Limited edition scores points
LAUNCH NEWS/ Mark Smyth gains some experience in the Renault Kadjar XP
When Renault announced it was going to launch a limited edition of its Kadjar crossover with the name XP, my first thought was of the days of the Microsoft XP operating system. Those were the days when my laptop would crash for no reason at all and I used to have to update it every five minutes.
But that is not what Renault SA was thinking about. Apparently XP is a term used by gamers meaning Experience Points. It reflects the points gathered during a game as you progress through it. I can’t say I’d heard of the term in that way, but my gaming experience is all about driving in Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, so I guess I am playing different games.
No points for guessing that Renault has added some stuff to the base level Kadjar to give it a bit more appeal, for those seeking new experiences. Included in the standard price of R364,900 are roof rails, a tow bar, 17-inch alloy wheels and cornering fog lights. You also get side steps, which look remarkably like the ones you can get on the Nissan Qashqai. No surprises there — the Kadjar and the Qashqai are twins.
We recently took the limited edition model for a drive and while we did not exactly test the accessories, except perhaps for the wheels, it was an opportunity to drive the base model.
Featuring a 1.2l turbocharged petrol engine, producing 96kW and 205Nm, it hustled along rather nicely. It might not have the torque of the turbodiesel versions such as the one we have in our long-term fleet, but it was rather decent. You have to wait for the turbo to spin up though. Before that you are basically playing a waiting game, but with a good six-speed manual transmission it is relatively simple to balance the pedals to get the most out of it. It was definitely a better package than some of the more powerful models equipped with the EDC dual clutch gearbox.
Being the base model it lacks the touchscreen infotainment system, but the standard radio setup looks good and still provides Bluetooth connectivity. And you get remote controls on the steering wheel.
You also still get the digital instrument cluster which enables you to change the themes and colours and scroll through multiple data screens.
Overall it is a surprisingly good package and while the additional items will not be to everyone’s taste, they complement the vehicle rather well.
If you don’t want them then try asking the dealer to do you a deal on the regular model, in which case the value of the accessories is R40,000.
If the Kadjar XP appeals then the only thing you don’t get with it is a gaming console, so your experience points will have to be accumulated in the real world.