Renault Kiger sub-4 meter SUV loses some camouflage: Maruti Brezza & Hyundai Venue rival

Renault India is feverishly testing the Kiger sub-4 meter compact SUV, which will be launched here sometime in October 2020, as the French automaker’s answer to the likes of the Maruti Brezza and Hyundai Venue. The latest spyshots of the Kiger, from SprintWheelz, indicate a near-production ready test mule that has begun losing some of its camouflage.

The spyshots reveal a front end similar to that of the Kwid Climber Facelift, which made it debut a few months ago. This is not surprising given the fact that the Kiger will share its CMF-A platform with the likes of the Kwid and Triber. The Kiger will even have a sibling from Nissan, called the Magnite, which is due for launch early next year.

The profile of the SUV shows a coupe-like form factor but that could be the camouflage deliberately meant to confuse onlookers. We expect a conventional design for the Kiger with muscular haunches to denote its SUV positioning. The wheels seem to be 15 inch units, and the wheel wells seem large enough to accommodate 16 inch options.

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The Kiger will be a sub-4 meter offering, allowing Renault to take advantage of lower duties on cars that measure under 4 meters in length. The compact SUV will use a brand new, triple cylinder turbo petrol engine with a displacement of about 1,000cc. This turbo petrol motor is expected to make about 90 Bhp of peak power and 120 Nm of peak torque. 5 speed manual and automated manual transmissions are likely to be offered.

A front wheel drive layout will be standard with the monocoque bodied compact SUV. Meanwhile, the same engine will soon make its way into the Renault Triber compact MPV, and also the Nissan Magnite compact SUV. A high amount of localization is a given, and this should keep costs in check. We expect Renault to price the Kiger at under Rs. 6 lakh for the base model, making it the least priced sub-4 meter compact SUV on sale in India, cheaper than even the Hyundai Venue and Tata Nexon.

Renault has tasted success with the Triber compact MPV and will be hoping that the Kiger is also a hot seller. A lot is riding on the new vehicle as Renault seeks to make inroads into the budget SUV space. The Kiger will sit below the Duster as Renault’s most affordable SUV offering in India. We expect it to be sold in other emerging markets as well.

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