Renault Kiger (Nissan Magnite-rival) Detailed in TVC, Launch in March

Renault has finally unveiled the new Kiger compact SUV globally ahead of its official launch in March 2021. Renault says that it will be priced aggressively upon its launch with buyers eagerly waiting for it. Given that its sibling the Nissan Magnite was launched at an introductory price tag of Rs 4.99 lakh, the Kiger could be launched with this very price which will make it the cheapest compact SUV as prices for the Magnite has increased to Rs 5.49 lakh, ex-showroom. Upon launch, the Kiger will compete against the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Maruti Vitara Brezza, and the Toyota Urban Cruiser in a crowded segment.

In the official TVC for the Renault Kiger, we can see it bears a strong resemblance to the Kwid. The Kiger is based on the CMF-A+ platform co-developed by Renault and Nissan. On the exterior, it gets features like split LED headlamps, new grille design, chunky bumper, roof rails, a roof-mounted spoiler, C shaped LED taillights and skid plates. Squared off wheel arches are filled in by 16-inch geometric design alloy wheels.

Over to the interior, the Renault Kiger’s top-trim will comes with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with integrated Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and voice command support. There’s an Arkamys audio system with 4 speakers and 4 tweeters while other features like climate control, ambient lighting, push-button start/stop, and keyless entry will be available as well. An air purifier will be available as an optional extra also.

The Renault Kiger will share powertrain options with the Nissan Magnite which means it will launch with two petrol engine options. The first one is a 1.0 litre 3-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol which makes 81 PS/96 Nm of peak power and torque figures and is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The other choice is a 1.0 litre 3-pot turbo-petrol makes figures of 100PS/160 Nm with the 5-speed manual and 100 PS/152 Nm when paired to the CVT auto.

The compact SUV segment is currently one of the fastest-growing and most competitive segments in the Indian auto market. The Kiger will be the latest one to join the segment, and it will be interesting to see how it fares over the long run.