What is it?

The Renault Kiger has been officially unveiled ahead of its launch in the Indian market at the end of February 2021. It’s Renault’s new B-SUV and their third India-specific product after the Kwid and the Triber, and this trio represents Renault’s efforts for one of the fastest-growing and most competitive segments in the Indian car market.

The car was officially unveiled in the second half of 2020 as the Kiger concept, showcasing the direction the company was going to take with the car. This production-spec model has stayed mostly true to the concept albeit with more realistic design elements.

What’s it like on the outside?

Renault has always been known for its exterior design and this India-specific Kiger is no different at all. There’s a family feel dominating the proceedings with many familiar elements to let you know that it is a Renault car that you are looking at.

The face gets Renault’s signature two slat chrome grille with the low set headlamps, which in the case of the top-spec RXZ model in our pictures are triple LED units. Sitting quite strong on the edge of the bonnet are the slim LED DRLs while the bumper’s shape with the large rectangular inserts gives the face a slim, funky, and muscled appearance.

In profile, you can see the black cladding above the flared wheel arches as well as the blacked-out roofline to give the floating effect. It’s also here that you notice the similarities between the Kwid and the Kiger, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing as the Kwid is quite a good-looking car in itself.

Like the Nissan Magnite, all versions of the Kiger are expected to ride on 16-inch wheels which in the case of our show car boast a nice diamond-cut design with a v-like pattern, breaking off into eight interlinked spokes. During the global unveil, Renault also had a full accessorised car on display whose wheels had large red accents inserted into the design.

The Kiger looks the most impressive from the rear where Renault has fitted it with boomerang-shaped taillamps that stand out. They are full-LED units along with the same for the indicators as well as the reverse lamp. The roof spoiler has been split into two units and has been integrated as a part of a functional unit of the roof rails, which are functional and good for loads of up to 50kg. There’s a chrome strip running along the base of the boot lid while the bumper has been painted in silver and designed to look like a faux bash plate element to give the car a bit of muscle in its appearance. While most of its competitors have gone in for a butch SUV look, Renault has played to its strength by pursuing a crossover design which it has become quite good at in recent times with its global line up. In terms of measurements, the Kiger is 3.95-metre in length with a wheelbase of 2.5-metre and a boot capacity of 405-litre. It weighs in at 1,012kg (kerb) with a 40-litre fuel tank and 205mm ground clearance.

How is it on the inside?

The Renault Kiger gets a full black cabin with grey for some part of the dashboard. You get chunky elements and a somewhat conventional layout with everything being vertically stacked and at an ease of reach for the front occupants. There’s heavy use of gloss black plastics for that added premium feel but, on the downside, it is also expected to become a fingerprint and dust magnet especially in our Indian environment. Like its Japanese sibling, the Kiger too gets a fully digital instrument TFT cluster but with nicer graphics and colour schemes as compared to the Magnate's display. The display changes colour depending on your driving mode.

The rear seats in this top-spec RXZ trim get features like AC vents, rear seatback pockets and an armrest with dual cup holders. In terms of practicality, all doors get 1.0-litre bottle holders, there’s a 10.5-litre glove box in front, and the rear seat split-fold to expand the storage capacity to 879-litre.

What’s on the feature list?

Features on this top-spec RXZ variant that we are looking at include climate control, touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, steering mounted audio controls, cruise control, air purifier, as well as height adjustment for the driver’s seat.

During the unveil, Renault announced four different accessory packs for the Kiger- Smart+, SUV, Attractive, and Essential, all of which are expected to be fitted at the dealer level and will offer good levels of customisation for the Kiger. Renault will offer the car in six colours and all of them can be had as dual-tone with a black roof. All versions of the car get dual front airbags while the top model also gets side airbags. In addition, Renault has also fitted ISOFIX child seat mounting points and seat-belt reminder for the front occupants.

What are the engines on offer?

The Renault Kiger is being offered with two petrol engines. The most powerful of the lot is the 1.0-litre HRA three-cylinder turbo petrol producing 98bhp/160Nm and can be had with either a five-speed manual or a CVT. The other option is a naturally aspirated 1.0-litre petrol engine producing 71bhp/96Nm and can be had with either a five-speed manual or a five-speed AMT.

Launch, pricing, and competition

Renault is expected to launch the Kiger later in February and will price it in the range of Rs6 lakh to Rs8 lakh. It’s Renault’s competitor in the most competitive part of the market where it will face up against the likes of the Mahindra XUV300, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Maruti Brezza, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, and of course its sister car, the Nissan Magnate. Renault will launch the car at the end of February which means that bookings should open within the next few days of this first-look review going live.