Renault Kwid and Fiat Argo compete for the most affordable zero-kilometer vehicle in Brazil. Today, the compact of Italian origin costs from R$ 63,400 – R$ 1,300 less than the Zen version of the French brand’s rival.
In tests, however, the advantage is reversed. Renewed this year, the Kwid surpassed its rival in all performance and consumption tests.
Combined with the car’s low weight (779 kilos), the 1.0-litre three-cylinder flex engine allowed it to reach 100 km/h in 15.2 seconds when fueled with ethanol. It’s a good brand for a car with 71 horsepower.
The Fiat Mobi arrived for the Folha-Mauá test in the Trekking version (R$ 66.4 thousand). Kwid was evaluated in the Zen option.
Both are well equipped, unlike the popular ones sold in the early 2000s.
The equipment lists of Fiat and Renault compacts include air conditioning, power steering, sound system and electric activation of the front windows and door locks.
HOW TESTS ARE DONE
To measure the performance of cars, the IMT (Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia) uses the V-Box, equipment that uses a GPS signal.
The acceleration and resumption tests are carried out on the ZF company track, in Limeira (São Paulo countryside).
The stage that checks consumption in the city is 27 km long. To simulate a road trip at 90 km/h, engineers drive for 31 km. Both routes are in São Caetano do Sul (ABC), where the institute’s headquarters are located.
If the car is flex-fuel, two measurements are made: one with ethanol, the other with gasoline.
The consumption of electric models is measured through the charger installed in the IMT. The test calculates the cost to run 100 km in urban and road modes.
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