Renault Kiger CVT long-term review with pros & cons: Worth every penny

Its CVT is way better than the Nissan Magnite and Amaze and is comparable to Honda City.

BHPian Refan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Long-term review of my 2023 Renault Kiger CVT

I have completed 12000 km with my car. I have completed 2 services - a free one and a paid first service and would like to share the pros and cons I have faced.

Pros

Engine and transmission

• Over time the vibrations reduced. It may be due to the service or the running of the engine. But there are very less vibrations inside the cabin than in the beginning.
• The turbo engine which was one of the highlights still continues to impress. Overtaking is pain-free and a little push on the throttle would give you abundant power. The smoothness of the ride increases rapidly as the speed increases.
• The CVT gearbox does a very good job and the gear shifting is smooth. The much-talked-about rubber band effect is literally absent unless you hard-throttle it. Turbo lag is also minimal and not noticeable. I have driven Amaze CVT, Magnite CVT, City CVT but Kiger's CVT is way ahead of the Magnite and Amaze and is comparable to Honda City.
• You can literally feel the infamous rubber band effect and initial lag in both Amaze and Magnite but Renault has done a phenomenal job here. Though the Jacto CVT gearbox belongs to Nissan, here Renault has done a neat job of tuning it based on their engine and ensured one of the best engine-gearbox combos in the segment.

Ride handling and seating position

• Over the run, the suspension has improved. It continues to handle well the potholes and the highways and city roads are handled with ease. Even on the bad roads, the suspension does very good work but the poor cabin insulation gives us a feel like it's not doing its work. But in reality, the suspension does its job very well, it may not be comparable with Duster but it still matches and gives a tough fight to its sub 4m premium competitors.
• Even after long rides, you don't feel tired thanks to its well-tuned suspension. The hard suspension also minimises the body roll effect and is stable at corners and also at high speeds.
• We can travel with 5 people since the rear seats are flat without any hump. For 4 people, it would be comfortable and for the 5th person, if he/she is lean it would be easier else, it would be a compromise on comfort.
• Seating position is one of the best in this segment. I was able to relate how comfortable the seat positioning in Kiger with respect to the road when I drove the Magnite, Sonet, Brezza and Fronx. All of them have seat adjustments but Kiger gives you one of the best in its segment with respect to seat positioning.

Driving modes

You never feel bored while driving the Kiger for a longer duration due to the presence of driving modes.

• Whenever you feel bored just turn to Sport mode, it gives you so much power instantly that you feel like driving a sports car, the heaviness of steering in the sports mode also gives you that feel. The car feels so enthusiastic and is eager to move ahead even with little throttle input.
• If you plan to drive sedately on highways then turning on cruise control and eco mode would be a good combination. The eco significantly helps in improving fuel efficiency as well.
• Normal mode has the right balance and is the go-to mode by default. It can handle both high throttle and sedate driving.

Storage and spaces

• Whenever you have a family outing you feel you made the right choice in choosing Kiger over the other sub 4m competitors. There are plenty of spaces inside the cabin. You can have water bottles and little things in all 4 doors, you have a cooled glove box, a regular storage box, storage near the gear lever and at last, the big 405L boot. Kiger may lack in a few areas with respect to its competition but when it comes to storage and space utilisation this is the best in its segment.

Infotainment

• I have not faced any issues so far in wireless Apple and Android Auto. The touch response is good and is quick to connect. I would rate it high because even some premium cars are not offering wireless Android/Apple and some cars which have them have plenty of issues with respect to connectivity and touch sensitivity.
• The speakers and surround system from Arkymys are decent. The bass and woofer effect are decent enough. It may not be sounding premium but it's definitely sounding well above standard.

Air conditioning

• The AC has been good in my car. It cools pretty quickly. Even on hot days when the temperature crossed 100F, AC handled it pretty well. But similar to Tata/Hyundai/Kia if there was an option to express cool the cabin quickly it would have been useful.

Others

• The ingress and egress is very good in the Kiger and it is very useful, especially for old people. The height is optimum and makes entry/exit convenient for old people and people having knee issues.
• Center locking and Auto locking has worked very well and no issues so far. The TFT instrument cluster is also good and the graphics and information are well-maintained.
• The Hill Hold Assist and ESC are very useful features which are noticeable and work pretty well in Kiger.
• The brake noises have come down and there is no scratchy sound while applying the brake.
• The service center is also good in my city. They patiently listened to the problems and addressed most of them. They proactively suggest a few changes.

Cons

Interior

• There are hard plastics throughout which produce quirky sounds. Also, the plastics are easily prone to scratches. Also, the full black interiors give you a feel of substandard or makeshift parts being used. Renault definitely is way behind the competition when it comes to the interiors. They should have at least made some dual-tone interior colors for higher variants.

Fuel efficiency

• This is one of the major complaints for me. On highways, the max I get is around 15kmpl. On average it would oscillate between 13.5 to 14.5 kmpl with AC at 24 and a minimum of 2 people onboard at speeds between 90 to 120. Even with a light foot and speed maintained between 80 to 90 and the use of eco mode the max I got was 15.7 kmpl on highways.
• The city mileage is comparatively better and would return me between 9 kmpl to 11 kmpl which is similar to other brands as well.
• I know turbo engines are quite sensitive to throttle and are performance oriented but on a free road and little load and on a free run one would expect at least around 17.

Cabin insulation

The cabin insulation needs to be better. All the thuds and road noises are brought back into the cabin. The thud sounds would make you feel like the suspension is not working properly but in reality, only noises are transferred but the suspension takes care of the handling well. Interiors are like that due to the budget, we can understand, but sound insulation should have been done well irrespective of the price of the car.

Free advice to Kiger owners - always drive with your music system turned on, and then you will enjoy the ride.

Mixed bag

• Blind spot: There is a blind spot due to the big A-Pillar. This is a problem especially when you take sharp turns. The additional accessories which we took for wind visors complicated the problem further. So while taking sharp turns, need to be extra cautious.
• Headlights: The headlights are fine as long as there are objects to reflect. On a flat road with none in the surroundings, you would feel the high beam is lacking. Even though SC adjusted it, not completely satisfied with the output.

Verdict

Overall drawbacks aside the whole experience of driving/traveling in Kiger is very good and the car is worth every penny. For 12L, it's definitely the most VFM you can get and you would not regret buying it.

Kiger is still one of the best cars around and I would definitely recommend it to my friends and family. The 2024 model gets even more features like auto IRVM, Leatherette seats and auto folding mirrors which would be even more useful.

I stand by the same point as in my initial review - This is the best automatic car you can get at this price point.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.