SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a preselected course. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.

Three faces of SUV: Renault’s new Kadjar

Noticeably more luxurious

Posted: 17 April 2016

The details
Prices: Expression 1.2 turbo – R359 900, Dynamique 1.2 turbo – R384 900 and Dynamique 4x4 1.6 turbodiesel – R449 900
Engines:
1)    1197 cc, four-cylinder, 16-valve turbopetrol
Power: 96 kW at 5500 rpm
Torque: 205 Nm at 2000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10.4 seconds
Maximum: 189 km/h
Claimed average fuel consumption: 5.8 l/100 km
2)    1598 cc, four-cylinder, 16-valve turbodiesel
Power: 96 kW at 4000 rpm
Torque: 320 Nm at 1750 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10.7 seconds
Maximum: 188 km/h
Claimed average fuel consumption: 5.4 l/100 km

Tank: 65 litres
Luggage: 370 – 1478 litres
Ground clearance: 200 mm
All versions carry a 5 year / 150 000 km warranty and a 5 year / 90 000 km service plan with 15 000 km intervals.

The name sounds Russian, Polish or even Arabic, but the source is purely French. Cécile Mandonnet-Dupic, head of Renault’s naming strategy division, says: “We were looking for something that would be coherent with the names of our other crossovers while expressing Renault's personality traits. As well as bringing to mind attributes of power, strength and robustness, the name Kadjar evokes thoughts of escapade, travel and discovery. And it fits in with the other names in Renault's crossover line-up: Captur, the latest, and Koleos, which dates to 2008.”

Renault presents Kadjar as a brand-new sub-niche SUV-hatch-sportswagon, but SUVs are basically big hatchbacks while sportswagon or sports van has been used by a few others already. Nit-picking aside, it’s an engaging mid-sized SUV about equal in size and market targeting to Tiguan, Tucson and family members Qashqai and X-Trail. It shares the Alliance’s CMF-CD (Common Module Family, large and mid-sized) variable build platform with the Nissan models mentioned.

It’s a little smaller than X-Trail, a bit bigger than Qashqai and dimensionally much the same as Duster, although it’s noticeably more luxurious and better equipped than its Romanian cousin. The range topping 4x4 diesel derivative uses X-Trail’s very competent All Mode 4x4i awd system.

Three models are presently available. They are entry-level Expression with 1200 cc turbopetrol motor developing 96 kW and 205 Nm, more luxurious Dynamique with the same engine and the top model, a 1600 cc, 96-kW, 320 Nm Dynamique diesel burner with the All Mode awd mentioned above. All are fitted with six-speed manual shifters although autobox models are expected later this year.

Feel-good stuff includes a seven-inch TFT digital dash with adaptive display, Renault’s Multimedia 7" touchscreen-controlled media centre with four speakers, Bluetooth hands-free, two USB sockets plus auxiliary, eco mode with suggestions for improvement of driving style and voice command for iPhone and navigation. Expression’s media centre does without the touchscreen but still has voice control via a push-to-talk button on the steering wheel.

Safety kit includes six airbags, ABS brakes with EBA and EBD, ESC with ASR, ISOFix anchors, automatic locking while in motion, hill start assist, rear parking alarm, cruise control with speed limiter and tyre pressure monitoring.

The standard car has black skid plates, front and rear, while those on Dynamique are grey. Other outside differences are 16-inch steel wheels on the base car whereas the more luxurious version has 17” alloys along with roof rails and darkened windows.

Dynamique further justifies its R25 000 price premium with superior upholstery, front parking distance control, cornering fog lamps, LED headlamps, folding and defrosting for the outside mirrors, hands-free entry and starting, automatic dual-zone air conditioning with external pollution monitor, the satnav mentioned above, and rain- and light sensors.

Model-dependent extras on offer include a fixed skyroof, automatic parking (parallel or dock) with camera and blind spot monitoring, 19-inch wheels and leather upholstery with front seat warmers. Accessories comprise a bicycle carrier, rooftop box, retractable towbar, boot liner and alarm system.

Colours: There are seven. If you must have non-metallic, you are left with any colour you like as long as it’s Glacier White. The others, at a surcharge of R2500, are Mercury Silver, Dune Beige, über sexy Flame Red that looks 'way better than it does in the brochure, Cosmos Blue (beautiful), Pearl Black and Titanium Grey.

Getting down to practicalities, both engines are perky, powerful and easy to drive; seats are comfortable; there’s plenty of room; the boot is big and easy to get at with a standard spare wheel inside; both visor mirrors are lit, and fit and finish is very good. There’s a fair bit to learn about the electronics and connectivity bits, but they’re quite straightforward and should be easy enough to grasp.

Information gathered at a manufacturer-sponsored launch event

For an update on automatics and 1.5-litre diesels click here



What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

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