Renault Kadjar

Just like the exterior design, the interior cabin of the Renault Kadjar is styled without much fanfare. The layout looks pleasing to the eyes, but for a premium SUV of this cadre, it looks a bit plain-jane.

The Renault Kadjar tries to show its futuristic side with its driver’s cockpit, which has a cool looking part digital instrument console behind a flat bottom multi-functional steering wheel, the former of which has multi-colored customizable displays to make it look more appealing. The asymmetric and wraparound theme for the wide center console has a trapezoidal housing for the large rectangular touchscreen infotainment system, below which there are three round dials for the automatic climate control.

The transmission tunnel looks plush with its silver surrounds, which goes in sync with the chrome accents for the AC vents and steering wheel. The cabin of the Renault Kadjar is high on space and features, and the large window panels, as well as massive moonroof above, give it an airy feel.

The Renault Kadjar doesn’t possess the macho and brash appeal of a traditional SUV and looks like a typical modern crossover which tries hard to look like an SUV. However, the design in itself isn’t something which can be termed as boring, as it looks modern and proportionate.

At the front, the Renault Kadjar has a well-contoured front bonnet with smooth lines on its sides, which end up on the front fascia. The front fascia, with the wide Y-shaped front grille having segmented horizontal slats in it as well as sleek and angular trapezoidal headlamps, look quite inviting. The headlamps, with their all LED arrangement including the dual projector setup as well as stretched C-shaped daytime running LEDs, look bright when illuminated.

The side profile of the Renault Kadjar looks very aerodynamic for an SUV/crossover this large, thanks to the curved and sloping front bonnet. The bulged and curved wheel arches above the 19-inch sporty looking machined alloy wheels add to the rounded character of the crossover. The slim roof rails as well as sleek body cladding running throughout the side profile add some ruggedness to the otherwise urban design of the Renault Kadjar, which is further assisted by the whole chrome garnish around the entire window frame of the crossover.

At the back, the Renault Kadjar looks rather subtle, with its rounded trapezoidal LED tail lamps and a bulging design for the boot lid. However, what catches one’s attention is the heavy silver skid plate on the rear bumper, which is finished with thick black cladding as well.

Apart from the overall styling, the Renault Kadjar shows its true crossover roots in the ride and handling department. The Macpherson struts at the front and semi-rigid axle at the back have been fine-tuned for absorbing the worst of roads as well as offer a spirited driving experience behind the wheel, courtesy the well-weighted steering setup.

Given its sporty image, the Renault Kadjar has been employed with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This engine has the capacity of pumping out a maximum power output of 158 PS, while the peak torque output stands at 270 Nm.

The list of the safety features made available in the Renault Kadjar as a part of standard fitment includes a front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, electronic stability control, hill start assist, blind-spot monitoring system, rear parking sensors and reverse parking camera.

The Renault Kadjar might not be a true SUV both in terms of its visual form as well as driving behavior when the going gets tougher. However, for urban duties and mild off-roading, the Renault Kadjar impresses a lot with its sorted driving dynamics, comfortable ride quality and enthusiastic performance from the turbocharged petrol engine.