Posted by Group1 Renault on 01 Nov 2024
In late August of this year, Renault set out to prove that Renault vehicles are not just built for cruising around town but are engineered to conquer more challenging terrains. And so they set out to drive their entire range to Umling La — the world’s highest motorable road.
At 19,300 feet above sea level, Umling La is a testament to human engineering. The 1000-kilometre expedition through the rugged landscapes of Ladakh, India wasn’t just about reaching the top — it was about proving that every vehicle in the Renault range could handle the extreme conditions that come with high-altitude driving.
What is amazing about this journey is that it was not done with specialised off-road vehicles but by the Kwid, Triber, and Kiger, which are family-friendly urban rides.
Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country CEO and MD of Renault India Operations said: “We are extremely proud to be the first OEM to bring our entire product range to Umling La pass, showcasing the true spirit of adventure that defines Renault.”
This achievement isn’t just about setting records — it’s about demonstrating that every Renault vehicle is built with the same commitment to excellence.
The expedition, which commenced on August 29, 2024, took the team through some of Ladakh’s most challenging and breathtaking terrain over nine days.
Starting from the historic city of Leh, the convoy first tackled the formidable Chang La pass before reaching Pangong Tso Lake.
From there, the team ventured to the remote village of Hanle, home to the Indian Astronomical Observatory— one of the world’s coldest and driest deserts to conduct crucial high-altitude performance tests.
The final leg pushed through increasingly challenging terrain to reach Umling La, where the team successfully parked all three models — the Kwid, Triber, and Kiger — at the world’s highest parking spot, marking a historic moment in automotive achievement.
While daily commutes might not involve scaling the heights of Ladakh, knowing these vehicles are capable of such extraordinary feats brings an unmatched sense of confidence.
Interested in putting a Renault to the test? Visit your nearest Group1 Renault dealership to test drive one today.
The post Renault Makes History by Conquering the World’s Highest Motorable Road appeared first on Renault Blog at Group1.
Posted by Group1 Renault on 27 Aug 2024
The sub-4-metre SUV segment in South Africa is fiercely competitive with almost every carmaker vying for attention. Building on the success of models like the Duster, Kwid, and Triber, is the Renault Kiger which employs the Renault-Nissan group’s CMF-A+ platform also adopted by the Nissan Magnite. The stylish sub-compact SUV brought a fresh dynamic to Renault’s lineup ever since it landed on SA shores back in 2021.
Under its hood, the Kiger offers two engine variants: a lively 1.0-litre naturally aspirated engine producing 52kW and 96 Nm of torque, and a more potent three-cylinder turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engine delivering 74kW and 160Nm. Power is channelled to the front wheels through three gearbox options; a five-speed manual available with both engines, Renault’s AMT (automated manual transmission) paired with the naturally aspirated engine, and an X-Tronic CVT (continuously variable transmission) matched with the turbocharged variant.
Today, our spotlight is on the CVT option, which has garnered praise from numerous reviewers as the best powertrain combination in the Kiger lineup, especially with the recent updates. But with so many compact SUVs jostling for top honours, does the Kiger have what it takes to rise above the rest?
Regarding reliable automotive insights, few sources are as trusted as Team-BHP and Autocar India. Known for their thorough and unbiased reviews, these automotive heavyweights recently put the Renault Kiger CVT through its paces. Let’s explore what their long-term tests revealed about this promising SUV.
After clocking 12,000 km in the 2023 Renault Kiger CVT and completing both the free and first paid services, here is what Team-BHP has to say.
Smooth Engine and Transmission: After 12,000 km, the Kiger CVT continues to impress with its turbocharged engine and expertly tuned CVT gearbox. Overtaking is a breeze, and the infamous rubber band effect is barely noticeable, making it a standout in its segment compared to rivals like the Magnite and Amaze.
Ride and Handling: The suspension shines on both city streets and rough roads, offering a smooth ride with minimal body roll. It feels poised at highway speeds and quite sure-footed around corners. While it may not match the rugged Duster, the Kiger holds its own with a balanced, comfortable drive, especially in Sport mode, which gives you a taste of sporty thrills.
Practical Perks: The Kiger excels in practicality, with ample storage space, a generous 405L boot, and seating that’s comfortable even on long journeys. Plus, the infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is quick and reliable, adding to the car’s tech appeal.
Cool and Composed: The AC performs well, even in sweltering heat, and the car’s ingress and egress are conveniently designed, particularly for older passengers.
Final Verdict: Despite a few quirks, the Kiger CVT proves to be a fantastic value-for-money SUV, worth every penny. It’s a solid recommendation for anyone looking for a reliable, well-rounded compact SUV.
With both manual and CVT versions now in our fleet, we sought to explore whether the updates truly make a difference.
Urban Ease with CVT: In the bustling streets of Mumbai, the Kiger’s CVT proves its worth by eliminating the need for a clutch pedal—a welcome relief in stop-and-go traffic. While not perfect, the CVT provides a more relaxed driving experience compared to a manual.
Performance and Drive Modes: The CVT has its quirks, such as hesitation off the line and a somewhat uninspiring acceleration when pushed. However, switching between Sport, Normal, and Eco modes makes a tangible difference, especially in Sport mode, where overtakes become a breeze.
Fuel Efficiency: Here’s where the Kiger struggles. Even with careful driving, the best we managed was 7.4 km/l, with city efficiency rarely exceeding 8 km/l. While the efficiency displayed on the MID provides accurate real-world numbers, it’s a constant reminder to drive conservatively.
Refinement and Features: The updated engine offers a smoother, more peppy performance than the initial launch version, making highway driving more enjoyable. Additionally, the inclusion of wireless Apple CarPlay is a standout feature, adding convenience usually reserved for pricier models.
Comfort and Practicality: The Kiger excels in comfort with its supportive seats, impressive ride quality, and ample ground clearance. However, some minor issues persist, like a squeaky steering wheel and occasional problems with the rear-view camera.
Final Thoughts: Despite a few minor points, the Kiger Turbo CVT remains a solid choice for urban driving, offering a blend of convenience and comfort that makes it worth considering.
Both Team-BHP and Autocar India have put the Kiger to the test, and their reviews reveal a vehicle that’s more than just a pretty face in the competitive sub-compact SUV arena. With a host of feature upgrades and impressive performance, the Kiger CVT truly stands out, delivering exceptional value for money and beating many rivals on price.
Ready to see if the Renault Kiger is the perfect fit for you? Go explore the Renault Kiger up close or book a test drive.
The post Long-Term Verdict: Renault Kiger CVT Scores In Expert Reviews appeared first on Renault Blog at Group1.
Posted by Group1 Renault on 01 Aug 2022
The Renault Kiger was launched in India last year and has just hit the important 50 000 production milestone. This is a significant achievement in the highly-competitive sub-compact SUV space.
Renault achieved this despite the ongoing pandemic at launch, the semiconductor crisis, and the general chaos in global logistics.
The Kiger is a sub-four metre SUV that comes with a choice of a 1-litre naturally aspirated or turbo petrol engines, and manual, automatic and CVT transmissions.
The Kiger is one of the first global cars that was launched in India first before entering world markets. It is now sold in South Africa, of course, and Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka among others.
Apart from offering excellent value for money, the Kiger appeals to the younger market because of its distinctive design, appealing features, proven safety, quality and nippy drive. The frugal 5.0 to 5.4L/km fuel consumption is a major plus at the current fuel prices as well.
Although primarily aimed at the urban market, the Kiger is equally at home on dirt roads for that weekend away.
The sub-compact SUV segment is the most contested part of the global automotive market. The SUV body shape has proven to be the most popular configuration over the past decade, eclipsing even the hatchback.
At under four metres long is nimble and easy to navigate through even the tightest traffic. The lighter body means it can achieve great performance with a smaller engine, which means a cheaper car to drive.
Yet the height of the SUV shape means the Kiger has generous space for passengers and a 405-litre boot.
In South Africa, the Renault Kiger is available in six trim levels, starting at only R224 900. You can choose between 52kW and the more powerful 74kW turbo engines.
The base-level Kiger is already full of features, including LED daytime running lights and indicators, a 3.5-inch LED instrument cluster, electric window all round, audio systems with Bluetooth and USB, electrically adjusted mirrors, rear parking sensors, front driver and passenger airbags, ABS and EBD, among others.
The Renault Kiger comes with a generous 5-year/150 000km mechanical warranty and a 6-year rust warranty.
The reason the Kiger is so popular is that it is a compelling motoring package that is more than the sum of its parts. Everything about the car is pleasing, every feature compliments the next or makes the drive just that much better. It gives you the lifestyle of an SUV at the price of a hatch.
The best option is to check out the choices, and then take your ideal Renault Kiger for a test drive.
The post 50,000 Production Milestone For The Renault Kiger appeared first on Renault Blog at Group1.
Posted by Group1 Renault on 20 Jun 2022
South Africa’s car market is dominated by SUVs. South Africans love the style and flexibility, the practical dimensions, and the ability to fit in at the mall or out on the country roads. We love our hatchbacks as well, but not as much as an SUV. The result is a very crowded market with fantastic newcomers added almost monthly. Yet in this crowded space, two new Renault SUVs are solidly in the top ten seller list.
The Renault Kiger and the Renault Triber are both in the most popular B-segment, SUVs under 4m in length and both are exceedingly well priced. Both are very safe, and offer all the luxury features as standard. Both are new on the market and feature modern good looks and well-appointed interiors. Yet for all their similarities, the Kiger and the Triber are totally different cars that offer specific lifestyle benefits and will appeal to different buyers. So let’s have a look and compare the Renault Kiger and the Renault Triber.
The Kiger is a spacious five-seater with three trim levels, naturally aspirated 52kW or turbo 74kw engines and manual or CVT transmission – giving you six options in all. Boot space is a very generous 405L that will extend to 879L with folded rear seats. The most affordable option starts at under R220 000 while the top trim turbo CVT is still just above R314K. It comes with a 5-year/150 000 mechanical warranty and 6-year corrosion warranty.
Model dependent, the Kiger will give you LED DRL, Parking sensors, ABS and EBD, 16” wheels, steering wheel controls, 8” touchscreen, rear view camera, front and side airbags, and much more.
The Renault Triber is a spacious, funky, fun SUV, ideal for a young professional or a young family.
Although more or less the same dimensions as the Kiger, the Triber is an entirely different car and will be bought for different reasons by people with different needs. Although it has an equally impressive range of features as the Kiger, there is a more utilitarian feel to it, probably because of its incredible flexibility.
The basic Triber is a 5-seater with a massive 625-litre boot. Click in the easy-fit seats and it becomes a seven-seater for the school run or to cater for a larger family. Or fold everything in the back flat to make a two-seater with a massive flat space you can literally camp in or carry really bulky stuff. Or fold down the seats on one side of the back to make a four-seater that can carry something awkward like a surfboard.
The Triber starts at a slightly lower price point than the Kiger and even the top of the four options are well under R250K. It comes with a naturally aspirated 1-litre petrol that gives you 52kW. It comes with a 5-year/150 000 mechanical warranty and a 5-year corrosion warranty.
These are two great cars, and each offers several trim levels and different lifestyle solutions. Best have a look at what is what and book a test drive of the one you like.
The post Top Ten Ranking For The New Renault Kiger And Triber appeared first on Renault Blog at Group1.
Posted by Group1 Renault on 24 Mar 2022
The subcompact SUV segment in South Africa has seen many additions in recent years but few have had the same impact as the increasingly-popular Renault Kiger. This sub-4-metre compact SUV is European-made and assembled in India. Today, it is the best-selling car in its B-SUV segment thanks to modern styling, advanced driver technologies, an affordable price tag and now, a four-star Global NCAP safety rating.
To answer this question, we take you back to 1978 when America became the first country to conceive a programme providing car crashworthiness information to consumers. As such, the US-NCAP model formed the basis for similar programmes including the Global New Car Assessment Programme or Global NCAP for short.
It is a major project of the Towards Zero Foundation which is a charity registered in the UK. It serves as a platform where new car assessment programmes from around the world can collaborate and promote the universal adoption of the United Nation’s most important motor vehicle safety standards. The crash test involves the following:
The growing concerns over safer vehicles among consumers has encouraged carmakers to take note and manufacture safer vehicles. This is evident in the latest Global NCAP crash test ratings for the popular sub-compact SUV, the Renault Kiger.
The Renault Kiger has been awarded a four-star safety rating by Global NCAP. It is now only the second Renault vehicle – after the Renault Triber – to receive a four-star safety rating in the Global NCAP crash test. According to the Global NCAP test, here is a breakdown of the Renault Kiger results:
Currently, Global NCAP does not perform side-impact tests but since the Renault Kiger lacks side and curtain airbags, it might limit the protection offered in the event of a side-impact crash. Despite this, the Renault Kiger still received a four-star rating which is a clear indication of how far the automaker has come in making safer vehicles.
“There has been significant progress on vehicle safety design since we began our tests in 2014 but, as we see from our latest results, there is still more to be done to achieve the high safety standards that consumers in India rightly demand,” said Global NCAP Secretary General Alejandro Furas.
The Renault Kiger is the French carmaker’s latest Indian-made budget crossover which is based on the Renault Nissan Alliance’s CMF-A+ platform giving it more interior space than the competition. In terms of safety, let’s look at the top-spec Renault Kiger as this model comes standard with all the safety features. The Renault Kiger 1.0-litre turbocharged derivative includes:
It’s important to note that the base model Renault Kiger only features two airbags while the mid-range and top-spec derivatives get side airbags as well. The suspension and high-profile 16-inch tyres deal with most road imperfections pretty comfortably while the good ground clearance of 205 mm makes the Renault Kiger quite stable on gravel roads.
The range of Renault Kiger vehicles starts from R204,900 for the non-turbo 1.0 Life. The mid-range Zen is from R219,900 while the Zen Turbo and Intense Turbo go up to R259,900 and R299,900 respectively. To find out how incredible the Renault Kiger is, book a test drive at your nearest Group1 Renault showroom. Our experienced sales team will also provide you with all the information you need.
The post Renault Kiger Gets Four-Star GNCAP Safety Rating appeared first on Renault Blog at Group1.
Posted by Group1 Renault on 16 Mar 2022
A mate told his friend to take his date to somewhere expensive to impress her, so he took her to a filling station. True story. Not a joke though, with 95 unleaded going at R20.88 a litre at the time of writing.
Inflation already played havoc with our budgets, but with fuel prices going up and up, fuel efficiency becomes a real thing right now. Fuel consumption is not an absolute bottom line though. If you have to have a large SUV, you will measure its fuel consumption against similarly sized vehicles. Renault vehicles are known for their frugality, but in the interest of fairness, let’s discuss Renault without comparing it to other brands. All friends here. Please note, though, that we are talking about a combined cycle, so a combination of urban and highway. If your driving takes you more on one or the other, it will affect your use.
Let’s start with the most at one end and go from there.
The Renault Kwid is a compact, nippy run-around, ideal for students, young career starters, small families, daily rush-hour commute, as well as older folk who knows how much car they need. The Kwid comes with a 1.0-litre petrol engine that gives you 50 kW and 91 Nm. It has two transmission types, and these will give you a combined cycle of 4.71-litres per 100km for the 5-speed manual and 4.4-litres per 100km for the 5-speed AMT Auto.
The Triber is a generous 7-seater people carrier that still gives off an SUV vibe. Good for larger families or those with very sociable kids. This MPV also makes a spectacular Uber or Taxify car! It too comes with a 1.0-petrol engine, giving you an excellent 5.5-litres per 100km in the combined cycle.
This newcomer is a sporty 5-seater with the option of 1.0-litre 52 kW naturally aspirated or 74 kW turbo engine. The 53 kW manual will give you 5.3-litres per 100km, while the automatic will go at 5.2-litres per 100km. The manual turbo will run at 5.2-litres per 100km and the automatic at 5.4-litres per 100km.
The hatch for the young professional, or any other professional that enjoys the fresh, sleek and lively look of the Clio V. This sporty hatch comes with a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox and gives you 74 kW at 5.7-litres per 100km.
The go-to sporty compact SUV in South Africa has been around for yonks – continuously updated and still going strong. It now comes in a 1.5-litre dCi, giving you 66 kW or 80 kW. The 66 kW uses 5.1-litres per 100km, while the 80 kW has two gearboxes that give you 4.8 and 5.2-litres per 100km respectively.
This is a big, impressive SUV with a big, impressive 126 kW 2.5-litre petrol engine with a CVT transmission. The Koleos runs at 8.1-litres per 100km, which is impressive for such a large car.
So it’s a question of reconciling your ideal lifestyle with the realities of your wallet. We hope this list serves as your handy guide to Renault’s fuel consumption.
The post Your Frugal Fuel Brand – A Renault Efficiency Appraisal appeared first on Renault Blog at Group1.