Renault Kiger long term review, 1 year report, mileage, features, faults – Introduction

The Kiger leaves our fleet after nearly 14,000 snug kilometres and a variety of reminiscences.

The Renault Kiger CVT has been my trip to work for a 12 months. It changed the Kiger Turbo MT in our fleet, which I utilized in the previous couple of months of its tenure with us. Of the 2, I loved the CVT extra, due to its relative effortlessness. The long-term vehicles that I take residence are principally hatchbacks on account of tight parking spots in my locality, and the Kiger, with its sub-four-metre footprint, is likely one of the few SUVs I can handle.

I really like the excessive seating place and its commanding view, which makes it simple to get used to in a short time, particularly if you’re upgrading from a sedan or a hatchback. This additionally means you’re much less vulnerable to direct eye contact with the brilliant and misaligned LED headlamps discovered on many two wheelers, which could be very annoying.

Renault Kiger long term review, 1 year report, mileage, features, faults – Introduction

Entrance seats are snug for lengthy durations of driving.

For a compact SUV, its cabin may be very spacious and I’ve had 5 full-size adults within the automotive with none trouble. There have been many airport journeys and a number of intra-city drives with 5 passengers and I’ve by no means heard any complaints about area.

I liked the three-spoke steering wheel with its backlit controls, however there was some noise coming from the steering rod in the previous couple of days, particularly when turning the wheel to multiple lock.

The 1.0-litre turbo engine with the CVT is properly suited to metropolis use, which is the place our long run Kiger munched most of its kilometres. The pedals are positioned properly and in contrast to the guide, the CVT model will get a correct useless pedal, which is a blessing on longer drives.

The journey meter resets itself randomly.

The digital driver’s show modifications with the drive modes, and surprisingly, you don’t get a tachometer in Regular mode, which is the one finest suited to town. Sport mode provides the tachometer (and higher responses) however the gas economic system drops fairly a bit. I attempted the Eco mode just a few instances, nevertheless it’s not one thing I might advocate, except you might be on a extremely tight gas funds. On this mode, the engine response is horribly weak and I discovered the automotive nearly undriveable.

The CVT gearbox doesn’t get any guide shifting possibility (it has no ‘gears’ to start with), however all you want is only a slight faucet on the accelerator to carry it into the torque band for a fast overtake. What I didn’t like a lot is the engine noise intruding within the cabin. It sounded sporty initially, nevertheless it has since gotten annoying.

Swallowed 4 medium suitcases simply.

What I additionally favored in regards to the Kiger are its distinctive appears. You continue to don’t see too many of those on the highway, however whenever you do, they’re unmistakable. The large nostril with sharp-looking LED headlamps make the Kiger look rather more costly than it really is. Many individuals ask me about it’s worth and are shocked to be taught it’s cheaper than most different mainstream rivals. The low-placed headlamps have a wonderful throw and light-weight up corners properly.

The Kiger’s AC carried out properly, particularly throughout the heatwave earlier this 12 months. The cabin does take a tad longer to chill at first, nevertheless it maintains the temperature all through your commute. The Kiger’s infotainment system did, nonetheless, give us an overheat warning fairly just a few instances. That mentioned, it connects swiftly and seamlessly with wi-fi Android Auto.

Handbrake positioned subsequent to the entrance passenger as an alternative of the driving force.

Very similar to its sister automotive, the Nissan Magnite, which lately bought a facelift, the Kiger is due for one quickly. After driving the SUV for a substantial period of time, listed here are my strategies for the replace. First up, Renault ought to add a sunroof, atleast on the upper variants. Whereas not a necessity, it’s an vital feel-good characteristic, going by present market developments. The inside upholstery or trim items might be lighter to brighten up the cabin, very like what was executed with the Magnite. The much-loved CVT expertise could be enhanced by addition of paddle shifters, no less than for the upper variants. Lastly, Renault may additionally add cooled seats on the Kiger.

In its time with me, I had passengers of all age teams, each household and mates, who skilled the Kiger, they usually all had good issues to say. My expertise with the SUV has been good, too, and it’s a automotive that I might absolutely advocate for a purchaser who needs a snug and spacious metropolis commuter.