Sacre bleu, the Kiger is actually good

Later today, the Indian Car Of The Year (ICOTY) jury will announce the ICOTY for 2021. There are some very strong contenders this year and with the diverse jury, of which I am a member, will take a measured decision about which car will win. It will be a close contest I am sure. But I recently drove a car which is already a strong contender for next year’s award, the Renault Kiger.

Despite recent events in Japan, the arrest and subsequent epic escape of Carlos Ghosn —  which have shaken the Renault-Nissan alliance to its core, the two companies continue to work together in India. They share a large manufacturing facility South of Chennai and also share several vehicle platforms. The latest shared platform is the CMF-A modular platform, that allow for vehicles of different purposes to be built sharing common mechanicals. The first car from this was 2019’s Renault Triber, which was quite a good car. Now the Nissan Magnite and the Renault Kiger go head-to-head in the rather unique to India, ‘subcompact’ Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) or what some describe as the ‘beefed up’ hatchback segment.

I’ll get to the battle between the Magnite and the Kiger soon, but first a bit about Renault. The French carmaker has been moderately successful in India. They came into the market with their eyes open, realised that India was a price-sensitive market and entered with the Duster, a built-to-a-price vehicle from Renault’s Dacia stable in Romania. As we all know, the Duster was a hit. Yes, Renault’s alliance with Mahindra was an ill-fated one which likely hit the success of the Logan sedan, but so did India’s bizarre four-metre rule for cars. The Fluence and the Kaptur were commercial failures, possibly because Renault India did not have the pricing power that management thought they did, but conversely that is why the Kwid was a hit. Renault is clearly viewed as a value-for-money carmaker that doesn’t make bad cars.

Honestly, the Kiger is a good car for the money that you are paying for it. Prices start at `5.45 lakh for the base model with the 72PS naturally-aspirated engine. The RXZ variant powered by the 100PS turbocharged engine that I was driving had an ex-showroom price of `8.55 lakh and had been specified with features like a wireless charger and a two-tone colour scheme which would have brought up the price a bit, but even at eight and a half lakh, you are flabbergasted at just how good the value on the car is.

Let me get one thing straight up front, is this the best car in its class? No, it is not as nice inside and to drive as the Korean twins, the Sonet and Venue. The handling is not as sharp and while this turbo-engine responds faster and sounds smoother than what you experience on its rivals, the overall ride comfort, handling and interiors, particularly the quality of the seats and plastics are better on the Korean cars. That said, you will be paying almost two lakh more for a properly specified variant compared to this manual turbo Kiger. And it isn’t as if you don’t get some nice features, you can specify wireless charging as an accessory which allows for wireless smartphone integration. The Renault infotainment operating system feels simpler than those on its rivals, but its simplicity means it is easier to navigate. The seven-inch digital display for the instrument cluster is well laid out and can be changed depending on which of the three drive modes (Eco, Urban or Sport) you select. Sport mode does really does sharpen the engine and on the narrow winding roads of Goa’s interiors, if you are willing to deal with some slight floatiness when you corner hand. My biggest gripe about the Kiger was actually the stitching on the steering wheel that isn’t flush and when your hands need to move about a bit can be irritating.

Between the Magnite and the Kiger then, which one should you choose? Keep in mind that these two cars have far more in common than the Sonet and Venue, not least because unlike Kia and Hyundai they have their own separate factories. While the Sonet and Venue as well as the Creta and Seltos are built on the same platform, the vehicles don’t only look very different, they have noticeable differences in the way that they drive and handle. The Kiger and Magnite are built on the same production line by the same assembly workers and honestly, I would probably be nitpicking if I really wanted to find ride and handling differences.

The main differences are in the looks and interiors. Now, I heard a comment that called the Kiger ‘a Kwid on steroids’ but, that said, I actually like the Kwid’s looks particularly after the refresh. Personally, I think the Renault looks smarter because while the Magnite is not bad-looking, I really do not like the grille. But aesthetics are a personal choice. But, I do prefer the interiors of the Kiger, things feel a bit better laid out, and while the interiors are similar to the Triber, the Triber does have a nice passenger cabin. So, for me, it would be the Kiger, but things are marginal here as well, you are more than welcome to disagree with me on this.

But the biggest difference is between the two brands, as I wrote earlier, Renault is well-established. The Duster, Kwid and Triber have all done relatively well in the Indian market, there is a trust about the brand, you know that the product will be good and sales and service should not be worries. Nissan has not had that success over the years, and while the new management of the company is trying to make a difference, in the short run, I’m pretty sure the Kiger will outsell the Magnite even though both cars pretty much cost the same.