Renault Kadjar

It is no secret that Renault is building on the huge success of its compact crossover, Captur, with the addition of a bigger brother called the Kadjar. This new C-segment model to complement the B-segment Captur keeps Renault competitive in the fast-growing crossover market. Last Saturday we were treated to a first drive in the impressive new Kadjar and I think we can safely say Renault has hit the nail on the head with its latest entry. With three engines, two gearboxes, four trim levels and two-or four-wheel drive on offer the new Kadjar priced from €24,990 with a PCP option of €249 a month is cracking package. The three engines on offer are the 1.2-litre turbocharged TCe 130 four-cylinder direct-injection petrol unit, the 1.5-litre ENERGY dCi 110 four-cylinder diesel and the 1.6-litre ENERGY dCi four-cylinder 130 diesel. The EDC gearbox is available with the dCi 110 engine. Four-wheel drive is offered with the dCi 130 in the three upper trim levels and our test-drive included vehicles in both the 2 and 4 wheel drive variant.

Our test route took us on a picturesque drive from Straffan to Naas where we got to take part in some off road driving at Killashee House Hotel. The all-wheel-drive system is an intelligent set up with three operating modes – Auto, LOCK and 2WD – so that you can adjust the drive type to suit the conditions to the road surface and weather. With sharp inclines and decents we got to test the 190mm of ground clearance at approach and departure angles of 18 and 25 degrees. It was a tight and technical course that allowed us to test the turning circle of 10.72 metres; and its extensive array of driving aids, which include hands-free parking and a reversing camera. We never got stuck once and Kadjar made light work of purpose built circuit.

The interior is smart and modern, as you would expect from Renault. It is trimmed in soft-touch foam-backed materials and feels great to touch. Our test car has the new R-Link 2 multimedia and navigation system, which is standard above Expression+, and a full Bose sound system. Quality is certainly not lacking in any element of the interior. Space wise there is plenty of headroom, rear passenger leg room and should you need it, 472 litres of boot space extending to 1,478 litres, depending on seating arrangements. Towing won’t be an issue either, as the Kadjar has a payload of up to 549kg and a towing capability of up to 1,800kg braked making it very impressive in this segment.

Overall we really enjoy our brief first drive of the new Renault Kadjar. Renault knows one car in every five sold around the world today is a crossover, and the sector is projected to continue growing in the coming years. With this in mind they have built a superb looking quality vehicle that will surely climb the sales ranks in no time. Renault are projecting 3000 sales in 2016 and I wouldn’t bet against them in achieving this. Should you be in the market place for a C-Segment Crossover then be sure to drop into one of the 26 dealers nationwide! We will get to spend a week with the Kadjar in the not to distant future and we look forward to giving you a more detailed review.

Renault Kadjar