Renault has unveiled the new 2016 Kadjar, a fresh compact crossover that will sit between the widely successful Captur and the ageing Koleos
The Renault Kadjar is the French manufacturer’s fresh entry into the widely disputed compact crossover segment. Unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland, the new Renault Kadjar sits above the Captur and is, in essence, the Nissan Qashqai’s French cousin, based on the shared Renault-Nissan CMF C/D platform.
Renault’s new crossover is 4.45 meters long, 1.84 meters wide and 1.60 meters high, making it 7 centimeters longer, 3 centimeters wider and 1 centimeter higher than the Qashqai.
The exterior continues Renault’s current design language, with a large logo in the middle of the front fascia, surrounded by a V-shaped grille with a chrome strip that continues across the headlamps with C-shaped LED daytime running lights.
Inside, the 2015 Kadjar has a fairly simple dashboard layout, with a seven-inch touchscreen display for the optional R-Link 2 infotainment system taking centre stage, while the climate control knobs sit just below the screen.
The new R-Link system comes with TomTom GPS navigation, voice recognition, live traffic reports and a suite of apps that offer things like news, weather reports and social media feeds. Also, there is a seven-inch color display mounted in the instrument binnacle, creating a rather futuristic look for the French crossover.
Renault says that there are soft -touch materials on the dashboard, with extra attention directed towards the seats that have dual-density foam and generous lateral supports, making them comfortable and sporty at the same time, according to the official press release.
The rear bench seat has space for three people and can be split in 60/40 format using the Easy Break system that automatically unlocks and folds the rear seats via the handles located in the boot.
There are two configurations for the boot floor, with a ‘low’ position that provides a cargo space of 472 liters, and a ‘high’ position that makes the floor completely flat, thus facilitating the loading of large objects. Also, the front passenger seat can be tipped forward to make a small table, and there’s an option to split the boot into two or three sections to stop small items from moving around.
Tech-wise, the new Renault Kadjar gets a host of systems designed to make life easier and safer at the wheel, with Active Emergency Braking (AEBS), Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Warning, Easy Park Assist (semi-automatic parking) and Hill Start Assist available.
There are three engine choices for Renault’s new compact crossover, all Euro 6 compliant and equipped with Start&Stop technology with deceleration energy recovery – a 1.2-liter petrol unit developing 130 PS (128 hp) and 205 Nm of torque, a 1.5-liter diesel with 110 PS (108 hp) and 260 Nm (or 250 Nm for the automatic transmission), and a 1.6-literdiesel with 130 PS (128 hp) and 320 Nm of torque.
All models come with 190 mm of ground clearance, two-wheel drive and a manual six-speed gearbox, but you can get four-wheel drive for the 1.6-liter diesel engine which comes with a rotary dial that lets you choose between three modes – Lock (locks the transmission in 4WD mode and splits the torque 50/50 between the front and rear axles), Auto (the torque is automatically sent to the wheels that have better traction) and 2WD (only the front wheels are receiving torque from the engine, with the rear axle disengaged). Also, with the 1.5-liter diesel you can get a dual-clutch six-speed automatic transmission.
The petrol unit averages between 5.6-5.8 l/100 km (48.7-50.4 mpg) while the diesels have a combined fuel economy ranging between 3.8-3.9 l/100 km (72.4-74.3 mpg) for the 1.5-liter unit, and 4.3-4.9 l/100 km (57.6-65.7 mpg) for the 1.6-liter.
The new Kadjar will go on sale in Europe in the summer of 2015, with prices starting at 22.990 Euros in France for the base Life trim with the 1.2-liter petrol engine, and go up to 31.700 Euros for the top Business variant with 4WD and the diesel 1.6-litre engine.