Renault Kadjar

2016 Renault Kadjar

This is the brand-new Renault Kadjar and although the name sounds like it came from the bits from what you often listened on Love Radio, this is Renault's idea of a active lifestyle vehicle, something you would take it on a long summer holiday, but it's more than that because the new Kadjar served as the replacement for the old, odd-looking Renault Koleos, which the the first full-fledged crossover made by Renault from scratch, and this new model surely wants to pick up where the Koleos left off.

2016 Renault Kadjar

It's basically a Nissan Q###### (sorry, some letters covered for search query reasons) underneath so you might think that the Kadjar feels like the un-Japanese Japanese crossover that some parts of the world get except for Japan and as a matter of fact, it is. Because this is the Renault-Nissan alliance we're talking about and you can expect the same engine choices as the Nissan Q-crossover (which for search query reasons, I can't mention the whole car name to you) such as the turbocharged 1.2L petrol, 1.5L diesel and the 1.6L diesel engine.

2016 Renault Kadjar interior

The design isn't half bad for an active lifestyle vehicle but you can think of the Kadjar like the oversized Captur with a hint of Japanese stuff underneath its French looks. It's not bad too look at its profile but it's not quite a looker when you drive through an urban landscape. On the inside, the Kadjar's becoming more crude to the eyes of the driver even though its seating capacity of five people and ample boot space are good because just like what happened to the new Espace, you won't be needing your CD collection anymore thanks to its new-generation Renault R-Link telematics system with USB and BlueTooth connectivity as well as some other tech. Quite a harsh reality, eh?

2016 Renault Kadjar

In the real world, the Kadjar may not be the most exciting rides you can drive on the long weekend but it's surprisingly civilized, clever, and an all-rounder. If you opt for the 1.6L diesel variant with four-wheel drive, the Kadjar behaves like what a leisure activity vehicle should, although driving one off-road is somewhat a so-so. Let's not forget that the 1.6L variant produces the same power output as the turbocharged 1.2L petrol but it has the highest torque output of all the trim models with 320Nm.

However, if efficiency is you're after, the 1.5L diesel variant is the best bet because of its combined fuel consumption of 3.8L/100km even when it comes with the iffy dual clutch gearbox like you get from the hot Renault Clio.

Price-wise, the Kadjar starts at 22,990 Euros which is somewhat a reasonably priced lifestyle activity vehicle for a start but you would need some more cash to spec it out into something likable with some tech and more oomph.

Photo: Renault