A mate told his friend to take his date to somewhere expensive to impress her, so he took her to a filling station. True story. Not a joke though, with 95 unleaded going at R20.88 a litre at the time of writing.
Inflation already played havoc with our budgets, but with fuel prices going up and up, fuel efficiency becomes a real thing right now. Fuel consumption is not an absolute bottom line though. If you have to have a large SUV, you will measure its fuel consumption against similarly sized vehicles. Renault vehicles are known for their frugality, but in the interest of fairness, let’s discuss Renault without comparing it to other brands. All friends here. Please note, though, that we are talking about a combined cycle, so a combination of urban and highway. If your driving takes you more on one or the other, it will affect your use.
Let’s start with the most at one end and go from there.
Renault Kwid
The Renault Kwid is a compact, nippy run-around, ideal for students, young career starters, small families, daily rush-hour commute, as well as older folk who knows how much car they need. The Kwid comes with a 1.0-litre petrol engine that gives you 50 kW and 91 Nm. It has two transmission types, and these will give you a combined cycle of 4.71-litres per 100km for the 5-speed manual and 4.4-litres per 100km for the 5-speed AMT Auto.
Renault Triber
The Triber is a generous 7-seater people carrier that still gives off an SUV vibe. Good for larger families or those with very sociable kids. This MPV also makes a spectacular Uber or Taxify car! It too comes with a 1.0-petrol engine, giving you an excellent 5.5-litres per 100km in the combined cycle.
Renault Kiger
This newcomer is a sporty 5-seater with the option of 1.0-litre 52 kW naturally aspirated or 74 kW turbo engine. The 53 kW manual will give you 5.3-litres per 100km, while the automatic will go at 5.2-litres per 100km. The manual turbo will run at 5.2-litres per 100km and the automatic at 5.4-litres per 100km.
Renault Clio
The hatch for the young professional, or any other professional that enjoys the fresh, sleek and lively look of the Clio V. This sporty hatch comes with a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox and gives you 74 kW at 5.7-litres per 100km.
Renault Duster
The go-to sporty compact SUV in South Africa has been around for yonks – continuously updated and still going strong. It now comes in a 1.5-litre dCi, giving you 66 kW or 80 kW. The 66 kW uses 5.1-litres per 100km, while the 80 kW has two gearboxes that give you 4.8 and 5.2-litres per 100km respectively.
Renault Koleos
This is a big, impressive SUV with a big, impressive 126 kW 2.5-litre petrol engine with a CVT transmission. The Koleos runs at 8.1-litres per 100km, which is impressive for such a large car.
So it’s a question of reconciling your ideal lifestyle with the realities of your wallet. We hope this list serves as your handy guide to Renault’s fuel consumption.