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Monday, October 31, 2011

Renault Pulse diesel unveiled for India


Renault India takes the wraps off their much awaited small car
Renault Pulse diesel unveiled for India
Renault India has taken the wraps off the much awaited small car for India. It's not a new Clio, Megane or even a Modus, but instead an all new model (in the Renault camp) - the Pulse. Renault has followed their alliance partner Nissan's path and only shown the car as of now, with the official launch happening at a later date.

Yes, you aren't the only one who thinks that the Pulse looks strikingly similar to the Nissan Micra - because it is indeed a slightly face-lifted Micra hatchback. It sits on the same V-platform as the Nissan Micra and uses majority of the body panels and elements of the Micra hatchback.

The most striking changes are at the front where you get a Different grille with a honeycomb-mesh treatment and a large, matte black slat running across the grille. The headlights are wedge-shaped and try hard to fall in line with the design of the Fluence an Koleos' headlights. To us, they simply look like elongated headlights of the Micra with the design of the internal elements inspired from the Hyundai i10.
Renault Pulse diesel unveiled for India
At the back you have the familiar Micra taillights albeit with redesigned elements. The Nissan badge on the boot lid is replaced by the diamond shaped logo and the large 'Renault' monogram to add a hint of distinction to the otherwise Micra-esque design.

The interiors of the Renault Pulse are strikingly similar as those of the Micra, with the same curvaceous design theme, the round audio system, bow-hook door handles etc. The steering dons the diamond logo. The rear seats are the same as the recently tweaked Micra - so you get the extra thigh support and top end model gets the adjustable headrests.

The Renault Pulse is powered by the K9K diesel engine - which is layman terms means the same 1.5-litre dCi engine that powers the current Nissan Micra and the Mahindra Logan. The K9K engine claims to return 23 kmpl for diesel. Renault is also looking to introduce a petrol version at a later date.

Renault India will officially launch the Pulse at the 2012 Auto Expo in New Delhi. The Pulse is expected to be priced slightly higher than the Nissan Micra. While Renault has not released any information on the variants, we expect three variants to be available at the time of the launch. The Renault Pulse showcased to us yesterday night was the RxV variant which looks like the top-of-the-line variant. The features from what we saw are as follows:

Auto folding mirrors
Chrome internal door handles
Revised rear seats with increased thigh support and adjustable head rests.
Rear cup holder
Keyless entry and go
Electrically adjustable mirrors
All four electric-windows
15-inch alloy wheels
Bridgestone tyres 175/60-R15
Dual-beam H4 headlights
Beige fabric interiors