Launch Drive: Renault Kadjar on the sand dunes

The Renault Kadjar has finally landed in South Africa but it has its work cut out in what is a bustling and competitive C-Segment.

It’s in the name

Renault’s brand manager, Wayne van der Merwe finally says:, “it’s pronounced Kad-Jar.” He then goes on to mention how Renault have great respect for their competitors, two of which they share a platform with, the Nissan Qashqai and the X-trail. It was with this in mind that they have chosen to spec the Renault Kadjar so lavishly that it would prove to be the obvious choice for buyers.

Starting at R359 000 for the Expression, Renault Kadjar comes standard with LED headlights, air quality control, Hill Start Assist and the usual list of acronyms such as ESP, ASR, EBD, and EBA, which automatically applies maximum brake pressure in the event of an emergency brake situation. A 150 000KM mechanical warranty, and 90 000 km 5 year service plan is also included.

Optional extras include, among others, blind spot detection, panoramic roof and cornering fog lights.

The interior

The sometimes gimmicky dashboard has a choice of colours, rev counter configurations and other, more useful, features such as the nifty tyre pressure monitor.  The cabin feels well appointed, and one does get that premium feel when holding onto the leather steering wheel with all the important controls a finger-click away.

The Dynamique petrol and diesel models come with the versatile 7”TFT screen that houses all the tech, such as the Tom Tom navigation, and a new feature for the range, Renault’s freakishly capable Self Parking System.  The system utilizes 12 ultrasound sensors and the driver only needs to manage the speed while the car sorts out the steering.

Driving the Kadjar

I hit the push button starter, and so starts our first challenge:  How big can you grow YOUR tree?  Yes, there is an electronic tree on the dash board and this continues to sprout the more economically one drives.  The car coaxes the pilot into smoother, anticipatory habits and gives a score out of 100 based on those habits. With the environment in the state that it is, this is a fun way for drivers to do their part and try to get below the claimed 5.4 L/100 for the diesel, or 5.7 L/100 for the petrol version.  Focussing solely on economy, I hardly had the opportunity to test Renault’s acceleration claims, but with 96kW available across the range, the car compares favourably to its rivals with 0-100 in the 10 second range.

4-wheel drive agility

The name  Kadjar means ‘Agile 4 wheeler’ and Renault was intent on proving this by letting us loose on the Atlantis sand dunes.  Other than the 19” optional wheels making the ride a tad crashy over the ruts, the Renault Kadjar performed well and I could feel the 50/50 split 4×4-i system actively controlling the power distribution as the tyres kicked up rooster tails of sand.  The class-leading 320NM of torque available on the diesel proved handy on the steep sandy slopes. Admittedly I chuckled about how I’d never take one of these off-road if I ever did purchase one, but I can see how a quarterly adventure might be possible as no Kadjars were beached in the excursion.

 The Verdict

With the car market taking a 10% downturn this fiscal year, Renault has seen resurgence of 16%. Over the last 6 years their aftersales support, and the big thorn in Renault’s side, parts availability, have also seen huge areas of improvement. This all ties in to the brands rejuvenated market appeal, and I suspect that, because of this, and the fact that this car is so well specced and just so darn handsome, we’ll be seeing these at the malls more often, and occasionally on the dunes.

• Renault Kadjar petrol Expression 96kW Turbo R 359 900
• Renault Kadjar petrol Dynamique 96kW Turbo R 384 900
• Renault Kadjar diesel Dynamique 96kW dCi 4×4 R 449 900