Our long-term Renault Kiger is now nearing the 12,000km-mark. The SUV came to me when the odometer read 3,000km, and since then, it has been a great daily companion for my work commute. The Kiger has not seen much highway driving, though, as most of my travel involved clocking around 30km in bumper-to-bumper Mumbai traffic.
The CVT automatic gearbox works seamlessly and although it feels a bit slow to move from a standstill, one gentle tap at the accelerator is all it needs for a quick downshift. This, coupled with the 1.0 turbo-petrol engine, helps in effortless overtaking and closing those gaps in traffic. So like many other budget automatics, you don’t need to calculate your overtaking manoeuvre due to slower downshifts or a lack of power. Speaking of power, the 100hp from the engine is ever ready to spool with minimal turbo lag and gives you small bursts of speed when needed, despite it getting noisy when pushed. I don’t mind it though as the city is anyway noisy and I’d rather get to work sooner.
The Kiger’s AC has been working well despite the current unusual heat wave-like conditions in Mumbai. The cabin does take a tad longer to cool, but it maintains the temperature throughout your commute. The Kiger’s infotainment system, however, does not like the Mumbai summers at all. I have received a system overheat warning quite a few times, especially when the temperature outside is over 35-deg C. A quick solution is to switch off the infotainment system to let it cool and then power it on again. The infotainment system, as mentioned in our previous report, connects swiftly with wireless Android Auto and does not disconnect until the vehicle is turned off.
Although there are a few rattles, Kiger’s suspension has been rock solid over bad roads, which are at every nook and corner in Mumbai. The large 16-inch wheel and tyre package coupled with the superb 205mm ground clearance makes driving Kiger on bad roads a worry-free affair. I used the SUV for a couple of airport trips as well and was surprised to see that the boot could fit four small bags easily.
I have a few outstation trips lined up in the coming weeks and will share my experience with Kiger’s cruise control soon.
Sergius Barretto
Rahul Kakar
Gavin DSouza
Shapur Kotwal
Ameya Dandekar
