This is where the Renault-Nissan alliance shines the brightest. The CVT and 1.0 L Turbo-Petrol are supplied by Nissan and as such have about 100 hp and 152 nm of torque, 160 nm if you go for the manual.

Our trim came the Xtrac CVT, which felt and was miles ahead of the 6-speed Torque Converter in 3XO but a bit behind DCT in Sonet, the latter is 3 lakhs more though! The engine has a decent middle range from about 2500 to 4000 rpm and pulls nicely to about 120 kmph and stops equally adequately despite having drums in the rear.

During a spirited kickdown we noticed a bit of lag in an otherwise buttery smooth transmission. There are ECO and Sport Modes and during our time we managed a 17 kmpl driving at about 70-80 KMPH in ECO mode, while the figure dropped to 11 kmpl in city, again in Sport Mode.

Ride and Handling

Just like its cousin Magnite, the Kiger has a sporty and mildly firm suspension that plays a big part in its excellent highway stability. NVH is present mainly from the 3 cylinder in moderation (still better than Tata engine) and occasional bad bumps and potholes, but the ride remains composed. 

A minor quirk we noticed, which Kiger shares with Maruti Ignis of all cars, is that the steering does not come back to its place when you make a tight turn in dense traffic and places. It's somewhat unnatural and may catch you off guard until you muscle memory adapts.

Clean, simple and ergonomic. These three words are something that every member of our team had uttered at least once during our week-long time with France’s finest. 

On closer inspection, eye sores like visible brake pedal bolts, visible car body through seat belt holds, and chunky A-pillars are noticeable. But when you consider the starting price of Turbo Kiger at just 9.8 lakhs, things become much more palatable. This undercuts Mahindra 3XO turbo and Venue Turbo by a massive 2-3 lakhs! You get a lot for that amount of money.

We miss a lack of vibrant interior color options ( Magnite comes with snazzy orange interior), and hate over-abundance of black plastics, though the latter is common with every one of Kiger’s sub 4 meter rivals.

Throughout our journey from Terrace Garden in Chandigarh to our head office in Udyog Vihar, we had to stop 4-5 times for snacks and petrol. Every single time we regretted the Kiger’s supremely infuriating seat buckle and hand brake placement. One is too close to you and the other is too far.

Our model came with a very nice gauge cluster and Arkamis 3D sound system which was decent but had nothing 3D about it. Our Kiger RXT also came with Smart + Pack which had front parking sensors, wireless charging, and air purifier. 

The lattermost was greatly appreciated as AQI outside crossed 280 on occasions. We did miss the more robust 360-degree camera and the sunroof which are not even an option!

Renault is a master in creating purposeful space out of thin air and the Kiger is no exception. It has pretty comfortable back seats as witnessed by my peer Anshuman who is like 6 Ft+. 

The Kiger’s styling is very posh in a tasteful way. The front is pretty sleek and restrained in a way that is both refreshing and European like. Renault has done a good job hiding Nissan underpinnings both inside and out with their special touches like dual tone red and black paint tri-LED DRLs, C-shaped rear lamps, and power lines on the hood, which add an authoritative touch.

The dual tone paints are available from the RXT variant upwards, while the Radiant red paint is only reserved for the top two trims. You also get R16 Diamond cut alloys as standard with 205 mm of ground clearance.

This is where we had to scratch our heads a bit. The Kiger comes with only 4 airbags and six are available from RXT trim onwards. 

Most of its rivals like 3X0 and Hyundai Venue come with 6 airbags as standard, even its cousin Magnite comes with 6 airbags! 

As standard, you do get rear parking sensors and a 4 star GNCAP rating which is better than nothing.

The boot space is humongous at 405 liters and goes to 879 liters + with seats folded, as per Nissan. We had 4 large VIP trolley cases that fit in with no problem. 

The Renault Kiger steps into a packed sub-4m SUV arena, and we’ve lined up its toughest rivals, now with a CNG option.

The Nissan Magnite is its near-twin, sharing a 1.0L turbo (100 PS, 160 Nm) and NA petrol (72 PS, 96 Nm), but the Kiger edges it with CNG and a 405-litre boot versus 336 litres, though Magnite’s sharper styling might sway some.

The Tata Punch flexes a 1.2L petrol (88 PS, 115 Nm) or CNG (73 PS, 103 Nm), a 5-star GNCAP rating, and 366-litre boot, but doesn’t match the Kiger’s feature spread like wireless charging.

The Maruti Suzuki Brezza brings a 1.5L petrol (103 PS, 137 Nm) or CNG (88 PS, 122 Nm), six airbags standard, and a vast service network, though its 328-litre boot cedes ground to the Kiger’s value.

The Hyundai Venue offers a 1.0L turbo (120 PS, 172 Nm) or 1.5L diesel (116 PS, 250 Nm), Level 2 ADAS, and a slick DCT, but its 350-litre boot and 3-star safety don’t top the Kiger’s 4-star GNCAP edge.

The Kia Sonet mirrors Venue’s engines with ventilated seats and a 385-litre boot.

Kiger is dripping with suave styling and has a better dealership network than Nissan offering true VFM proposal. Its gargantuan boot space and the industry best CVT is tuned very well, although you might need to make peace with bland interior, and minimal feature set.