After a series of glimpses, the all-new Renault Kardian SUV finally comes into the spotlight. The car has been developed with South America in mind and will likely hit the showrooms in Brazil first. After the emerging markets, the SUV will go on sale to countries where Renault doesn’t sell a compact SUV such as the Kiger.
Renault Kardian SUV – Exterior and Interior Design
On the outside, the Kardian is 4.12 metres long and gets a coupe-like body style, large double-layer grille, split headlamps, chunky front bumper, headlamps and touches of faux aluminium inserts that give the Kardian a rugged look.
The tail lamps get a C-shaped design similar to the Kiger along with a chunky rear bumper similar to the front and higher trims feature 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, a shark-fin antenna and some chrome touches. Additionally, there’s a good amount of ground clearance courtesy of the chunky cladding on the wheel arches and the running boards.
Coming to the inside, the dashboard gets a stylish design similar to other Renault SUVs and has faux brushed aluminium and wood inserts with a mix of piano black. The SUV also comes with features such as a drive mode selector, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment, a four-stroke steering wheel and more.
The Kardian also comes with safety features like 6 airbags, ADAS functions and a blindspot warning system.
Renault Kardian SUV – Powertrain
As for its heart, the Renault Kardian is powered by an all-new 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that churns out 125 hp and 220 Nm of torque and is paired to a 6-speed DCT automatic gearbox. That’s 25 hp and 60 Nm more than the Kiger, which also comes with a 1.0-litre engine and produces 100 hp and 160 Nm of torque respectively.
Renault Kardian SUV – India launch and some additional details
Now comes the most asked question, Will it come to India? Well, it’s highly unlikely considering the localized Kiger is being sold here, which is Kardian’s Indian counterpart.
The Kardian is based on the CMF platform, which the 3rd gen Duster will also sit on and will make its debut on November 29. The Kiger sits below the 2nd Gen Duster which is currently being sold in Brazil, and there’s a chance we might get this variant of Duster in India.
Apart from that, after its launch the Kardian will take on other small SUVs from other brands like Fiat’s Pulse and Renault further states there will be as many as 8 models based on the CMF platform sold globally with the emerging markets as their target audience.
