LIVING WITH A... RENAULT KADJAR
After over 22,000 miles of fully loaded motoring, we bid farewell to SUV.
WHEN I climbed into my Kadjar at the start of the year, it had just been crowned Auto Express’s favourite crossover. And although it’s since been beaten by the SEAT Ateca in our New Car Awards, as I wave goodbye after 22,000-plus miles, I’m impressed with how the Renault’s delivered.
Makers have taken to marketing crossovers at lifestyle types, and while the car’s TV ad features abseiling adrenalin junkies, the reality is models such as this need to cater for families. That’s something the Renault has done perfectly over my time with it. Whether it’s putting my bike in the back, ferrying the kids and scooters, swallowing DIY kit or carrying the dog, the Kadjar’s flexibility knows virtually no bounds.
Practical
With the fitment of the optional roof bars, allowing a box to boost load space, we could load up easily and cart all our equipment to Devon for a family holiday. Forget the marketing people’s idea of snowboarding or downhill mountain biking, the Kadjar is everything a family SUV should be – delivering the practicality of a five-seat MPV in a more stylish package.
It’s also averaged an impressive 52.1mpg in my hands – and I’m hardly an economical driver. In fact, one frustration is with the ‘ecocoaching’ feature. Try as I might, I haven’t yet got my eco score over 53/100 – yet when a colleague recently went for a short drive, they managed to up this by a few points. Still, the tips the software gives are relatively useful and have helped me improve the rating over time. Imagine how efficient the car would be with an eco score in the 70s or even 80s.
This might be my fault, but other Kadjar downsides definitely aren’t. The R-link 2 infotainment set-up’s home button takes you to a screen that shows a split view of the sat-nav and radio station; great if you want to view either of these, yet it means you must press yet another button to get back to the main menu. It’s indicative of the whole frustrating set-up; there always seems to be one too many button presses involved.
The seven-inch touchscreen and clear graphics mean the multimedia system works well once you’re used to it, but such small, yet annoying, issues really count – especially when the sector is packed with talented rivals such as the Ateca, plus the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai.
Special mention should go to the driving experience, though. While newer models like the Ateca deliver more involving handling, the Renault’s supple ride and low noise levels made it a brilliant companion on typical, everyday journeys when the traffic was heavy or you just want to cruise.
“The Kadjar delivers the practicality of a five-seat MPV in a more stylish package”