Test driving the Datsun redi-GO: How 'redi' are you?

Kolkata is an unusual destination for a first drive of a car For several decades just six per cent of the city was road space It is one of the most densely populated cities in the country and also an extremely price conscious market where affordability and convenience rule the consumerrsquos mind over all other aspects of purchasing Perfect testing ground then for a vehicle that is compact convenient and offers the promise of good valueformoney That brings us to the latest product from the house of Datsun ndash the rediGOThe rediGO is based on the same platform as the Renault Kwid courtesy the advantages of platformsharing that the NissanRenault Alliance allows As a result on several counts what the rediGO promises is not much different from its French cousin Datsun has already announced that the pricing is going to be an attractive Rs 25 to Rs 35 lakh ndash a competitive price pointVisually the rediGO is smarter than the rest of the Datsun range of products It looks contemporary even flashy at certain angles courtesy the Japanese companyrsquos lsquoYukanrsquo design philosophy For a car that measures less than 35 metres long and just over 15 metres wide the rediGOs outsized grille endows it with decent road presenceThe spartan dashboard now features a music system unlike in other DatsunsOne of the major criticisms of the previous Datsun products revolved around the carsrsquo cabin quality They were built to a cost and did not even try to disguise that trait Datsun has rectified these shortcomings to some extent and consequently the rediGOs cabin quality is a notch above that of other products from the Datsun stable Unlike the Datsun Go that had to make do with a gadget that only allowed one to stream music via the phone the rediGO gets a full blown radioCD player The sleek 1DIN unit is not something that we are accustomed to seeing on modern cars anymore but it does add a classic charmThe tail lamp design is contemporary and sharpThe other things that stand out on the dashboard are the three round AC vents in a world where we have become habituated to seeing four Not that one less vent affects the performance of the aircon because even in the sweltering wetness that defines Kolkata summers the cabin cooled down quite well On the question of storage space you could see there are certain cubby holes like the large bottle holder and the cupholder next to the twin buttons for the power windows are nice The glovebox on the other hand isnrsquot large enough to hold anything of significance really However you canrsquot help but appreciate are the little thumb recesses on the steering wheelInstrumentation is basic but does the job PicsAditya DhiwarWhile you can seat two adults and a child comfortably three adults in the rear of the rediGO is an undoubted squeeze In fact its own information material show two adults at the rear and not three The 222litre boot however is deep with hardly an intrusion which allows virtually the entire boot space to be utilisedUnder the very short bonnet of the Datsun rediGO is the same 799 cc threecylinder petrol engine that powers the Kwid Output of this compact 57kilo engine is 54 PS at 5678 RPM and 72 Nm of peak torque at 4368 RPM Claimed fuel economy is 2517 kml 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 Overtaking slow moving buses or the odd tram and whizzing past handpulled rickshaws is easily done but the car runs out of breath as you try to access the claimed 140 kmh top speed on the open sixlane tree lined roads of Kolkatas New Town This then is a citybred machine thats best kept within the urban confinesThe rediGOrsquos suspension set up is on the softer side of life which means at city speeds especially over Kolkatarsquos undulating and potholed roads felt rather supple As speeds creep up however one can feel an increasing wallowing in the rediGOrsquos behaviour The car is definitely nimble footed and quick to turn but less confidence inspiring as speeds rise The speed sensitive electric power steering is light to operate at slow speeds and turning a crawling rediGO is childrsquos play At higher velocities the steering does weigh up a bit but feels artificial and lacking in feedbackWith the rediGO Datsun will look to undercut Renaultrsquos prospects with the Kwid At the same time the product will seek to undermine Maruti Suzukis stranglehold on the segment with their Alto Datsun has said that it will price the car between Rs 25 to Rs 35 lakh which on the face of it seems promising However thatrsquos not significantly cheaper than the price of the rediGOrsquos 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 rediGO