2015 Renault Kadjar 1.6 DCi 130 4WD Complete Review

2015 Renault Kadjar one.6 administrator a hundred thirty four wheel drive review Renault's answer to the Qashqai is not reaching to pull on your love, however it will all that you'd need it to try to to and at a good value

What is it?: 
‘'Blimey, that’s a vast Renault badge, and what the euphemism is that the name all about?'’ ar possible to be the primary things to cross your mind after you see the new Renault Kadjar. If you actually need to understand, the name is truly a untidy chopping and merging of the words quad and jaillir, which suggests ‘to emerge quickly’ in French.

Nope, we’re none the wiser, either, however once you’ve got over the weird name (and everyone got over Qashqai eventually), the Kadjar has legion promise. 

Based on a similar platform because the Qashqai, the Kadjar is on the market with a one29bhp 1.2-litre turbocharged hydrocarbon, a 109bhp 1.5-litre diesel or a one28bhp 1.6-litre diesel, the latter of which may be had with simple machine drive.

It’s priced to undercut key competition, significantly given the generous verbal description that has sat-nav and a color touchscreen, therefore it’s ready to require on the big-selling family SUVs, just like the Nissan, Kia Sportage and VW Tiguan. 

In fact, going by the asking price you’ll pay over £2000 less for a Kadjar with sat-nav than you'll for a equally equipped Nissan Qashqai.

What's it like?: 

It’s specifically what it must be – composed, sure and simple to drive swimmingly. It’s no fireball, of course, however the steering includes a good bite thereto even round the dead-ahead, and it builds weight increasingly, therefore you don’t have the unpleasantly obscure, woolly-feeling steering of some family-oriented Renaults.

The 1.6-litre diesel may be a very little laggy lower down the rev vary however it will deliver a good quantity of torsion, that builds from simply higher than 1500rpm, and it keeps actuation powerfully through the mid-range. The four-wheel-drive system conjointly stops any aggressive torsion steer or wheel spin, creating it simple to deploy what is on supply.

The Kadjar's drivetrain is associate degree on-demand setup that may send something up to five hundredth of the drive to the rear wheels once deemed necessary, and you'll be able to lock it into permanent 50/50 four-wheel-drive mode, or front-wheel drive solely, must you get bored of automobile mode doing all that for you.


Most of the time it’s in front-wheel drive, and even when power has been diverted to the back end you’ll still get a gentle wash of understeer if you take a corner aggressively, but generally it remains stoically on line even over some fast gravel roads we tried.

Mind you, for all the effectiveness of the four-wheel drive, we had a dabble in a front-wheel drive 1.2 petrol car (quiet, smooth, but needs revving) which is just as composed on road. Your local road or weather conditions will need to really warrant the extra £1500 expense of four-wheel drive, as it’s probably completely unnecessary for most buyers looking at this sort of car. The front-wheel drive 1.6-litre diesel even tows the same 1800kg max trailer weight as this 4WD model, too.

We have some reservations about the ride comfort, which on 19in alloys of our test car was pretty brittle at low speeds, but smaller wheels could make a big difference and the Kadjar is smooth and unflustered over awkward cambers and undulations.

The interior of the Kadjar is a real success. You get a colour touchscreen and sat-nav, and the dash looks neat and tidy, with nicely presented switches, good material textures, and the best sense of solidity of any current Renault by a mile. If you’re willing to pay top whack then you can even make it feel quite classy, with panoramic glass roof and part-leather interior on top-spec cars.

There’s loads of room in the front and back so even four tall adults will be comfy - it feels like a particularly wide cabin – and the boot is a really good size. It’s a shame you don’t get the adjustable boot floor in the lower trim, and the load lip is unusually high, but it’ll still hold as much paraphernalia as most families are likely to throw at it.

Should I buy one?:
Yes, if you’re looking for a family SUV-type car for hatchback cash – and it seems that most buyers are – then the Kadjar 1.6 dCi is a fine choice.

Pricing is great given the equipment, company car tax will be amongst the lowest in the class, and resale values are predicted to be good.

It’s not really a car that appeals to the heart, but none of the cars in this class are, and the Renault ticks all the boxes. Is it the best in class? That depends on how it performs in the UK, for ride comfort in particular, but at the moment it looks like a really strong contender.

Renault Kadjar 1.6 DCi 130 4WD

Location Zaragoza, Spain; On sale 01/09/2015; Price from £24,295; Engine 4cyls, 1598cc, turbodiesel; Power 129bhp at 4000rpm; Torque 236lb ft at 1750rpm; Gearbox 6-spd manual; Kerb weight 1536kg; Top speed 118mph; 0-62mph 10.5sec; Economy 58.8mpg; CO2 rating & BIK tax band 126g/km / 23%