The Renault Kadjar has consistently adapted austere application amid the accepted crop of ancestors crossovers, and the latest updates accession its bold further. The new engines mark the bigger improvement, and buck able achievement with the affiance of abundant ammunition economy. Some rivals are bigger to drive, and some feel added appropriate inside, but as a practical, able all-rounder, the Kadjar is adamantine to fault.
This is the refreshed-for-2019 Renault Kadjar SUV. The C-segment crossover has been advised to a array of tweaks to accumulate it beginning – awfully important, because it sits in arguably the busiest and best aggressive new car class. So are the changes abundant to accomplish it annual allotment over a SEAT Ateca, Ford Kuga or Nissan Qashqai?
As before, the Kadjar is mechanically agnate to the Qashqai, and the latest updates accommodate the aforementioned overhauled agent calendar which was afresh alien to its Nissan cousin.
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The agent ambit bliss off with an adapted adaptation of the absolute 1.5 dCi; there’s now an Adblue clarify to abate emissions, added soundproofing about the block and a nominal ability and torque increase. The old 1.6 has been redeveloped into a 1.7-litre assemblage which, with 148bhp on tap, is decidedly added able-bodied than before. It’s additionally the alone Kadjar offered with four-wheel drive and a locking differential.
But in a assurance of how the bazaar has afflicted aural the aftermost year or two, it’s the petrol engines that are accepted to annual for about 70 per cent of Kadjar sales in the UK. A new 1.3 litre turbocharged unit, co-developed with Daimler, is accessible in two outputs. There’s a 158bhp assemblage at the top of the range, and a 138bhp adaptation apprenticed here.
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Along with the new engines, the Kadjar is advised to a administration revamp. The advanced grille is added and gets new chrome inserts, and the cardinal bowl is confused upwards to emphasise the 4×4-inspired splitter. About the back, there’s a new bonanza with chip LED abandoning lights; and the brighter lighting tech is additionally activated to the appendage lights and indicators.
The exoteric changes are accomplished off with the addition of a few new admixture caster designs and three new colours: Oural Green, Highland Grey and, on the top two trim levels, Iron Blue.
Inside, Renault has fabricated a alternation of baby detail improvements. They don’t transform what is still a hardly banal cabin, but the changes are all positive. The redesigned seats, for example, are added admiring than afore (particularly at the sides), there’s a new sliding centre armrest, while aflame window switchgear from the Megane looks added expensive. The centre animate cup holders are an advance on before, but still comically shallow.
The new altitude controls are great, too: three big dials anniversary accept congenital screens to appearance temperature and blower direction. They’re asleep accessible to use and attending abundant bigger than before.
The touchscreen, now installed alike to the dash, looks abundant tidier and is added acknowledging to the touch. It’s aloof a abashment that it’s still bedfast by the aforementioned apathetic loading times, bulky airheaded and blowzy graphics. At atomic Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are accepted beyond the ambit now.
Little has afflicted from a anatomy point of view, so it’s the new engines which accomplish the aberration to the way the car drives. The account is appealing abundant universally positive: the 138bhp assemblage is abundant stronger than the approachable 1.2 throughout the rev range. While it’s not the smoothest assemblage back revved hard, it settles bottomward into a hushed cruise.
If anything, this adaptation of the agent performs so able-bodied that it’s ambiguous whether or not the added almighty advantage is absolutely necessary. The 158bhp adaptation is claimed to be 0.5 abnormal quicker to 0-62mph, but the aberration is almost apparent alike back the brace are apprenticed back-to-back.
Both are accessible with a best of six-speed chiral or seven-speed automated gearboxes. The chiral is affable enough, and although the auto is easier to use about town, it can be apathetic to bang bottomward back you appetite to advance or overtake.
Elsewhere, the Kadjar active acquaintance is as before: on the 19-inch caster archetypal we sampled, the ride is hardly firmer than in the Qashqai yet smoother than a SEAT Ateca. Turn into a bend and anatomy ascendancy is reasonable, and the council is absolute enough, if alms little feel. Not fun, but altogether able for a activated ancestors car.
And that’s area the Renault fares well. It’s 472 lite cossack is beyond than the Nissan, and it’s got affluence of amplitude axial for five. Aback bench cartage are now advised to axial air vents and a brace of USB sockets.
The ambit starts from £20,995, in Play trim – one of four available. Accepted accessories includes 17-inch admixture wheels, altitude ascendancy and that 7-inch touchscreen with smartphone integration. The aces of the ambit looks to be the Iconic, which, for £1,500 more, adds 19-inch alloys, accessory navigation, a abandoning camera, and lane abandonment warning.
And at that price, it compares actual favourably with its abutting rival. Compare the Kadjar Iconic with the almost agnate Nissan Qashqai N-Connecta with identical 138bhp engines, and the Renault is £2,500 cheaper. Renault is yet to absolution accounts deals, but alike admitting the Nissan’s offers are actual aggressive at the moment, that’s a big aberration if you buck in apperception that the brace are abundant the aforementioned to drive and the Renault has added amplitude inside.
Exterior 2023 Renault Kadjar – 2023 Renault Kadjar
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