2021 Renault Kiger SUV
It is a conundrum, but a nice one to have to deal with. We are talking about comparing the brand new, just launched Renault Kiger with the also quite new, recently launched Nissan Magnite. We know a little more about the Magnite than the Kiger, simply because it has been around a few months and we have seen the actual cars at the school drop-off and they are really nice. As someone whose most recent cars were a Nissan (X-Trail) and a Renault (Duster), this writer does not have a preference – both great cars.
It is no secret that Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi are in a partnership and that they develop common platforms and engine/gearbox combinations on which they base their models in every class. It makes sense from both a development cost point of view and in cost management during manufacturing. If you have to make a tappet cover, it will be cheaper to make 500 000 units rather than 60 000. In this case, the ability to make everything at a lower cost benefits the customer who has to pay for the vehicle. There is no downside to sharing these costs, just the ability to give the customer more features at a lower price than would otherwise have been the case.
Both the Kiger and the Magnite are based on the CMF-A+ platform, so a sub-compact (under 4m) front-wheel drive. It is slightly bigger than the CMF-A – the platform the popular Renault Kwid is based on. This bigger base is to accommodate the slightly bigger, more SUV frame of the Kiger and Magnite. Both these cars were developed for the very demanding, highly price-sensitive Indian market, and for similar markets like South Africa.
So this is just rebadging, is it? Both are very much the same size, both have 1-litre engines, although the Kiger has a normally aspirated and turbo option, while the Magnite only offers the turbo. The Kiger offers the options of manual, automatic and CVT transmissions, while the Magnite gives you the choice of manual or CVT only. Fuel consumption and performance is very much on par for the turbo models.
The Kiger comes in six models, while the Magnite has four. The base model Kiger is about R60K less than the base model Magnite, while the top model Kiger costs about R15k less than the top Magnite.
Yet it is not a ‘rebadging ‘ exercise. The Magnite has a distinctive Nissan look and feel to it, a character that will be familiar to those who drive the brand. The Kiger is still brand new, so not many have driven it, but it looks pure Renault. Why don’t you take the Renault Kiger for a spin and decide for yourself if it is the Renault for you?
