SUVs OF 2021

DON’T BUY A NEW CAR JUST YET! HERE’S EVERY NEW SUV HEADED YOUR WAY IN THE NEW YEAR, AND WHY IT MIGHT BE WORTH WAITING FOR THEM

RENAULT KIGER

Designed jointly by Renault’s design teams in France and India, the Kiger is Renault’s answer to the Nissan Magnite, originally set to have been revealed alongside it. The pandemic threw a spanner in the works, and we’ll see the production Kiger next year. Renault claims 80 per cent of what you see in the concept car will make it to production, and spy shots of the test cars seem to cement that claim.

Based on the same CMF-A+ platform as the Magnite (and Triber), the Kiger looks not unlike a grown-up Kwid, but with much fuller proportions and more premium looking detailing, including two tierlighting with the kinked LED DRLs flanking a signature Renault grille. Three ‘ice-cube’ style LED headlights should make for a unique light signature at the front, with the LED C-shaped tail lights doing the same at the rear. The tail lights appear to define the shoulder line of the Kiger even more so than the application in the Magnite, with a sharply creased tailgate. While one can hope to see the central exhaust cutout, a single exhaust cutout on the left is more likely.

The interiors seem to follow the theme set by the Triber, but with more contemporary elements, including a freestanding central touchscreen, and hexagonal AC vents. We’ve been told the Nissan Magnite will have the richer feature set but it isn’t a stretch to imagine similar levels of equipment, like wireless smartphone integration, 360-degree cameras, and such. Powertrains will mirror what’s on offer in the Magnite, namely a 1-litre NA petrol with a 5 MT, and a 1-litre turbo-petrol with a 5 MT or CVT.

EXPECTED WHEN? Early 2021