2025 Renault Kiger facelift first drive review
The Renault Kiger gets a major cosmetic overhaul, and the dials up the desirability factor to 11. We put it through multiple tests at iCAT;
The Renault Kiger was long overdue for a refresh. For nearly three years, Renault sold the compact SUV with little to no change, and sales inevitably tapered off. Now, the French carmaker has stepped in with a facelift. It’s largely a cosmetic update, but one that makes the Kiger sharper, more appealing, and distinctly sportier. To see how much of a difference it really makes, we headed to iCAT (International Centre for Automotive Technology), in Manesar, and put the Kiger facelift through its paces – 0-100kmph sprints, autocross runs and a high-speed circuit test. Read on!
2025 Renault Kiger facelift design
The Renault Kiger facelift is all about style. Much like the updated Triber, the Kiger now wears Renault’s new logo, set into a sleeker grille. A more aggressive bumper, chunkier skid plate, and a sculpted bonnet add muscle to the front end. The split-headlamp arrangement remains, with LED DRLs perched above and LED headlights below, but now the Kiger also gets LED fog lamps. From the side, you notice fresh 16-inch dual-tone wheels with red brake calipers, functional roof rails that can carry up to 50kg, and a new ‘Turbo’ badge on turbo-petrol models. At the rear, updates include clear-lens LED tail lamps, a redesigned skid plate, and a new font for the Kiger badge. The textured twin-part spoiler carries over, which adds to the sporty look. Renault has also introduced two new colours – Oasis Yellow and Shadow Grey – though our test car in Radiant Red looked the punchiest of the lot. You can also spec the tailgate cladding as an accessory, but it feels unnecessary.
2025 Renault Kiger facelift interiors and features
Step inside the Renault Kiger facelift and the layout is familiar, but Renault has sprinkled in just enough changes to keep it fresh. The upholstery now comes in a white-and-black dual-tone with yellow stitching, and the steering wheel features the updated Renault logo. Equipment levels are generous for the segment. The Kiger now offers ventilated front seats, Arkamys audio, and a 360-degree camera. The 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, and wireless charger continue from before. There’s also a backlit drive mode selector with Eco, Normal, and Sport drive modes. The 7-inch cluster’s UI has been updated with different themes for all drive modes. In Sport, it even displays g-force, bhp and torque figures. On the safety front, six airbags are now standard, backed by 21 active and passive features including hill-start assist. Automatic headlamps and rain-sensing wipers are also part of the update. Renault claims better NVH thanks to added dash insulation, thicker carpets, insulated A-pillars, and an improved cowl – and the difference is noticeable. The one glaring omission? A sunroof. At a time when even the smallest hatchbacks flaunt one, Renault has chosen to skip it entirely.
2025 Renault Kiger facelift engine and transmission
The Renault Kiger facelift retains the same powertrain options as before – 1-litre three-cylinder nat-asp petrol engine that makes 71bhp and 96Nm, and can be mated to either a 5-speed MT or an AMT. There's also a more potent 1-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine on offer and it makes 98.6bhp and 160Nm, when paired to the five-speed manual. The CVT-equipped version of the Kiger with this engine produces 152Nm of torque. 0 to 100kmph comes up in 11.19 seconds (as tested), which means the car is decently quick.
The Kiger facelift retains the 1-litre three-cylinder nat-asp petrol engine that makes 71bhp and 96Nm; the more potent 1-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine makes 98.6bhp and 160Nm — Shot by Rohit G Mane for evo India
2025 Renault Kiger facelift driving impressions
The 2025 Renault Kiger facelift retains the same mechanical powertrain as before. The 1-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder motor retains its coarse idle and high vibrations, but the CVT smooths out turbo lag well. Unlike many CVTs, Renault’s calibration avoids the dreaded rubber-band effect, making it pleasant to drive in the city.
Despite niggles like the prominent vibrations at idle and the unergonomic pedal positioning, the 1-litre turbo petrol packs decent pace, doing 0 to 100kmph in 11.19 seconds — Shot by Rohit G Mane for evo India
The first test we put the car through was the 0 to 100kmph time, where I launched the car and accelerated on full throttle till I reached 100kmph. 11.19 seconds to go from 0 to 100kmph is decently quick, and you’re also greeted by some wheelspin at launch. But here I also realised one flaw of the car, which was there from before, but Renault didn’t consider it big enough to fix. The brake pedal isn’t a big one like you see in automatic cars, for cost-cutting even the CVT and AMT equipped cars have the smaller brake pedal like the one you see in manual cars. The pedals are also placed a little too close to the seat and at such an angle that more than once I found myself tapping the pushrod where the brake cable lies, instead of the pedal.
On the autocross track, the Kiger held its own. In Sport mode with traction control off, handling, agility, and braking were commendable. But the ESP was too aggressive and it didn’t let me put down as much power as I would’ve wanted while exiting a corner. But to be fair, the autocross track was laid out in a such a way that it was more suited to faster hot hatches like a Mini JCW, or a Mercedes-AMG A 45 S. And any of Kiger’s rivals like the Hyundai Venue, Skoda Kylaq, and Kia Sonet would’ve performed similarly.
The high-speed circuit was cut short by heavy rain, but a few laps confirmed that NVH is vastly improved. The Kiger felt composed at 100kmph and could hold that all day on an expressway run. Push harder, though, and its light steering and bouncy rear didn’t inspire confidence when exiting high-speed bankings.
The Kiger feels stable at 100kmph and can sustain that speed with relative ease; the NVH levels have also improved, keeping the cabin fairly quiet — Shot by Rohit G Mane for evo India
Next up was the thing I love to test the most on French cars. Suspension. I found a small patch of bad roads and quickly drove over it to check the suspension and ride quality, and it's as good as it always was. There’s just a beautiful chemistry between suspensions and French carmakers like Renault and Citroen. It’s most likely because their cars had to keep up with the ravaged roads of France post World War 2.
2025 Renault Kiger facelift verdict, price and rivals
The Renault Kiger facelift is a cosmetic evolution rather than a mechanical one. It looks sportier, feels better built, rides as well as ever, and offers a healthy features list. Still, in the cut-throat sub-4m SUV space, it makes a strong case. The Mahindra XUV 3XO is more powerful and tech-loaded but pricier. The Skoda Kylaq is the better handler but can’t match the Renault’s fresh styling. The facelift dials the aggression up to 11, and sometimes, that’s all a car needs to climb back onto a buyer’s shortlist.
Prices for the facelifted Kiger starts at ₹6.29 lakh and goes up to ₹11.9 lakh for the Emotion CVT, which is the one I drove. At this price, the Kiger is great value because you get the performance you need from the turbo petrol motor, you get plenty of features now, and the fresh face makes the car much more desirable than before. The Kiger continues to spar with its twin, the Nissan Magnite, along with other fighters like the Mahindra XUV 3XO, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Skoda Kylaq, Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue and Kia Sonet.