new  Datsun redi GO AMT red

New 2018 Datsun Redi-GO 1.0 AMT Review, Images, Specs, features and Price

It was on a cold and foggy morning when the drive for the RediGo AMT kicked off. We would end up visiting a few landmarks in Delhi throughout the day.  Doesn’t seem like much of a hassle, till you realize we had to negotiate through weekday office traffic in Delhi NCR. The 5-speed AMT would surely come in handy. Soon after the kickoff, our first location of Tughlakabad fort was marked, and the drive started. The fog started to clear up as the sun rose, but sadly the traffic did not. Immediately one felt the ease of the AMT in peak Delhi office traffic. In such a situation, the AMT performed quite decently, although there is still a noticeable lag in between shifts. It is certainly no lightning DSG and it makes itself very apparent the moment the AMT tries to switch gears. But in the city where accelerating quickly will make little sense, the AMT along with the 1.0 engine lets you commute in traffic with much ease. The 68hp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine is the same as on the manual version, and you can read all about the car’s interior, features, styling, ride quality and other details in this Redi-GO 1.0 review here.

Images and Text: Samar Narayan 

Another important feature which you get in the RediGo is the creep/crawl function in traffic (missing in Kwid AMT). Also, unlike the KWID’s rotary gearshift, this one gets a proper drive selector lever. I found it quite handy during the long times stuck in traffic. The moment the car in front inches ahead, you just need to let go of the brake pedal and the AMT will make the RediGo crawl ahead at 5-6 Kmph without the need to ever touch the accelerator. A very nifty feature for when you are stuck behind a car in a large traffic jam, which is becoming increasingly common in most cities.

After Tughlakabad Fort our next location was Lodhi colony and we set off on a drive again. By this time the peak office hour traffic had subsided, and there were relatively open stretches in between the traffic signals. Perfect time to test out the manual mode in the RediGo. One just needs to slot the gear lever into the M position, and then slightly push it back to climb gear, and push it forward to downshift. However there is still a small lag in gearshift, you push the gear lever to climb a gear, there is a momentary delay before the upper gear gets engaged, ditto while downshifting. Not an issue for commuting, but you’re not going to win any races with it. This feature may turn out useful for people using the car on hills and such as it will allow them to hold onto a gear and climb up the hill without any fuss.

Thereafter we drove to the National Philatelic Museum and then finally to Qutub Minar by the afternoon. By this time I had realized it was pointless to be using manual mode in Delhi traffic and switched back to the ease of the AMT Drive (D) mode and let the AMT do its job. The creep/crawl function was an absolute godsend for the times we were stuck behind cars in traffic.

I certainly felt less fatigued after spending almost half a day in peak Delhi NCR traffic on a weekday. And for people who do this kind of commute and are looking for a cheap, spacious, comfortable car with a small footprint to blitz through the traffic then the Datsun RediGo AMT makes a good contender on your list. Just don’t expect to win any Red light Grand Prix, though it’ll spell tons of convenience for you during your everyday commute.

The exterior and interior of the AMT is identical to the 2017 1.0-litre Red-GO. Some minor changes include. Over the manual version, this one gets a new Bluetooth-enabled music system. The MID on the car also gets a gear position indicator, although the tachometer has been removed for the AMT version.

The steering on the car is light, and the ride quality is still on the firmer side, although the 185mm of lofty ground clearance means that the Redi-Go can be used in semi-urban and rural areas too, without the worry of scraping its belly. The tall-boy design offers plenty of headroom, and those aggressive, deep lines make the Redi-Go stand out in a crowd with its tall stature and look captivating to some, if not please the eye of a purist.

The Redi Go 1.0-litre AMT is priced at Rs 3.81-3.96 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), which is only 20,000 more than its equivalent 1.0-litre manual transmission. For the entry segment, the Redi-GO AMT thus, offers a unique combination of distinctive appearance, crossover-ish ground clearance, good space inside and a good engine with the convenience of an AMT at a great price. And that, we think should appeal to a whole bunch of metro dwellers. Do take a test drive!

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New 2018 Datsun Redi-GO 1.0 AMT Image Gallery

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