Renault Kadjar

Kadjar expands Renault’s impressive product portfolio

 The past few years will always be memorable for Renault in South Africa. Products like the Clio, updated Duster, the Captur and of course the new Sandero all contributed to the brand’s 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 “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 SUV. 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. From behind 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 are 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 and we were impressed with how premium the brand has made the vehicle feel. It 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.