Karan was one of my first friends in college. Our friendship was almost foreordained since we had quite similar tastes. We met while buying a gift for a mutual friend and remained close friends for the next twenty-odd years.
Karan called me in the morning and said he wanted to buy a car, and that he had chosen one. But he wanted someone else’s opinion and asked if I would accompany him.
I agreed and we drove to the showroom, where the Renault Kiger stood elegantly. I had casually read about the car myself, but I paid closer attention now. He had already booked a test drive, and we hit the road.

The first thing that appealed to me was how futuristic the smart cabin was, exemplified by the 20.32 cm floating touchscreen with wireless smartphone replication. I also absolutely loved the fact that the multi-skin 17.78 cm TFT cluster was reconfigurable! And the wireless charger was an awesome touch.

Karan knew I was an audiophile since it was something both his son Satish and I had in common. He connected to the Renault Kiger and played a song. The 3D sound by ARKAMYS with 4 speakers and 4 tweeters blew me away, and both Karan and the salesperson smiled at my delight.

The cabin was spacious but cosy, and accommodated a total storage of 29L, which included the convenient high center console with 7.5L and glove boxes with 14.9L storage. Then, as we paused at a teashop, I got into the rear of the Renault Kiger, and the sense of space multiplied with the 222mm rear knee room. The rear armrest with cup holders also folded easily into the backrest.

Karan commented that the fuel efficiency for the Renault Kiger HR10 petrol engine is 20.53 km/L, and the multi-sense drive modes balanced mileage with performance perfectly. That was a pleasant surprise for a car this size, but I was also astonished because I’d never heard Karan talk about mundane stuff like mileage before! That was when I got the first inkling who the car was for.

I walked all around the car to check it out, and the stunning, muscular SUV stance with the 205mm ground clearance hit me squarely in the face. This wasn’t a car you could ignore! The tri-octa pure vision LED headlamps with LED DRLs and the 40.64 cm diamond cut alloy wheels screamed confidence, and the c-shaped signature LED tail lamps and the chrome front grille lent a sophistication to the profile.

Since the Renault Kiger comes in manual, easy-R AMT, and fully automatic X-tronic CVT, Karan asked me which transmission I thought would be ideal. I told him to get the CVT, and he nodded. That was my second clue. Karan personally would never choose anything but a manual, but because he agreed, I was now almost certain who the car was for.

Finally, as we got back to the showroom, Karan said the Renault Kiger was priced at an affordable Rs. 5.79 lakh* (ex-showroom, Delhi). That was the final confirmation. “It’s for your son Satish, isn’t it?” I asked.

Karan nodded. Satish had just turned twenty-one, and Karan wanted to gift him something he would remember for the rest of his life. And the Renault Kiger was the perfect gift!
That’s when I realized why Karan and I were such good friends. Both of us believed in getting the best possible gifts for our loved ones, gifts they would cherish forever!