Renault Kiger vs Nissan Magnite: Space, Practicality and Comfort Comparison

Same chassis. Same engines. Same experience?

The Renault Kiger and the Nissan Magnite are the latest entrants in the sub-4 metre SUV segment. Both models are not only based on the same platform but they also share their powertrain options. So, does that mean they are essentially the same car and you can’t go wrong picking between the two? Well, not really. While their underpinnings and engine options are similar, the Kiger and Magnite deliver distinct experiences. To find out which one is better suited for you, we put them through our space, practicality, and comfort comparison. Here’s what we found out:

Design

Despite having so much in common, both these small SUVs are miles apart when it comes to design. The Magnite employs straight lines that reduce visual bulk, giving it a sharp yet rather understated look. The Kiger, on the other hand, gets lots of creases on its body and it’s also the bulkier looking car of the two.

In terms of size, the two are rather close. The Magnite is slightly longer and wider, but the Kiger is taller. Another major difference is in the headlights and fog lamps. Nissan’s Magnite uses LED projector headlamps and LED fog lamps to light up the road ahead. The Kiger uses a triple LED setup for the headlights, but these are reflector units and do not employ projectors. It also misses out on fog lamps.

Front Seat

The Magnite offers a longer seat base in the front, generating more under thigh support and the sharp contouring of the seats means you get a more snug fit. However, wider people will not really find this comfortable. The broader seats of the Kiger should be more to their liking.

Sitting in the front row you will find the Magnite offers a more styling looking cabin. The hexagonal air vents and the hexagonal pattern on the dashboard definitely make it the more appealing of the two. The Kiger, however, offers better quality inside the cabin. The panel gaps in the Kiger’s interior are quite consistent, unlike the ones in the Nissan Magnite.

Rear Seat

Ingress and egress out of the rear seats is quite alike in both cars as they have similar sized door openings and seat heights. The Kiger’s door, however, is positioned slightly lower than that of the Magnite, which is why you might accidentally bump your head while getting in. That’s a problem you won’t have to face in the Magnite.

Both cars have similar knee room, legroom, headroom in the second row, and even the design of the seats is quite close. The Magnite, however, has an edge here with its slightly stiffer seat cushioning, which will be more comfortable on longer journeys. Its cabin also feels airier and since the window line is lower, you get a quarter glass and compactly designed front seats. Lastly, the Magnite offers soft touch fabric on the doors, which definitely ups its comfort quotient.

Features

Both the Kiger and the Magnite feature keyless entry, push-button start/stop, height-adjustable driver’s seat, tilt-adjustable steering wheel, auto AC, and rear AC vents. The Magnite goes on to offer additional features including cruise control and a 360-degree camera, which you don’t get in the Kiger. While cruise control is definitely a good feature to have, the 360-degree camera feels sort of gimmicky considering the poor quality of the video feed. The Kiger gets driving modes, a PM2.5 air filter, and ambient lighting over the Magnite.

The touchscreen in both cars is the same 8-inch unit with the same software. However, its higher positioning on the Kiger’s dashboard means it’s easier to use while driving the Renault SUV.

While the top-spec variants of both SUVs are decently loaded, the base-spec Magnite is better value for money. You get a rear wash/wiper function, all four power windows, and a tilt-adjustable steering wheel with it, making it a good pick.

Safety

As far as safety is concerned, the Kiger is the better of the two when it comes to passive safety features, offering four airbags as opposed to two in the Magnite. However, the Magnite gets better active safety features such as traction control, ESP, and hill start assist on its turbo variants. You also get a tyre pressure monitoring system on the Magnite, which is not offered in the Kiger. Nissan also gets adjustable rear headrests and pre-tensioners for both the front seats from the base variant onwards, giving it an edge.

Cabin Storage Spaces

Both the Kiger and the Magnite both offer huge door pockets that can take in 1-litre water bottles, a rear armrest with two cup holders, and a smartphone holder. The Kiger, on the other hand, gets two glove boxes compared to the one you get in the Magnite. The lower glove box in the Kiger is cooled, something the Magnite fails to offer. The Magnite reclaims some points with a well-designed centre console that offers a high-set wireless charging platform and bigger cup holders. The Kiger does get a huge storage space between the two front seats. It is, however, not segregated and quite deep for storing regular items. You can spec it with an optional organiser that adds cup holders and other sections to it, but due to its deep placement, they are not all that usable.

Boot Space

On paper, the Kiger offers 63 litres of more boot space than the Magnite. However, when we filled up the boots with our test luggage, both cars took in the three suitcases and a soft bag, with no room to spare. Makes you wonder where all that extra space went in the Kiger. Its higher loading lip also makes it that much more difficult to load and unload luggage from the boot. Both SUVs offer 60:40 split-folding rear seats, which increase their practicality quotient.

Powertrain Options

While both cars get the same setup when it comes to the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (5-speed manual or a CVT), things are a little different with the 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard on both cars, but the Kiger offers an AMT here as well. Besides, the Kiger offers drive modes with both engines, something the Magnite doesn’t. 

Ride Quality

Both the Magnite and the Kiger offer a good ride but the Kiger has an advantage here. On smooth roads, the Magnite tends to let in some vibrations into the cabin, whereas the Kiger simply offers a more plush experience. On rough roads too, the Kiger is more adept at tackling the changing road surface due to its better bump-absorption capabilities and silent suspension. The Kiger also feels like the more insulated of the two cars, as engine, tyre, and wind noise levels inside the cabin feel lower than in the Magnite.

Verdict

Despite being similar underneath the skin, the Kiger and Magnite have subtle differences that set them apart. Renault’s Kiger is an overall more plush car, with its superior ride, better NVH levels as well as fit and finish inside the cabin. It’s also your only option if the number of airbags is your priority.

The Magnite, on the other hand, is a better value-for-money proposition. It comes with active safety features not found on the Kiger and even the base variants offer good value when you look at the features on offer. Apart from that, the Magnite offers better seating comfort and a more practical cabin.

So if you are looking for a more rich experience, go for the Kiger but if you want to get the most value out of your hard-earned money, the Magnite makes more sense.

Read More on : Nissan Magnite Automatic