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Renault Kiger Review (First Drive): Will This Be A Game Changer?
The compact-SUV segment has been growing rapidly in the Indian market and has become one of the most popular segments, with carmakers continuously introducing new models. Renault is now the latest brand to enter the competitive segment with their all-new Kiger compact-SUV.
Renault launched the Kiger compact-SUV in the Indian market a few days back at a starting price of Rs 5.45 lakh for the base variant and the top-spec RXZ X-Tronic CVT variant at Rs 9.55 lakh. All prices mentioned are ex-showroom (India). Bookings for the compact SUV are being accepted across India for a token amount of Rs 11,000.
We got a chance to drive the all-new Renault Kiger for a day and here are some things about the car that really impressed us. Read more to find out.
Exterior & Design
At the front, the Kiger gets a fell LED headlight setup with three beam pods, two for the low beams and one for the high beam and the visibility from it is excellent. Right on top of the headlight cluster are the DRLs of the vehicle and within these are the turn indicator housing that features a halogen bulb.
The front bumper of the Kiger looks sporty and to add on the sportiness of the vehicle, there is also a lip spoiler. You also get a fair amount of chrome on the grille and a big Renault logo right in the centre. The hood of the vehicle also features deep lines and creases. Overall, the Kiger compact SUV looks fantastic from the front end.
Moving onto the side profile, the first thing that will grab your attention is the multi-spoke dual-tone 16-inch alloy wheel. The alloys are wrapped in the CEAT Securedrive tyres with 195/60/R16 profiles. You also get the RXZ badging at the side of the front fender that is finished in chrome on either side.
There are not many body lines and creases on the side of the vehicle, but it has black cladding all around it that helps the Kiger look slightly bulky. The test car that we had got was in the Caspian blue paint scheme with the roof and the pillars finished in black. The Kiger also gets functional roof rails and a shark fin antenna at the back.
Speaking about the rear, the one thing that makes the Kiger look sporty is the C-shaped tail light units. Since the taillight had black elements present inside it, it looks like it has been smoked. Other than that, you get the 'KIGER' badge right in the centre with the Renault and Turbo badges on either side of the boot.
The rearview camera is present right in the middle of the rear logo and it has parking sensors that help parking in tight spaces really well. The Kiger also gets a split rear spoiler that makes the car look sporty from the rear.
Interior & Features
Step inside the car and you will be welcomed with a spacious cabin. The dashboard of the car is finished in good quality plastic and apart from the door panels, there has been no soft-touch material used. The centre stage is taken by the 8-inch infotainment system that features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The touch of the system is very responsive and does not have any lag.
Right below the infotainment system you get the climate control that features digital readout and looks pretty awesome. Just below that is the wireless charger for your phone that also gets a dedicated on/off switch. The Kiger gets cupholders inside the central armrest, which should have been outside.
The steering wheel of the car has a good grip and has a small patch of leather on the top. The steering mounted controls are pretty easy to operate. The left hand side operates the infotainment system and the right-hand side is to navigate through the instrument cluster.
Speaking about the instrument cluster, the Kiger gets a 7-inch fully digital unit that looks extremely nice. The cluster changes its UI according to the driving modes selected. On Eco mode, it turns green, blue in the Normal mode and in Sport mode, it turns red.
Speaking about the seats, only the driver side gets the seat height adjuster. Both the front seats get a decent amount of cushioning and good side bolsters that will keep the occupants in place while going through the twisties.
The rear seats are also comfortable but lack under-thigh support. There is an ample amount of space as far as head and legroom go. Easily, five tall passengers can accommodate in the Kiger. The floor is also flat and because of that, the person sitting in the centre will be comfortable. There are AC vents at the rear and a 12-volt charging socket.
Now speaking about the boot, the Kiger gets a 405-litre boot that is pretty big for a car that size. Luggage for four people can easily accommodate it. Want more space? You can fold down the rear seat as it has a 60:40 split. Fold whichever side you want depending on the luggage you have to put.
Engine & Handling
Renault is offering the Kiger with a couple of engine and transmission options. This includes 1.0-litre (NA) naturally-aspirated petrol and turbo-petrol units. The NA engine produces a maximum of 72bhp of power and a peak torque of 96Nm and comes mated to either a five-speed manual or an AMT automatic.
The other one is a powerful turbo-petrol unit that produces 99bhp of power and a peak torque of 160Nm. The unit is offered with a choice of either a five-speed manual or a superior CVT automatic. The car that we drove was the turbo petrol manual variant and yes, we loved it.
The turbo petrol engine packs a lot of grunt, but the power is not linear. When you give little gas, it pulls smoothly, but as you floor the paddle, initially, there is a slight lag but then all the power comes in at once. You will have to hold the steering wheel as there is some amount of torque steer.
As we mentioned above there are three driving modes available with the Kiger: Eco, Normal and Sport. The steering and the throttle response changes according to the mode you are driving in. In Eco mode, steering is light and the throttle response is very laggy. While on the other hand in Sport mode, the steering becomes tight and the throttle response becomes sharp. Well, if you are driving in the city, we would recommend you to drive in the normal mode where it has a good balance of both.
The suspension setup on the Kiger is neither soft or hard, it is somewhere in between. The car does have some amount of body roll and that is because it has around 205mm of ground clearance, which makes the car stand tall. The clearance is more than enough to take the car through all the bad roads that the city has to offer.
Well, as far as the mileage is concerned since we had the car for only a few hours we are unable to tell that at the moment. We will get the car at a later stage for a proper road test review, so stay tuned till then.
DriveSpark Thinks!
Renault has hit it out of the park with the aggressive pricing of the Kiger compact-SUV and is now the most affordable SUV in the segment snatching the title from its cousin, the Nissan Magnite.
The Renault Kiger goes up against the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Nissan Magnite, Kia Sonet, Mahindra XUV300 and the Toyota Urban Cruiser in the Indian market.
The Renault Kiger looks good, drives well and has a lot of space. Some factors that we found were not up to the mark such as, engine refinement, lack of a sunroof and soft-touch materials. Other than that the Kiger ticks most of the boxes in the list.