[redbaron91]

Renault Kiger CVT had a silent launch in the market somewhere around May 2021. Till now, there isn't much content about CVT specific model of Kiger & I thought to pen down my experiences with the brand new car.

I would be touching upon the differentiating topics, felt while using the CVT variant. The rest of the topics are all covered in the review of manuals and it behaves the same with the CVT variant as well.

My parents were using the first generation MS Swift DZire Vxi model for over nine years. It served them well during its time with ample space and ease of driving. Over the nine years, the car clocked just above 35,000 Kms and it was well maintained by all of us at home.

Due to the age factor (of both the car and the user), my parents decided to replace it with a brand new car. Their only conditions were to have an automatic variant for better convenience while driving and preferably a full option model.
We considered models like Nexon AMT, i20 iMT, Magnite CVT and the Koren CSUV siblings. My father's heart was fixated on the CSUV segment as he also opinionated it as the segment seeing a lot of new launches and even more buyers. Korean siblings and Tata was out of contention quickly after they did the test drive and had a detailed walk around.

Magnite CVT was a surprise package as it was ticking most of their checklist and when we enquired about the delivery time, a disappointing timeline of over 3 months was given.
During the same time, with the help of industry contacts, I came to know Renault entered into the SOP of the CVT model during mid of April '21.
We had a quick visit to the Renault showroom and were offered the test drive of a Kiger RXZ manual version. All of us were immediately sold out to the brand new model in the market and RXZ trim with all bells and whistles thoroughly impressed my parents.

That's how we ended up booking a CVT version of the same model and the dealership confirmed delivery within 2 to 3 weeks time.

Details of booking:
Variant - RXZ CVT Dual Tone
Price details - Ex-Showroom - 9,78,500
OTR (Kerala) - 11,08,784 (excluding insurance & additional accessories)

Optional accessories like full floor mating, front parking sensors, wing deflector for doors were chosen as per the accessories list shared by the dealer. After a 2 weeks delay due to lockdown at my place, the vehicle was finally delivered on 31st-May.

We regret the decision to opt for the front parking sensor as it led to a serious battery drain issue right after 2 days of delivery. That was a horrible ordeal to go through with a brand new car and finally, the Renault team accepted the wrongdoing in using the non-genuine accessory front parking sensor supplied by the dealership to be the root cause of the battery drain issue.

What I like about this car :

• Stylish from all angles and looks good on the road. Just not a Kwid with muscles.

• Pleasant cabin with a tad bit of sophistication.

• Ample boot space of around 400L.

• Different modes of driving and makes a noticeable difference in each mode.

• Adequate travel for seat adjustments, make it suitable to find the right position.

• Nicely done central console, in piano black with tambour shut doors and armrest.

• Surprisingly nice CVT gearbox. Minimal rubber band effect and quick shifts.

• Digital cluster, with well laid out information.

What I don't like about this car :

• There is still scope for improvements in ergonomics!! The power window switches are awkwardly kept a little backwards on the door pads, so that one has to literally break the wrist to reach the switches.

• Too much wind noise above 80 Kmph, noticed during highway drives.

• Boot with very high loading lip.

• Though it is equipped with LED lights, the throw is not great and the right side has a shadow spot while using both low and high beams.

• I would have personally loved a paddle shifter in this car.

The huge vertical Renault logo dominates a very busy front.


The C-shaped rear lamps & well crafted rear portion




The camera is tucked in between the Renault logo


Wide opening doors, ensure effortless ingress & egress


195/R16 rubber with diamond cut alloys


Door pad with front speakers. Comes with soft material over the elbow area. White illumination is provided on the backside of the hand grab, as a part of the ambient lighting system in RXZ variant.


Chunky steering wheel with audio controls and buttons to navigate through the digital cluster. The white stitching could have been of better quality. And, the horn sounds horrible and pale.


Headunit and auto-AC functions. Two empty buttons are available above the HVAC controls. I Hope Renault includes switchable traction or ESP in the facelift.



Neatly laid out centre console finished in piano black. Ample storage is provided beneath the tambour shutter and the armrest (non-adjustable)
Another ergonomic issue noted here, the seat belt buckle holder is tucked in deep between the centre console trim and the seat. Always, finding it touch to buckle up


Fully digital cluster, with three different modes. Each mode has its own set of information displayed. For example, power, torque and G-force are shown while on sports mode.


The usual dual glove box of Renault. Provides a good amount of storage space altogether.


Seats are a little firm and notice the thickness. Another interesting design element is the presence of the Renault logo embedded on the seat covers, as well on the door trims.


Spare with 185/R15 and steel wheel. Clearly mentioned for temporary usage, with speed limited to 80kmph. Notice the shoddy paint job


The Hood comes with insulation and the washer fluid tank is kept closer to the windshield.
The layout of the engine bay is very similar to that of its sibling, Magnite.


A white coloured felt material is kept on top of the wheel cladding, as seen from the engine bay.
Certain BiW elements inside the hood look like thin sheet metal!!


Engine, gearbox and the drive modes

Kiger CVT is equipped with a meagre 3 pot, 1L unit, but it sure makes up for it with the turbo. Producing close to 100 PS and 150 Nm, which is lesser than other models in the segment, it has still got enough punch to satisfy most drivers.

During start-up, there is a bit of vibration from the three-pot unit and it creeps in a tab bit inside the cabin too. Faintly noticeable on the gear knob and steering wheel. But, once the engine is settled, it is much better, with nothing noticeable at normal revving limits.

On the move, I am quite content with this CVT performance. I felt a huge difference while driving the Kiger when compared to other CVTs like in Jazz. There isn't any annoying delay between the press of the throttle and the car speeding up, especially under the 4,000 rpm limit.
Beyond that limit, there is some hesitation and jerk, while coming down the gears. So, in more ideal scenarios of driving under city conditions and relaxed driving, it is a very smooth and comfortable drive.
Just like in Honda Jazz, I would personally prefer paddle shifters here, in scenarios where one can take the control of gear shift, and have more engaging drive.

It may not be a segment-first feature, but the drive modes come with a noticeable degree of differentiation between Eco, Normal and Sport modes on offer.
The gear shift points are different in each mode. In Eco mode, the rpm always tries to be within a range, as shown in the cluster. Oddly, the revv counter is not numbered in eco mode. It really feels very lethargic and even if you put the peddle to the metal, it takes things slowly. Quite obvious, as it emphasises maximum fuel efficiency.

In normal mode, it finds a nice balance between efficiency and driveability. The real surprise comes in sports mode, as the steering gets noticeably tighter and adds an overall eagerness to the throttle. The throttle response is quick enough to feel a difference from normal mode.

Unlike few other brands, Renault doesn't delete any features on RXZ variant to keep the price in check.
This means, there is a good mix of creature comforts, along with the CVT RXZ variant.

Due to the battery drain issue which took nearly 6 weeks to sort out and frequent visits to the dealership, the first service was completed just after completing 600 Kms on odo. Renault offered us a three-year service package free of cost due to the mess up by the dealership.

Now, I hope they do the service properly and will not cut corners while doing the same.

[r-a-s]

Renault gifts Kiger to Olympians Lovlina Borgohain, Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Bajrang Punia.

[balmeter]

Did I miss the news or was it given far lesser coverage by the media? All I remember was seeing news on Tata Altroz being gifted to the Indian Olympians. Anyway, this is such a great gesture by Renault.

[silverbyte]

hey guys, so the Kiger got launched in Indonesia yesterday.

It seems it comes with Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control and Vehicle Dynamic Control there. Check out the video (audio is in Indonesian, but text is English)

So its only in India that all these features wont be there ? As expected if the NCAP rating is 4 star...that means it is with all these features. Not the Indian variant right ?

https://youtu.be/dFhSLqHODEE?t=2203

[ant_vas]

wont there be an official review of Kiger CVT by Team-bhp?

[swoosh]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Renault Kiger Global NCAP safety ratings to be out soon.



Global NCAP has crash-tested the Renault Kiger and will soon release its safety rating.

Does anyone know when Kiger GNCAP result will be released? It's been more than two months since it was tested but couldn't find any news about it.

[silverbyte]

Originally Posted by swoosh

Does anyone know when Kiger GNCAP result will be released? It's been more than two months since it was tested but couldn't find any news about it.

i think they were waiting for the indonesia launch. the indonesian kiger comes with ESC , traction control, dynamic control, etc which is what was tested i guess.

[matizcrazy]

Going for a test drive on Friday for the turbo CVT. I have driven the Magnite and found it excellent; very smooth CVT and punchy engine.
Hope the Kiger is even better than the Magnite.

[jackerhack]

After my earlier post on Kiger variants, I settled on the RXZ CVT and it was delivered last week. My experience matches that of redbaron91. There are three primary annoyances:

1. Driver seatbelt is hard to put on,
2. LED headlights are not great, with a prominent blind spot on the right side, and
3. Wireless Android Auto keeps disconnecting, but it's unclear if it's the car or the phone that is the cause, as it's not a consistent problem.

Beyond these, I'm fairly pleased with the car. I was apprehensive about missing the control of manual gearing, but was pleasantly surprised on a long drive out of Bangalore and back. Eco mode was nice for both stop-and-go city traffic and for winding country roads. Normal mode has enough oomph to overtake trucks on narrower highways. Sport mode makes the car twitchy and seems suited for those who like playing traffic tetris.

With about 200 km on the odo (20 at delivery) I now have an average mileage of 14.5 kmpl.

Curiously, the car was delivered with Trip A and Trip B counters half a kilometre ahead of the odometer itself. The console showed average mileage of <5 kmpl, but rose quickly to 14.5 after I reset it.

[Sirvoicar]

Originally Posted by jackerhack

3. Wireless Android Auto keeps disconnecting, but it's unclear if it's the car or the phone that is the cause, as it's not a consistent problem.

I had to do some research on this issue myself as the Renault tech team had not encountered the problem. They sell fewer top models which have the wireless feature. This is an Android Auto (Google) problem. At the moment wireless Android Auto only works on any phone running Android 11 or newer with 5GHz Wi-Fi built-in.

[jackerhack]

Originally Posted by Sirvoicar

At the moment wireless Android Auto only works on any phone running Android 11 or newer with 5GHz Wi-Fi built-in.

Thanks. My phone is a OnePlus 9 Pro, which should qualify. I drove for another hour last night and did not have the disconnection problem. Same occupants, same phones, and phones not rebooted.

During the earlier ride, we plugged an older OnePlus 5T (on Android 10) into the car port, which kept giving us USB disconnected errors, so we quickly moved that to a 12V port. The wireless disconnection problem (with my OP9) remained for the rest of that ride, but not for the return ride several hours later. I guess it may have been a trigger incident, and the car needed to power down to reset.

Seperately, my trip meter is now several kilometres ahead of the odometer. It was only ½km above at delivery time.

[Sirvoicar]

Originally Posted by jackerhack

The wireless disconnection problem (with my OP9) remained for the rest of that ride, but not for the return ride several hours later. I guess it may have been a trigger incident, and the car needed to power down to reset.

I suppose your issues are sorted out now. Effective flawless wireless working also depends on a good internet signal. I suggest, when you next take your car for service, get the Display software reinstalled. Also check with the SA if the latest version is installed in your car.

Originally Posted by jackerhack

my trip meter is now several kilometres ahead of the odometer. It was only ½km above at delivery time.

This is strange speak to the Tech head. There is one person fully trained in each city at the moment.

I have also indicated software bugs in the car. They are working on it, not yet responded.

Like, When you shut the engine. The Car Radio and phone shuts down within 2-3 minutes. This is irritating when you have not completed the call. The windows still have power, so you can operate them. But the ORVM cannot be folded as they become inactive as soon as you shut the engine.

[youngknight]

Originally Posted by redbaron91

Optional accessories like full floor mating, front parking sensors, wing deflector for doors were chosen as per the accessories list shared by the dealer. After a 2 weeks delay due to lockdown at my place, the vehicle was finally delivered on 31st-May.

We regret the decision to opt for the front parking sensor as it led to a serious battery drain issue right after 2 days of delivery. That was a horrible ordeal to go through with a brand new car and finally, the Renault team accepted the wrongdoing in using the non-genuine accessory front parking sensor supplied by the dealership to be the root cause of the battery drain issue.


What I don't like about this car :

• Though it is equipped with LED lights, the throw is not great and the right side has a shadow spot while using both low and high beams.

I recently booked a Kiger RXZ CVT and was opting for the front parking sensors. Do you think I should go ahead with it or skip it? Also, there's so many accessories and since it's my first car, I am really confused with what to get.

About the lights, is there anything we can do to improve the headlight throw?

[jackerhack]

Originally Posted by youngknight

I recently booked a Kiger RXZ CVT and was opting for the front parking sensors. Do you think I should go ahead with it or skip it? Also, there's so many accessories and since it's my first car, I am really confused with what to get.

I opted for the front parking sensor as well. It was not in stock, so they've given me a promissory note to fit it later, possibly at first service.

I didn't take any other accessories beyond the showroom-recommended essential pack, from which I removed pillows and parking cover. However, after a couple weeks of dark and rainy evenings, the trunk lights and puddle lights seem like a good idea.

Wireless Android Auto continues to be unreliable. I have to reboot the phone nearly every time.

[silverbyte]

Kiger in indonesia comes in black color as well! https://www.renault.co.id/CountriesD...-sept-2021.pdf