TARGETING THE CROSSOVER CROWN
Kadjar. Now there’s a name to conjure with. It means agile quad, according to some. Others say it’s a Persian royal family.
The latter theory fits for the Kadjar is the new Renault crossover which is related to the Nissan Qashqai, itself named after an Iranian tribe.
The Kadjar – the more you say it, the better it sounds – has a hard task ahead. Sure, Renault is on a roll at the moment with sales almost doubling between 2012 and 2015. And sure, Kadjar is an admirable motor, full of charm, style and value.
But taking on its sibling, the Qashqai, is a formidable task. Qashqai replaced the forgetable Terrano in 2006 and has since become a star in the motoring world.
It replaced the Almera saloon and has become the mainstay of Nissan, proving to a sceptical public that crossovers could indeed be big-sellers.
Renault, now part of a huge Nissan-Renault empire, is now in on the act too for Kadjar is the French firm’s version of Qashqai.
It has some notable differences, though. It has a bigger boot and a different – some might say better – style. It fits into the Renault family too above the similar but smaller Captur which is related to the Nissan Juke.
One car in every five sold around the world these days is a crossover – that is, a cross between two styles. In this case it is part-SUV and part-estate.
Renault insist it is really a three-way crossover because it combines the best of estate, SUV and saloon car driving. That’s stretching it a bit. Good as it is on the road, it doesn’t handle as well as a saloon but it is better than most SUVs.
Kadjar, which starts at £17,995, was given a major boost just before it went on sale when it achieved bestin-class residual values from independent valuation experts CAP.
CAP is predicting average residual values of 43 per cent for the Kadjar range after three years and 60,000 miles. This is at least three percentage points better than any of its six major rivals from Europe and South Korea.
Coming on top of highly competitive pricing, low insurance rates and efficient engines which reduce fuel consumption and taxation, this is a further pointer to the all-round low running costs Kadjar owners can expect.
Every model but one can exceed 50mpg in the NEDC combined cycle test, and eight comfortably better 70mpg. This ensures low CO2 emissions, with taxation benefits for both business and private owners. Four versions of the all-new Kadjar have a CO2 rating of less than 100g/km.
The Kadjar is an 18-model range spanning two-wheedrive and four-wheel-drive models and four trim levels.
The engines are the 1.2litre turbocharged TCe 130hp four-cylinder direct-injection petrol unit, the 1.5-litre dCi 110hp four-cylinder diesel and the 1.6-litre dCi four-cylinder 130hp diesel. An Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) automatic gearbox is available with the dCi 110 engine. Intelligent fourwheel drive with three operating modes is offered with the dCi 130.
The trim lines are familiar to owners of other Renault vehicles – Expression, Dynamique Nav, Dynamique S Nav and Signature Nav.
One of the key features in the Kadjar is its extra loadspace. The boot holds 472 litres of luggage rising up to 1,478 litres with the seats down. It means with the seats up the boot is much bigger than the Qashqai.