Renault Kadjar dCi 130 Signature Nav launch report

You don’t need us to tell you the crossover market is booming, you no doubt have several parked on your street right now. Along with strong Clio sales, this is helping Renault’s fortunes, because its Captur is fast becoming a star product, with an impressive 416,000 sales under its belt, making it the best-selling small crossover in Europe.

But, even those figures could soon be superseded by its big brother, the Renault Kadjar. Yes, it might have a slightly dubious name, but in every other respect the Kadjar looks like a real winner. Based on the same underpinnings as the Nissan Qashqai, the two cars share around 60 per cent of their parts, but Renault says 95 per cent of the bits customers will see and touch are unique.

After seeing it in the flesh, and on the street, we think the Kadjar may even have the edge over the Qashqai in the looks department. Our test car certainly looked stunning finished in Flame Red paint and with 19-inch alloy wheels filling the wheel arches. Importantly, it also slightly undercuts the Qashqai on price, starting from £17,995. The model tested here comes in at £24,795.

Hop inside and the driving position and major controls all feel great too, and there’s a striking digital screen for the speedometer. All but the entry-level version get a touch-screen with the latest version of Renault’s R-Link infotainment system. 

Some of the plastics are a bit of a let-down, though. The matt black finish around the centre console just doesn’t look very inspiring, but on the plus side it should prove tough and hard wearing.

But, that’s nit-picking, and more important is the amount of space on offer, and the commanding view over the road which many people increasingly crave. Three adults can sit in the back – at a push – and there’s plenty of room for baby seats. The boot is impressive too, with 472 litres of space pipping the Qashqai by 42 litres. The top two trim levels also boast one-touch handles in the boot to fold the rear seats flat, liberating 1,478 litres of space.

Another strong selling point will be a reasonably priced £590 folding tow bar, lest we forget how popular the Kadjar is expected to be with the caravanning fraternity and those who partake in all sorts of leisure activities requiring a trailer and a long weekend.

Those who tow (and those who merely tow kids around) will probably want the 1.6-litre diesel tested here, with 128bhp thanks to its extra pulling power. But, few are expected to choose four-wheel drive (just ten per cent according to Renault), and costing £1,500, it is a dear option which also has a negative impact on running costs. 

In front-wheel drive guise economy is an impressive 62.8mpg (117g/km of CO2), but this drops to 57.6mpg with four-wheel drive and 129g/km of CO2.

With a challenging test route through the North Pennines, Renault didn’t pull any punches, but the Kadjar took everything in its stride. The steering doesn’t buzz with feel, but its weighting is about right and it feels very accurate. With little body roll and plenty of grip, the Kadjar feels unflustered by even the most dramatic-looking corners and the brakes are reassuringly strong too.

Shod with 19-inch wheels the ride quality is fine, but we look forward to testing a version with 17-inch alloys as we suspect it would be more comfortable, with no major impact on driving feel.

So, would we recommend the Kadjar? If you want a neatly styled and practical family car, it’s certainly a top contender. There’s lots of space and equipment included in the price tag, and the driving experience doesn’t take a back seat.