[wilful]

An update on my Kiger AMT RXZ (the top variant) -

Have run close to 7000 kms in just over a year - mostly city driving with 7 or 8 longer runs
Finished the annual service earlier this month.

I will just put my frowns and smiles for interested folk.

The frowns first -
1. Obviously the slow engine and the lethargic gearbox (in my case I knew what I was letting myself in for and was a willing victim). The gearbox takes a lot of adjusting to (to drive reasonably smoothly) - the trick I have learned, is to drive it like a manual transmission minus the clutch - especially the accelerator at the time of shift. Easier while upshifting - harder to learn while downshifting. Also it helps if you are not impatient with it.
The gearbox also gets confused when it heats up especially if you don't press the brake hard enough or you shift in a jiffy from drive to reverse - can get stuck. I had an issue when I visited Guruvayur a couple of months ago. Was stuck there when it refused to engage despite repeated efforts. Had to leave the car there and get back by cab.
Renault Service however was pretty responsive and when I got the car back the next day, the adviser gave me a few tips how to troubleshoot in such situations.
2. I am not too disappointed at the fit and finish because my expectations were set to an economy car level. Yes there could be some improvements - proper weather stripping, better plastics etc.

The smiles -

1. The vehicle is spacious enough for its size. The driver seating position is good - rear legroom is quite ample.
2. The seats are comfortable - decently bolstered.
3. The climate control is fairly effective (my old Ecosport was better though). No complaints - did a longish drive (180 kms) yesterday and it was very comfortable in spite of the heat and humidity outside.
4. Good boot space - came in handy when my children were here and we went out of town.

On a lighter note - I would be much happier if the car had the performance of a BMW X5, the features of a Merc S Class, the looks of a Porsche Cayenne, the toughness of a Land Rover Defender at the price of my Kiger.
But sadly, wishes are not horses...

[Dushyanth]

Renault Kiger with an AMT? Am I missing something?

[wilful]

Originally Posted by Dushyanth

Renault Kiger with an AMT? Am I missing something?

Yes you are. Kiger comes in 2 automatic avatars. A CVT mated to a 1 litre turbo and AMT mated to a 1 litre NA engine.
Mine is an AMT.

[PradeepVKiger]

So mine is the Renault Kiger RXT AMT variant. The let down in my case is the Wired Android Auto which keeps disconnecting i tried getting this checked with the service center but no help. The AC is another issue which doesn't have desired cooling.

As far as performance i completed quite a few long trips the latest being my trip from Mumbai to Kerala via Goa (NH66). The car completed 10000 KM and gave it for servicing at Kochi Renault.

I am pretty impressed with the cars performance although like mentioned above the gear box is lethargic and u don't get the desired power during over taking, u may want to shift manual. The point i would like to draw your attention is that the car gave an average of 15kmpl overall, this includes the NH66 stretch in Kerala where traffic is a nightmare.

[Mafia]

Originally Posted by AMKAM

From the very first day, I’m experiencing a peculiar fogging issue on the front windshield. This fogging happens only in the mornings (before 8am) and late evening (post 7pm).

This fogging is due to the temperature differential. The windshield is cooler due to air throw and condensation occurs on the outer surface. I just turn on the wiper when this starts to bug me. This is not a brand specific occurrence.

[Gfactor]

Originally Posted by AMKAM

I purchased a new Renault Kiger RXZ CVT and took the delivery on 27Mar2022.
From the very first day, I’m experiencing a peculiar fogging issue on the front windshield. This fogging happens only in the mornings (before 8am) and late evening (post 7pm).

This is common occurrence with all automatic climate control AC change AC from auto to manual mode and turn on the button that makes AC to blow only in the front blowers.

[theabstractmind]

Got to test drive one today - Turbo CVT. It's a very good package overall. Very effortless to drive, could carry good speeds over roads where I would be circumspect in my Ameo. Visibility for driver is very good, power delivery is also excellent. Felt better than Nexon AMT in most aspects and in parts over an Ecosport, with the latter being built better but not as effortless like Kiger. Family though rejected it as they miss the sofa like seating of a Sedan (Rapid / City / Ameo); guess the slight upright seating of Kiger (they had similar feedback for Nexon and Ecosport as well) is a NO for them.

Question for all - Will using a leather seat cover help? The Sales Advisor says that we can use company approved leather seat covers which won't interfere with deployment of side airbags. Is this true?

Overall, as a package the Kiger surprised me. As they say, the sum exceeds the parts in this case.

[hashwin]

Originally Posted by theabstractmind

Question for all - Will using a leather seat cover help? The Sales Advisor says that we can use company approved leather seat covers which won't interfere with deployment of side airbags. Is this true?

This is what I did with my Kiger. I got it done at Trend Seat covers in HSR in Bangalore. You can check out my post here:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/banga...ml#post5302319 (Seat Covers - Trend (HSR Layout, Bangalore))

[theabstractmind]

Originally Posted by hashwin

This is what I did with my Kiger. I got it done at Trend Seat covers in HSR in Bangalore. You can check out my post here:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/banga...ml#post5302319 (Seat Covers - Trend (HSR Layout, Bangalore))

Thank you! They are very nice. Exactly how I would want it to look. The question though remains how does the dealer determine whether such fitment is good and doesn't interfere with the side airbags.

[hashwin]

Originally Posted by theabstractmind

Thank you! They are very nice. Exactly how I would want it to look. The question though remains how does the dealer determine whether such fitment is good and doesn't interfere with the side airbags.

Well apparently there is a cut required at the correct position so that the bags are not blocked. The dealer said they do it everywhere and it works. The dealer (Renault Sarjapur) also do it themselves if you feel more comfortable with that, though I didn't really find the right combination that I wanted in their catalogue. Trend pretty much handcrafts it for you.

[hemanth.anand]

My cousin bought a Kiger RXZ Turbo CVT last month. This is his first car and still learning driving. So after a month he had driven only 150kms. The first service will soon be due and he didn't want to give it with such low running. So I got it for a week to put some kms on the ODO.





Here are my observations from around 200kms of driving yesterday

1. It looks aggressive and mean from the outside. The Magnite looks like a 3 decade old car in comparison.
   
2. The card type key looks cool and with keyless entry, holding it in the pocket is very easy. Loved it
   
3. The interiors first thing is that ergonomics is not good. Maybe better than other French cars but still not good...One huge example for this is the seatbelt lock. My body frame is not wide but still it is a struggle to take put the seat belt. It is kind of hidden somewhere under the centre console!
   
4. The switches are all nice but they are not backlit. There is an LED on the 4 switches of the AC control but would've been nice if they were backlit. During night I can't see what switch is what. There are many empty buttons even on this top trim!
   
5. The start/stop button is placed in the centre console but on the steering column, there is a blank area where there would've been the ignition key in lower variants which stands out like a sore thumb. The chrome ring around the start/stop looks like a silver foil on sweets. It looks cheap and I don't think it'll last long
   
6. There is a button beside the gear lever for small lights behind the door handles and in centre console, really nice touch. But this button could've been one of the empty switches.
   
7. Only the driver side power window gets auto down feature. no auto up feature. the other 4 do not get auto up or auto down function. My 2016 polo has auto up and auto own on all 4.
   
8. The power windows only work when the engine is on. should've worked when the battery is on. most times I had to restart the car to turn up the windows.
   
9. While the competition provide sunroof (like Jazz for example), this doesn't come with it.
   
10. The car seems eager to move when the car is started and you slot into D or R mode for the first time. puts lot of pressure on the clutch and brake I felt.
    
11. However the same car in D mode is laggy while you accelerate on the move. overtakes need planning.
    
12. The mode selector knob is on the centre console beside the gear lever. Normal mode is sufficient for most times. The sports mode makes the engine noisy and upshifts slower but isn't really exciting
    
13. There is a L mode for ramps where you want to lock the car in a particular gear. A manual mode would've been good.
    
14. The brakes don't show any signs of slowing down and suddenly stops abruptly after going further.
    
15. The brake pedal is straight out of the manual version. It should've been placed further away from the A pedal and also should've been wider.
    
16. Sometimes the brakes suddenly gets hard and is scary. I experienced this 2 times and both times it was in crawling city traffic. Looks to be a problem with the brake boosters. Will ask my cousin to report this.
    
17. Suspension is decent- a little on the softer side but still good for rough roads.
    
18. The information provided on the ICE is too less I felt and the only adjustment in the settings that I could do was the screen brightness!
    
19. The ICE was decently good. The bluetooth pairing for the Android auto was very quick and easy. The centre ICE screen is rather dull.
    
20. Wireless charging is possible only as an accessory which my cousin has not opted for.
    
21. The A pillars create huge blindspots which is not good for a newbie driver. My cousin already has scraped in couple of corners while parking due to this.
    
22. With AC tuned on, I got a 13.5kmpl FE on the highway and 9kmpl inside city.
    
23. AC was powerful enough but what I didn't like was the level of adjustments. both in terms of volume and direction. The adjustment is not good enough. It couldn't completely shut off a vent and one of the vents I couldn't really turn it away from myself.
    
24. The pull type door locks on the inside and the fuel opening under the seat looks dated.
    
25. Overall comfort and legroom is good. Ingress and egress is quite easy. Boot space is good but the loading lip is too high IMO.

[pkumarmcc]

Originally Posted by Piyush Kanthak

Congratulations for your new car, wishing you hassle free miles ahead, how is the cabin feel good factor?

Hi Piyush, what's your confidence on safety of the car on highway drive? I mean when any big vehicle (Suv/buses) crosses it at high speed does the car feel stable. Asking in case if you were able to experience it.

[PradeepVKiger]

Originally Posted by pkumarmcc

Hi Piyush, what's your confidence on safety of the car on highway drive? I mean when any big vehicle (Suv/buses) crosses it at high speed does the car feel stable. Asking in case if you were able to experience it.

Yes you do feel the slight jolt.. I have experienced it.. but i was stationary and my windows were open so windblast may be

[FlankerH]

I think you missed reporting the rear set window control buttons. I had taken long test rides of both AMT and CVT models recently and found this very strange. One has to push your folded knee fully backwards to operate window switches it wasn't not very comfortable.

Otherwise excellent review.

[Pratham_V12]

Hi, so I own a Renault Kiger 1.0 NA manual. When I was travelling to Pune via the Mumbai-Pune expressway, I had to brake hard on a corner due to a vehicle who cut me off. When I braked hard, I felt the brake pedal go vague and heard a clunk from the front of the car. After this, whenever I braked hard, I could hear the clunking noise. Has anybody experienced this before and how serious could it be?