at around 3,500rpm as the engine gets extremely vocal and sounds strained beyond that.

You can feel the engine’s jerky nature, more so at low speeds, every time you lift off the throttle. It requires additional effort and careful pedal modulation to drive smoothly. Even the gear lever seems to rock forward and back each time you press the throttle and lift off. The five-speed gearbox isn’t smooth and shows some resistance to slot through its gates. What’s nice is that the gear throws are short and the clutch is adequately light.

At idle, a lot of vibrations filter into the cabin, especially through the wheel, but these eventually settle down as the revs increase.