Renault Kadjar
SECOND REPORT All-season tyres have added to appeal of crossover
IT’S mid-summer, yet we’ve decided to fit all-weather tyres to our Renault Kadjar. Why, you may ask? Well, tyre maker Michelin invited us to try a set of its new Crossclimate rubber, and with the Kadjar having racked up over 12,000 miles in six months under my stewardship, it made perfect sense for them to be fitted to the Renault for a prolonged test.
So we headed to Michelin’s UK technical centre in Stoke-on-trent, Staffordshire, where the new set of tyres was fitted by technical manager Jamie Mcwhir.
These Crossclimate tyres fill a gap between standard rubber and a full winter tyre. They feature multiple grooves like a winter tyre, but the rubber compound isn’t as soft, so they don’t wear as quickly if you’re using them in warm weather.
It’s a compromise for drivers who can’t afford to swap between winter and summer tyres each season, and I’ve found them to be pretty good so far.
I’ve noticed that there’s a softer edge to the Kadjar’s ride as a result of fitting the Crossclimate tyres, but they don’t have that spongy feel that you get with conventional winter tyres. The handling has been softened off, and you notice more movement from the car in corners, but then I’ve found that’s not really what the Kadjar is about, and the tyres have helped it deliver even better comfort and refinement.
However, there hasn’t been any really warm weather to test the limits of the Crossclimates’ ability, and the extra grooves have boosted grip in what has turned out to be a soaking summer so far.
Michelin offers Crossclimate tyres in a variety of sizes, and a set of four for the Kadjar on our car’s emissions-friendly 17-inch wheels costs £444. They’re well worth investing in if you want an all-weather tyre that delivers a good mix of warm weather grip and cold weather security.
Another addition we’ve made to the Kadjar is a set of roof bars. Renault’s official accessory set cost £165, and they’re a piece of cake to install on the standard roof rails. They’re lockable, and they’ve come in pretty handy, as I used them to fit a roof box to the car for a recent camping holiday. It meant my wife, two daughters and dog could all go away and we still had plenty of space to relax on the journey there and back.
As it turns out, the holiday was a bit of a washout, but at least we could stuff all of our wet items back in the roof box, rather than getting the cabin dirty. One issue with the roof bars is the extra wind noise they generate at motorway speeds – so much so that it becomes hard to hold a conversation – although at least they don’t whistle, like the set I fitted to a Kia Sportage a few years ago.
What’s surprising is that fuel economy hasn’t been affected by the roof bars. Maybe it’s because the bars are oval shaped and the end caps are rounded to help air flow over the car, but we’re returning 53.3mpg now the 1.5 dci diesel has loosened up. This is around 5mpg better than we were managing before our first report, and is pretty impressive for such a large car.
When I’m driving the Kadjar for work, the diesel engine is powerful enough for my needs, but I have found that the 1.5 dci feels a bit sluggish with a full complement of passengers on board. Still, the payoff is that the Kadjar is very comfortable, and the new tyres have only made the car more relaxing to drive than ever.
“There’s now a softer edge to the Kadjar’s ride, but you don’t get the spongy feel that winter tyres bring”