- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru Fr He
Ultra-compact, safe, modern
The Renault Kadjar is a compact SUV produced by Renault (France) since 2015. Both front and all-wheel drive versions are available. There are petrol and diesel engines, manual gearbox and 6-speed semi-automatic dual-clutch transmission. In 2021, Israeli buyers can purchase the first generation SUV after the 2018 restyling.
The name ‘Kadjar’ symbolizes a word-play: the first three letters ‘KAD’ come from the word ‘quad’ taken from the ATV world, while the last three letters ‘JAR’ are combinations of two French words symbolizing mobility and sudden appearance. Here’s what the manufacturers say: “The Kadjar has an exotic sound and spelling, which speaks of the desire to get away from the hustle and bustle and go on new adventures”.
The first generation
It has been produced from 2015 to the present, and was restyled in 2018. In March 2015, Renault unveiled its new car with the exotic name ‘Kadjar’ at the Geneva Motor Show. It is built on the modular CMF platform also used in the current generations of the Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail. The SUV is primarily designed to fill the empty niche in the model range of the French brand and to become the ‘big brother’ of the compact Renault Captur, without competing with the Qashqai.
Smooth rounded lines and convex shapes make the exterior of the vehicle look unique. The credit goes to designers who worked under the command of Laurens van der Acker. As a result, the SUV boasts of an unusually shaped radiator grille with a huge Renault diamond, wheel arches in the prominent fenders, aggressive LED Pure Vision headlights with low and high beam modules and LED daytime running lights sections, textured lights with LED filling at the rear. The general look is reminiscent of the Nissan Qashqai, but there are no common body parts.
The Kadjar’s body is 4,450 mm long, 1,840 wide and 1,600 mm high. Thus, Renault’s SUV has turned out to be slightly larger than Nissan’s SUV (4,377/1,837/1,595 mm), which the model is constantly compared with. The ground clearance of the French SUV is 190 mm. The trunk volume reaches 472 liters (42 liters more than that of the Japanese model). At the same time, each part of the back of the backseat can be folded down (in a 60/40 ratio) with one touch, in which case the maximum volume will be 1,478 liters.
Interior and lighting
The Renault Kadjar’s interior is distinguished by quality materials, excellent ergonomics and cool seats with delicate lateral support. The steering wheel is height and reach adjustable. The driver will also like the customizable digital dashboard. It is pleasant to see a thick and easy to hold hand grip for the front passenger next to the gear selector. However the seating position of the back seat is not very comfortable: the door opening is small and it opens at an insufficiently large angle. There is enough knee room, even behind a tall driver, and head room.
The basic equipment of the first Kadjar included: front and side front airbags for the driver and passenger, curtain airbags, ABS, ESP, EBV (Electronic Brake Variator), AFU (Emergency Brake Assist), ASR (Traction control system) and a hill start assist. Moreover, the equipment includes LED DRLs, tire pressure sensors, an automatic parking brake. A parking aid, a start-stop system, a rear-view camera, an emergency brake, a fatigue control system, a traffic-sign recognition system, a lane departure warning system and other equipment are available as options. The European Commission Euro NCAP has awarded a five out of five stars safety rating to the vehicle.
Engines and chassis
The 2015/2016 Renault Kadjar was equipped with petrol and diesel engines. The 1.2-liter petrol engine produces 130 hp. There are two diesel modifications: a 1.5-liter Energy dCi engine producing 110 hp and more powerful 1.6-liter Energy dCi producing 130 hp. The powerful diesel engine comes in front-wheel and all-wheel drive versions, but was supplemented only by a 6-speed manual transmission.
As for the chassis design, Renault’s SUV is classic: there is the MacPherson strut at the front and a semi-independent suspension (torsion beam) at the rear, but the all-wheel drive version has a multi-link rear suspension. The vehicle has disc brakes on all wheels (front ventilated) and electric power steering.
2018 restyling
The 2018/2019 Renault Kadjar now looks more serious: wider chrome grille, smaller black linings on the new bumpers, additional chrome inserts and new fog lights. The headlights are now equipped with C-shaped brackets of running lights, and the expensive versions have fully LED headlights.
The interior has changed even more. The center console now comprises a new seven-inch touchscreen of the R-Link 2 multimedia system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto services, a new climate control unit. The front seats have been improved: the padding is more comfortable, the lateral support is better and there is a cushion length adjustment, which is available for the first time. The power windows and rear-view mirrors control buttons have been united into a single unit on the armrest of the driver’s door.
According to Renault, the Kadjar has an exotic sound and spelling, which speaks of the desire to get away from the hustle and bustle and go on new adventures.
Some changes have taken place in the range of engines: there is now a turbocharged 1.3 ТСe petrol engine of the Energy family already known from other Renault models. This engine is available in two boost options (140 and 160 hp). From now on, it is used instead of the previous 1.2 ТСе (130 hp) and 1.6 ТСе (163 hp) engines.
The diesel engines have also been upgraded and have acquired a Blue prefix due to the transition to new European environmental standards. The previous 1.5 liter engine have become 5 hp more powerful (115 hp), and a 1.6 liter diesel (130 hp) engine was replaced with a 1.8 liter Blue dCi 150 engine. However, the gearboxes are the same: 6-speed manual transmission and EDC semi-automatic transmission with two clutches. And the most powerful diesel SUV is still available with Nissan’s all-wheel drive transmission.
