The small crossover car segment is booming, with models from almost every massmarket brand. The Nissan/Mitsubishi/Renault alliance offer their version in SA as a Nissan Magnite or a Renault Kiger.
Its a sexy little thing, with character and charm, the Kiger. A great little city runabout for one person, or a couple without children. The alliance has succeeded in building a really competent little car.
Prices range from R205 000 for the Life 1.0 model to R300 000 for the Intens Turbo CVT. Let me say immediately that with 52 kw and 96 Nm from the unboosted mill I recommend you go for a turbo model which puts out 74 kW and 160 Newtons. The claimed average consumption figure of 5 L/100 km is a tad optimistic as I got closer to 10 L/100 km in town and 7 L/100 km on the open road.
There is also a Zen equipment level. The manual Zen turbo costs R260 000 and has steering mounted controls, USB port, remote locking, Apple Car play / Android Auto using USB cable, 8” Capacitive Touchscreen with display link, rear air conditioning vents, LED indicators on outside door mirrors and all the basic safety kit.
The Intens we drove adds premium audio sound with 4 tweeter speakers, wireless smartphone replication with Apple Car Play/Android Auto, automatic air-conditioning, digital 7” Multi-Skins driver TFT instrument cluster, ambient lighting, tri-octa LED headlamps with LED daylight running lights, longitudinal roof bars with 50kg load capacity, ESP and a reverse parking camera with guidelines. All very civilised.
From the outside the car has a presence belying its relatively petit dimensions. It is a ‘very pleasing to the eye’ design, from the typical Renault nose with balanced elements, to the somewhat cheeky derrière. The silhouette is almost sporty.
The interior of the Kiger is more mundane than the body, but is well laid out and offers good usable space for a small crossover. I liked the quilted embossed fabric of the comfortable and fairly adjustable seats.
The infotainment system is easy to master and works well and because you have Apple Car Play/Android Auto you can tailor it to your desires. There are a multitude of holders and places to keep ‘stuff’ in.
Fit and finish is fine and in line with the price point.
The Nissan Magnite is the sister of the Kiger so it will pay you to compare the two cars, the local dealers and any specials on offer. They are set up differently so the one may “speak” to you more than the other.
I think you should consider the turbo versions, as the unblown engine will feel quite pap, especially at altitude. The only issue I had was a lag of about two seconds before the full power of the turbo kicked in, but what a change it makes. You should be able to quickly adjust your driving style to mitigate this issue.
The Kiger is an easy and fun car to drive with no pretensions of offroad capability or high speed performance. It is a great, slightly smaller, car with just the right height to get in and out, traverse speed bumps, give good all round visibility and its handling is a breeze in town. I would get the CVT version, it works really well with very little whine.
The competition includes the Suzuki Brezza, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, VW T-Cross, Honda WE-V and Mahindra XUV300.
Standard is a five-year mechanical or 150 000 km warranty and three-year or 45 000 km service plan for the turbo models.
