Happy families
time. Mated to the same 1.3-litre unit in 160bhp guise, the extra slug of power is welcome and the overall experience is equally quiet and capable, with an almost diesel-like ability to chug along at low speeds in a high gear.
If you still want a diesel Kadjar it’s good to know that it’s also a capable choice. A 1.5-litre unit is available with 115bhp and a 1.7 in 150bhp trim, with the former engine capable of 67.2mpg average fuel economy and the latter also powering the flagship all-wheel drive model.
And in this guise, with a fancy switchable drive mode feature, it’ll happily trundle over modest obstacles and shrug off the perils of muddy fields
LOGBOOK LOWDOWN
£20,595- £29,995
Engine range:
Turbo-petrol – 1.3, 1.3-litre 160bhp; Turbo-diesel – 1.5, 1.7-litre
0 to 60mph in
9.9 seconds, 130mph top speed (1.3-litre 160bhp)
Power: Average fuel economy:
67.2mpg (1.5TD)
CO2 emissions range:
111-134g/km
Peugeot 3008, Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen Tiguan 8/10
Rivals: Rating:
and rutted tracks. If you plan on towing anything, this is the one to have.
Both six-speed manual and sevenspeed automatic gearboxes are available depending on the specific model. A dedicated all-wheel drive variant sits atop the majority front-wheel drive range, with the former enabling the driver to switch between more frugal front-drive running, an auto mode or a “lock” mode to permanently engage all-wheel drive at low speeds for genuine off-roading tasks.
Renault has also engineered the Kadjar with seven-and-a-half inches of ground clearance which should do much to challenge its “soft-roader” tag.
On the road the Kadjar is clearly set