Time to talk deals with impressive Kadjar

Renault hit the mid-range SUV market at some pace with the arrival of the Kadjar last autumn. This SUV is based on the design of the very popular Nissan Qashqai, sharing a lot of the vehicle structure and engines. So it’s fair to say that its success on the market comes in on the coat-tails of the Qashqai.

From a standing start, the Kadjar has moved into fourth position in the mid-range SUV market, ahead of better known rivals such as the Ford Kuga and Toyota RAV4. That may not be surprising as the Renault offer, in terms of the price and the overall package including finance, is attractive.

This is a new sector for Renault and customers are happy to go with the Renault brand on the SUV. The styling is broadly similar to that of the Qashqai with some subtle differences inside and out.

The front grille design is noticeably Renault. On the Kadjar, it looks very well and fits in with the overall styling of the SUV. There are differences inside also – the dash design is more Renault that Nissan with more digital numbers than analogue. There’s a softer feel to the controls, including the steering wheel.

I had the Signature version, which is the top-end specification model with the 1.5-litre diesel engine on a recent test run. The engine is well tried and tested in both Renault and Nissan vehicles.

The Kadjar produces 110bhp and 250Nm of torque, which is modest against some of the competition such as the latest 2.0-litre Ford Kuga or the new Toyota RAV4 with a similar engine. Even against the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, the Kadjar’s power and torque figures are lower.

The acceleration pace is also modest; it is going to be marginally slower than its more powerful competitors, while it drives with comfort and smoothness, in a similar way to the Qashqai. The driving differences between it and the Qashqai will be difficult to discern and the six-speed gearbox and clutch were light to handle. The Kadjar is just an easy car to drive and over 1,700 buyers have proved that point already this year. The engine is reasonably economical for an SUV of this size helped by the Renault Stop & Start system. The official economy figure at 25.6km/litre (3.9l/100km or 72mpg) is probably one of the best around, but is not possible to achieve in practice.

I drove the Kadjar over almost 900km and found that even in the eco-setting mode that I was getting a figure closer to 17.5km/litre (5.7l/100km or 50mpg), which is over 35% poorer than the official figure. That is also no surprise to me as I usually get a 30% to 35% fuel economy variance in a real-life test drive compared with the rated figure.

The towing performance is light at 1.45 tonnes, which is lower than most of the competition. Opting for the larger engine version with four-wheel-drive will boost this to 1.8 tonnes.

From a family motoring point of view, the Kadjar is well equipped with ABS brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, electronic stability control with traction and under steer control, cruise control, speed limiter and hill start assist, all as standard across the range. The safety kit for all versions includes six airbags, seat belts with load limiters and pre-tensioners at the front, side impact protection bars and ISOFIX child-seat mounting points .

Standard features on all models from the entry-level Expression+ models upwards include an automatic electronic parking brake, front fog lights, LED daytime running lamps, and tinted windows. There is a seven-inch TFT instrument panel with digital speedometer, all-round electric windows, air conditioning, Bluetooth, a USB socket and a 4 x 20W DAB radio with fingertip controls and an auxiliary power input.

So, the package is good along with a five-year or 200,000km warranty deal. Renault is offering low-cost 3% APR finance deals with low deposit rates on the Kadjar and that offer is attracting new buyers to an SUV that is essentially a copy of the Qashqai, although built in a Spanish rather than a British factory.

It has a relatively low three-year ownership cost at €0.29/km, which makes it an attractive buy, with the depreciation costs linked somewhat to those of the Qashqai. The entry price for the lower end 110bhp 1.5-litre diesel version is €26,790 or £19,895 in Northern Ireland and that too is competitive against all but the Nissan offering. CL

Renault Kadjar 1.5 CDi

Engine 1.5 litre

Engine power 110hp

0-100km/hr 11.7 seconds

Economy 25.6km/litre

Fuel tank capacity 55 litres

CO2 emissions 103g/km

Road tax band A4 €200

Main service 20,000km

Euro NCAP rating Five stars

Towing rating 1,450kg

Warranty Five years/ (200,000km)

Entry price €26,790

NI price £19,895

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