Renault’s Kiger is a style and trim trendsetter

The Renault Kiger is one of the most popular small crossovers currently on the market. So much so, Tangawizi Motors cannot keep up with demand. There’s actually a waiting list of eager Kiger buyers who don’t want anything else but this snazzy car.

And the new French crossover is quite affordable too, with the range starting at R199 900 and topping out at R289 900.

Autodealer tested the Kiger Intense 1.0L Turbo which is priced at R269 900, to find out if all the over this crossover is warranted.

Bold design

There’s no question the Renault Kiger looks smart and modern because, no matter from which angle you look at the car, it makes one’s eyes happy.

Its sleek headlamps, bold grille and triad of fog lights on each side of the bulky bumper are really a fresh approach as far as crossover styling goes.

The polished alloy wheels are also of a unique design and round off this youthful, exciting package just perfectly.

Next to the Kiger, direct rivals such as the Toyota Urban Cruiser and Opel Crossland look outdated.

Inside the Kiger, Renault did just as good a job with many different materials and interesting textures used to spice up the blackon-black colour scheme.

The seats sport cross-stitched panels and the dash - and even the door panels - are made up from different types of plastics, each with a unique look.

There’s also plenty of storage spaces right through the cabin for stashing phones, keys, bottles and so on.

But take note; the Kiger is a compact crossover and therefore not big on space.

There is no room for a footrest beside the clutch pedal and be prepared to rub shoulders if your passengers are heavyweights.

Smart features

The Kiger Intense 1.0L Turbo on review here sits just below the range topper in the sixmodel range.

Intense trim means the crossover comes standard with wireless smartphone replication for Apple CarPlay, as well as Android Auto, an eight-inch colour display in the centre console, reverse camera, seven-inch digital instrument cluster with multiple skins (changeable look), a ‘3D Auditorium’ sound system, smart cardlike key fob, automatic air-conditioning and a push button for start and stop.

Renault also equipped the Kiger with enough safety features to avoid a repeat of the Kwid incident with dual front airbags, side airbags, ABS brakes, electronic brake force distribution plus stability control.

Plucky performance

Renault offers the Kiger with two engines: a 1.0-litre without a turbo making 52kW and 96Nm, and a turbo-charged 1.0-litre which churns out a much improved 74kW and 160Nm.

It’s the latter Autodealer found in the Kiger Intense 1.0L Turbo, coupled to a five-speed manual transmission (the range topper has a CVT box).

It’s a busy engine which likes revs and rewards the driver with bursts of speed in an urban setting.

While not making for the smoothest pullaway, it’s fun to drive and able to keep up with traffic quite easily.

The five-speed transmission doesn’t ask for a lot of stirring, even in town, but first gear is a bit slow to react, until the turbo starts spinning.

The Kiger also sports three driving modes which are selected via a dial in the centre console – Normal, Eco and Sport.

But in a car with a manual transmission as reviewed here, the effects of changes in the electronic mapping are not so discernible because the driver is very much in control of the vehicle’s hardware.

Autodealer will also test the Kiger with CVT transmission as soon as Tangawizi Motors has a demo vehicle available.

Verdict

The package is hard to fault, especially in this class and price bracket.

There’s nothing out there able to match the Kiger’s style, inside and out, except maybe the Nissan Magnite which, of course, is closely related to the Renault.

It’s well kitted out with safety and convenience features and the performance from the 74kw 1.0-litre turbo engine is commendable.

But be prepared to make some sacrifices in the space department.

It's big on style and technology but not on passenger and luggage space.