I use it more than my Maruti Ciaz because it is much more comfortable to drive on bad and bumpy roads.
BHPian abhisheksircar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
1800 km and 2 months and we love the Celerio upgrade.
Comments
- The car continues to drive very well and that is its strength. The suspension, the CVT gearbox. Insurance continues to be a 4 star rated car.
- He continues to be a spectator. 3 people from my known entourage have booked the Kiger. People have come to ask me how the car is.
- We have an average mileage of 11.3 km/litre over the first 1800 km, mainly in town with the air conditioning always on.
- The AC is not a bone cooler but does its job and is noisy at fan max. With my requirement of 24 or so, the fan stays at 2 notches per time in Bangalore.
I have now gotten used to small annoyances like seat belt position etc. Considering the roads in Bangalore, I’ve taken the Kiger out more than my Ciaz these days. It is much more comfortable to drive over potholes and bumpy roads. Goal served.
Problems
- As someone had pointed out, yes, the brakes do make a noise on cold start and at low speeds.
- I finally dealt with the much talked about rubber band effect in a CVT, but it’s very subtle. The CVT gearbox is a charm.
- I would have liked the fan to go to 0 every time the car is turned off instead of starting with the car it was last left from. So my sequence for shutting down a car is – turn off the AC, turn the fan to 0, turn off the car, and unlock the car from the center dash.
- The rear shelf pops up a bit to make noise, but that’s mitigated by the music system that’s always on.
- The motor is not the quietest and has a humming noise from the 3 pots. It’s not loud and all but it’s obvious.
now service
This was a big concern for me as this is almost like new territory for me after being pampered with Suzuki service for 2 decades. I was suggested to take the car to Mysore service center run by Santosh. Now the Mysore service center is 53 km from my house if I take the NICE road, but for things like service I usually don’t care about the distance. The nearest Renault service center is about 10 km from my house.
So the first service is within 2 months or 2000 kms, whichever comes first. I went just in time to be accommodated by Santosh who was nice to come out to greet me. I was introduced to Nishank, who is one of the service advisors there. 3 of us and another engineer took the car for a test drive. There is a set route which includes good and bad roads. This is actually a good track to test for all possible issues. This service was supposed to be a general checkup and therefore mostly quoted as a “Wash the Car” service, but they all took time to figure out any discrepancies. The tire pressure was higher, the mats weren’t the best fit for the pedals, and the engine bay is visited by rats because there were paw marks. They didn’t miss anything! Although the brake issue was not reproduced, they also took note of it.
Santosh has over 2 decades of experience with brands like Suzuki, Porsche, Audi, etc. It includes cars. I also noticed that he is quite serious when he does the test drive asking his team to take notes on the observations he was making while driving. It’s not just a joy ride.
I was expecting the service to be just a wash and get out but it took a good 4 hours to clean the brake pads just to be safe and address any concerns I had as a noise rattle on one of the panels which has been shrunk. to a loose bolt which could be the result of accessories installed where the panels were removed, such as puddle lights. Presumption. Nishank continued to send me photos of the progress on WhatsApp, which made me feel at ease. There was also a software update which took a while and there is nothing anyone can do to the car when it happens.
The first service cost me around INR 360/- which included washer fluid, grease, brake cleaning etc. From the next 1 year service it should ideally be 0 due to the serviceability I have which covers everything, that’s what I understand. I also paid a little extra for a 3M rodent spray treatment.
If I had to nitpick, I’d say I missed the NEXA experience of sitting in a nice living room and seeing my car being serviced through a big window. This service lounge and setup is on par with the Suzuki Arena setup or any other general service setup with the availability of wifi, tea/coffee and a seating area equipped with sofas.
In short, it was a big sigh of relief to know that it’s going to hopefully be smooth sailing from now on.
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