Renault India Private Limited (RIPL), a completely subsidiary of French multinational auto major Renault S.A., recently introduced an automatic variant of its mid-size Scalasedan in the domestic car market. The automaticRenault ScalaCVT is launched in two petrol powered options- RxL with a price tag around Rs. 9 lakhs and RxZ at a retail value close to Rs. 9.9 lakhs. At present, the Scala model competes against the likes of Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Rapid and Volkswagen Vento amongst others in the Indian passenger car market.
Coming to under-the-hood specifications of the Renault Scala CVT, the sedan comes fitted with a 1.5 litre, 1498 cc XH2 petrol engine (same as its manual sibling), which churns out a peak power of 97.6 bhp and a maximum torque of 134 Nm. The French auto major claims that the Scala CVT will deliver an impressive fuel economy of 17.97 km per litre (certified by ARAI test figures), which list it among the most fuel efficient sedans with automatic transmission.
Currently, Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire AT is the most affordable automatic sedan and could pose difficulties for Scala CVT in Indian auto market. The Swift DZire looks like a great value-for-money proposition to domestic car enthusiasts, who aspire to have an automatic vehicle in their garage. Further, Swift DZire AT is powered with a 1.2 litre K12 petrol engine, which rolls out peak power and torque outputs of 86 bhp and 114 Nm, respectively. The mileage of DZire AT is rated at 13.2 kmpl (cities) and 17.4 kmpl (highways). Accordingly, in terms of performance and fuel efficiency, the Renault Scala CVT has an upper hand over the Maruti Suzuki product. Swift DZire AT model is the most pocket friendly automatic sedans available in India and carries a price tag of Rs. 6.7 lakhs in the country.
The Honda City automatic model is one of the best selling mid-size sedans in the country and it will be a challenge for Renault Scala CVT to lure buyers away from the Japanese car. The stylish City sedan is powered with a 1.5 litre i-VTEC petrol engine that produces a peak power output of 116 Nm and 146 Nm of maximum torque delivery. The base automatic transmission equipped model- City S AT comes with a price tag of Rs. 9.2 lakhs, while the City V AT top-end trims carry retail values around Rs. 10 lakhs.
Evidently, Renault India must be wishing to cash in on the prevalent market fervour towards automatic transmission equipped models witnessed among domestic audience. However, Honda City automatic certainly looks like a better option over Scala CVT in terms of performance and pricing, while the Swift DZire AT has an unparalleled value-for-money quotient.
