Renault’s new Kadjar is a fresh approach to the Nissan Qashqai design from the French brand. The new Kadjar launched at the Ploughing is available with three engine options and entry prices starting at €24,990 for the 1.2 litre turbo-petrol engine version. This makes it slightly more competitive than the Qashqai.

The cars will be available three engine options, two gearboxes and two drive systems. Renault claims that the new Kadjar will offer fuel economy of up to 26km/litre (74.3mpg) on the combined cycle, with CO2 emissions as low as 99g/km.

Renault claims that this is possible due the car’s sleek shape and low weight of the car, and the Renault engine Stop&Start system, which is standard on all manual models. Renault claims that the Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) transmission on automatics in place of a more fuel-sapping torque converter system will drive better economy, while the ECO driving mode optimises the engine’s performance when cruising. For the Kadjar, Renault will be offering the Renault Driving eco2 feature to help owners adopt a more economical driving style and coupled with brake energy recovery, these features should help with economy.

Standard safety features include ABS with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Emergency Brake Assist, ESC stability control with traction and understeer control, cruise control, speed limiter, Hill Start Assist, six airbags, seat belts with load limiters and pretensioners at the front, side impact protection bars and ISOFIX child-seat mounting points on the two outer rear seats. Kadjar achieved a five-star rating in the Euro NCAP safety test results in the summer of 2015.

There will be 15 model variants of the Kadjar including 4x2 and 4x4 models. The mid-range SUV has already received a 5 star Euro NCAP safety rating and comes with a 5 year warranty deal. The Kadjar is built in Spain at a Renault factory.