2022 Renault Kiger First Drive Review

New for 2022, the Kiger now gets styling enhancements, an updated feature list, an added variant, and a new milestone to celebrate. You see the Kiger has been around for a little over a year now, and it has already crossed the 50,000 production milestone at their Chennai facility. And to celebrate this milestone, we have with us the MY2022 Renault Kiger. Read on as we tell you everything that's new in the MY2022 Kiger.

Part of the update is the new Metal Mustard exterior paint with a blacked-out roof. And for this 50,000 units production milestone, Renault has also introduced a handsome-looking Stealth Black paint scheme. There’s also a new chrome-finished tailgate insert and stylish-looking skid plate at the front and the subtle yet intriguing Turbo decal on the side. Also, the diamond-cut alloy wheels now have red finished hub caps making them stand out.

Getting inside, the refreshed Kiger flaunts the new red accents running across the dashboard, providing a nice flavour to the all-black cabin. Apart from that, the MY2022 Kiger also has this quilted emboss finishing on the seats. Adding to the sportiness are contrast red stitches on the seats, around the gear lever, and on the steering wheel. Also part of the update is a wireless charger placed down the centre console. It also gets cruise control now. Moreover, the updated Kiger comes with a PM2.5 air filter as standard across the range.

The Kiger continues to offer clever storage options all around the cabin – 29 litre, to be exact. Even the boot capacity of 405 litre is best-in-segment, and it can be extended up to 879 litre by folding down the 60:40 split rear seats. Then, the all-digital driver’s display is configurable depending on the driving mode you are in. In the Eco, you get a green screen, in Normal it is blue, and in Sport mode, it’s red with more information on display, like bhp and Nm bars, and a G-metre as well.

As for the seats, they are fairly comfortable with good bolster support and you get height adjustment as well. Even space at the back is more than ample for two. It has sufficient leg room with a seating position set for my height, it's big on headroom as well, thanks to the tall roof and the flat floor further helps passengers in sitting quite comfortably.

What we have here is the top-spec, loaded to the gills, RXZ version. You get all the modern-day useful features that you’d expect from this segment. This includes LED DRLs and headlamps, LED tail lights, a stylish roof-mounted spoiler, 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, functional roof rails, blacked-out door handles, and a shark-fin antenna.

Inside the chrome and piano-black finished cabin, you get a leather-wrapped steering wheel, contrast red stitches on upholstery, cruise control, wireless charger, a digital driver’s display with drive mode skins, 3D surround Arkamys sound system with six speakers, automatic AC, rear defogger, electric folding ORVMs, dual glove box with the lower one being a cooled glove box, ambient lighting, rear AC vents, steering mounted controls, height adjustable driver’s seat, rear wipers, push-button start with smartcard key, rear armrest with cup holders, and split seats. You also get an eight-inch floating touchscreen with USB connectivity and a rearview camera.

As for safety, there are four airbags in the RXZ trim with dual front airbags as standard. Then, there are rear parking sensors, ABS with EBD, speed-sensing door locks, and ISOFIX as well. And if you are wondering, the Renault Kiger has already bagged four stars in the Global NCAP crash tests.

The updated Kiger continues to be offered with two engine options. The 1.0-litre non-turbo version makes 71bhp and 96Nm. It's either available with a five-speed manual or an AMT. What we are driving is the 1.0-litre turbocharged engine which has an output of 99bhp. It’s available with a manual which has 160Nm, while the automatic is a CVT with a torque figure of 152Nm.

No changes have been made to the engine or gearbox for this update. So, the three-cylinder engine in the Kiger continues to feel refined, sans those irksome vibrations associated with a three-pot engine. The power delivery is smooth and predictable, even the turbo lag is nicely compensated by the refined and user-friendly CVT transmission. No to mention, the bothersome rubber band effect of the usual CVT is fairly absent here.

You also get three driving modes, where the performance is subdued to extract more fuel efficiency in the Eco mode. Meanwhile, throttle response is slightly sharper in Sport. Hence, Normal mode would do just fine for your everyday need. No changes to steering and suspension either, so the Kiger is still one happy runabout, be it in the city, or out on the highway.

With this update, the new 2022 Kiger has refreshed its appeal by offering more in an already well-rounded package. It looks handsome, has loads of features, is safe and equally good to drive with multiple powertrain choices. And it’s even priced competitively than other sub-four metre SUVs. Pricing for the MY22 Kiger now starts at Rs 5.99 lakh and goes all the way up to Rs 10.62 lakh (all prices ex-showroom).

Photography – Kaustubh Gandhi