Renault Kadjar
Kadjar expands Renault’s impressive product portfolio
The past few years will always be memorable for Renault in South Africa, with products like the Clio, updated Duster, the Captur and of course the new Sandero all contributing to the brands best ever years locally. This year the brand looks to improve upon its success as it recently launched its new SUV contender the Kadjar which is also a 2017 Wesbank SAGMJ Car of the Year finalist.
What’s a Kadjar?
The name itself when broken up is as follows; “Kad” meaning quad, versatile four-wheeled vehicle and the “Jar” which in French means agile. Apart from its rather strange name the rest of the vehicle is quite traditional in its layout; it is an SUV, based upon the Nissan Qashqai platform, which is a solid place to start.
That design
From an exterior perspective the Kadjar is a great looking thing; it may have echoes of Qashqai however I feel it is a more stylish vehicle. Up front there’s a massive Renault grille and badge, in line with the rest of the ranges design identity while in side profile there are hints of its Nissan cousin with design elements common to the Captur and Clio. At the rear it looks like a Clio that’s been working out, a lot.
Interior appointments
The interior of the Kadjar is what impressed me most, all of the switchgear and instruments are new, and not taken from other Renault models as we have seen with the Clio and Captur’s similarities. The quality of the materials and design of the interior is very appealing.
Overall, the interior is a great place to be, with a thoroughly modern 7-inch infotainment system in the higher spec models with a range of features, an upmarket instrument binnacle and an overall impression of quality.
Features
For the Car of the Year competition, the 1.5 dCi Kadjar equipped with the brand’s EDC automatic gearbox was selected. The models tested had features such as climate control, Bluetooth/USB/Aux compatibility, cruise control, tyre pressure and parking sensors, roof rails, 17-inch alloys (19-inch optional), 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, automatic windscreen wipers and headlights, LED headlights, tinted rear windows, fog lights, electric mirrors, key card as well as a leather bound steering wheel and gear lever.
Verdict
The Kadjar is a great product; we were impressed with how premium the brand has made the vehicle feel. It offers something seriously competitive within the SUV segment and is certainly deserving of its place in the final.
Warranty and service
The Kadjar line-up comes standard with a 5-year/150 000km warranty and a 5-year/90 000km service plan.
