A PINCH OF PANACHE

Renault’s foray into small family luggers shows flair — and familiar quirks

Renault is looking to reboot itself in Australia and the Kadjar small SUV is the first step in the company’s new product offensive. The Kadjar is based on the platform of Nissan’s popular Qashqai but Renault has stretched the body to improve boot and occupant space. The 1.3-litre turbo is also more fuel efficient and powerful than the naturally aspirated 2.0-litre in the Qashqai.

Throw in a starting price of $29,990 and the Kadjar starts to sound like a test-drive worthy proposition. Standard gear on the base Kadjar Life includes autonomous emergency braking, seven-inch infotainment display with smartphone mirroring, auto lights and wipers and parking sensors front and back.

That starting price is what will get you in the showroom door. In reality, you’ll want to spend $32,990 on the Kadjar Zoe.

Key additions for the extra $3K include blind spot and lane departure alerts, a pair of USB ports and air vents for rear passengers, along with a pull-down cup holder and armrest in the middle pew and satnav included in the infotainment set-up.

Topping the line-up is the Kadjar Intens at $37,990. The wheels grow from 17 to 19 inches, there’s full LED lighting, powered and heated front seats with leather trim, more chrome inside and out, sunroof and Bose audio.

Metallic paint is a $750 option across the range. The Kadjar is also the first Renault to come with five-year capped price servicing to match the five-year warranty. The service intervals are annually or every 30,000km.

The Kadjar has yet to be crash-tested by ANCAP but the omission of blind-spot and lane-departure on the base version consigns the small SUV to a four-star rating at best.

ON THE ROAD

Provoke the Kadjar and you’ll ultimately unsettle it … but that isn’t likely at the pace most Kadjars will be driven.

The front-driver is designed to lug small families and it does that with a bit of panache, at least on the outside.

The front seats are well contoured and contribute to the high-riding position beloved by SUV owners.

There are physical buttons for the aircon, so you don’t have to trawl through digital menus on the touchscreen.

The cabin itself is finished with decent, if not class-leading, plastics and materials, though there’s not much design flair going on beyond the digital instrument panel — its C-shaped fuel and engine temperature displays mirror the look of the daytime running lights and tail-lamps.

Renault aficionados will notice a few familiar quirks, including the plastic brick housing the audio controls mounted behind the steering wheel and having the cruise control/speed limiter switch mounted between the seats instead of on the steering wheel. Space in the back is fine for a pair of adults and the seats fold flat to extend the cargo area from 408L to 1478L.

Under way, you’ll find the 1.3-litre turbo is an impressive part of the package — acceleration off the line is tyre-chirpingly acceptable and the Kadjar will hold its own on the back roads.

Less impressive is the calibration of the seven-speed dual-clutch auto and throttle.

On a few occasions, the Kadjar didn’t so much hesitate as “consider its options” before reacting to right-foot pressure for more power to maintain speed up an incline. In the next pass over the same stretch at the same speed, the transmission and throttle interacted perfectly.

The steering is predictably light to aid shopping centre parking and the Kadjar’s ride is just shy of firm. I’ll take that in preference to a plush ride that results in too much body roll.

The torsion beam rear end will step out a little on nasty mid-corner corrugations but then rights itself without bothering the stability control light.

All in all, it’s a safe and benign drive, so if the Kadjar’s looks impress, there’s probably every chance you’ll be happy owning one.

VERDICT

The Kadjar doesn’t stand out from the crowded small SUV field but holds its own with most on price and specification.