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2025 Renault Kiger Facelift First Drive Review: Definitely A Contender
The year 2020, was best known for making the words pandemic and Covid-19 commonplace among everyday folk in India. As the year was coming to an end, French carmaker Renault lifted the doom and gloom mood by revealing the Kiger concept car on the 18th of November, 2020.
In January 2021, the production-spec Renault Kiger made its debut and went on sale a few months later and proved to be quite a successful venture into the world of compact SUVs for the French marque in India.
Now, four years since the Kiger first arrived on our shores, Renault has given the compact sub-4-metre SUV a mid-life facelift, launching it at a starting price of ₹6.29 lakh (ex-showroom). We recently got to drive the Renualt Kiger facelift and here are our thoughts about it after a few hours behind the wheel of the French compact SUV...
Renault Kiger Facelift Review – Exterior Highlights
The Renault Kiger Facelift features a bold new front grille with brushed aluminium accentsand the revised Renualt badge. The headlamps are now triple LED units set within distinct pods. The front bumper too has been tweaked
The Kiger facelift rides on revised diamond-cut 16-inch alloy wheels behind which sit brake callipers painted in red. The updated Kiger also features functional roof rails that support up to 50 kg.
At the rear, the Kiger sports new C-shaped LED tail lamps, a high-mounted stop lamp, revised bumper and the new Renualt badge. Other highlights of the facelifted Kiger include piano black door handles, matte window trims, graphic decals on the wheel arches and a new yellow colourway.
Renault Kiger Facelift Review – Interior Highlights
The facelifted Kiger's interior features a new black and white dual-tone theme for the cabin. There are new door card inserts but overall, the Kiger's interior looks quite familiar. The dashboard is dominated by a 7-inch digital instrument cluster and an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support. Just ahead of the driver's display is a flat-bottom steering wheel with mounted controls.
The front row features manually adjustable seats that are now ventilated units with three intensity settings. Automatic climate control and a wireless charging pad are included for added convenience and there are storage options galore with including deep bottle holders, a big glove compartment, and many accessible cubby holes.
The Kiger facelift offers a spacious cabin (for the segent) with a 60:40 split rear seat, allowing flexible use of its boot space. The boot can hold up to 405 litres, and it includes a brushed aluminium insert for contrast. There is decent legroom and headroom for the rear passengers and the rear AC vents do a more than adequate job of keeping those in the back seats cool.
Renault Kiger Facelift Review – Specifications & Safety Kit
The Kiger Facelift offers the same two engine choices as before: a 1.0-litre three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol and a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol. The turbocharged engine, produces 100 PS of power and 160 Nm of torque. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual and a CVT automatic.
The naturally aspirated engine pushes out 72PS of power and 96Nm of peak torque and is offered with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed AMT gearbox.Kigers with this engine are also offered with a retrofitted CNG kit.
The Kiger hasn't changed in terms of size and it continues to offer a ground clearance of 205 mm. It now offers a host of safety features including 6 airbags as standard, electronic stability control, a reverse parking camera, rear parking sensors and a tyre pressure monitoring system. The Kiger also features Cruise Control on its higher trim levels.
Renault Kiger Facelift Review – Driving Impressions
We go to drive the turbocharged Kiger with the CVT gearbox during our short time with it. Acceleration is brisk, especially in Sport mode when the Turbo kicks in (around the 2,000rpm mark), which makes overtaking a breeze.
The suspension setup of the facelifted Kiger feels better than its predecessor but is still a bit too stiff for our liking. And while stability at highway speeds is good, it is not as as composed as rivals like the Tata Nexon and the Hyundai Venue. The brakes offer good stopping power allowing you to confidently stop the Kiger without any hassle.
A big area of improvement are the NVH levels with an audible reduction in external noises (engine, tyre and everything else) coming inside the cabin, when you're on the move.
Renault Kiger Facelift Review – Verdict & Final Thoughts
The Renault Kiger facelift delivers improved styling and a host of ew features compared to its predecessor. And while the suspension setup is still a bit stiff for our liking, it has been improved. If you're in the market for a compact sub-4-metre SUV, the Kiger Facelift is a strong contender and something we would definitely recommend that you try out before making a buying decision.
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