So, lets start with pronunciation, which seems a stupid place to start, but I think it’s important you know how to ask for a car you might buy. Renault pronounced it “Ka-Jar”, with the “D” being almost silent. Being Scottish, we are more inclined to make the “D” rather prominent, however Renault will have to get over that in Scotland.
So, getting to the car itself. I only drove each model for a couple of hours, so this isn’t going to be the biggest review. It’s from the Renault family of cars and is the size up from the Capture. When it comes to family size crossovers then I think it’s bigger is better for me, so this one went down quite well. The options on this make it a very desirable alternative to some of the other crossover’s around, offering everything from 2 Wheel Drive to 4 Wheel Drive and manual and automatic gearbox. A few of the features are worthwhile, the factory fitted retractable tow bar and bike rack for 2 bikes are necessary if you’re into exploring and the 4 wheel drive will make sure you get there to enjoy it. I have to say the Bose sound system in the test car was actually one of the best I’ve ever heard in a family crossover. The handy “one touch” folding rear seats, with a 60/40 split, was actually useful when loading all my stuff into the back.
Handling…….well it’s not a sports car, so don’t be disappointed when you can’t do laps of a race track in it, but it does handle well considering the ride height. The suspension seems to be a pretty good compromise for a 4 Wheel Drive capable car. It was smooth enough on the back roads and tight enough to still feel comfortable.
Interior wise you get from poverty spec’ all the way to full leather with the most desirable options and everything in between. For the money, the basic spec’ is worth what you don’t pay for, but if you’re planning on putting 100,000 miles in 4 years on it, then you might regret spec’ing cloth seats. The harder wearing leather would be the option of choice and filled with the available options, you’ll be hard pushed to find a more comfortable French crossover. The hands free parking is fast becoming a standard item with some manufactures and a bit of a novelty, but I never had a chance to test it, which is a mistake on my part. I never got the emergency braking system to activate either, but I think that was a good thing.
Power Train, Well there’s plenty to choose from between 2/4 WD, manual/automatic gearbox and petrol/diesel engines. Offering 3 engines, 1.2 Petrol, 1.6 Diesel and a 1.4 Diesel. The Petrol engine offers zero to sixty in a tiny bit over 10 seconds and a combined MPG of around 50. The 1.6 Diesel offers zero to sixty in a tiny bit under 10 seconds and a combined MPG of around low to mid sixty’s. This is where it gets interesting, as the 1.4 Diesel offers zero to sixty in under 12 seconds and a combined MPG in the seventies (depending on the wheels/gearbox and other spec’). Basically, unless you’re buying this for drag racing or towing a large load, then the 1.4 Diesel offers the best value and you’d need a specific reason to order something faster and less economic. Everyone has a choice and Renault are doing well to offer alternatives, so feel free to take a test drive of the other engines if offered, but personally I don’t see the point if it’s for the school run or a daily commuting runner. I still managed to overtake a couple of people out for an obligatory Sunday drive, so it’s not like the 1.4 Diesel isn’t capable of getting you along the usually congested Scottish roads comfortably. The manual gearbox seemed perfectly fine, but so did the 6 speed automatic DSG box. I’m getting older and the auto box was my preferred option, because lets face it this isn’t going to be your weekend toy.
So, getting to the point. If you’re in the market for something in this range, then this one is well placed. Renault are predicting lower depreciation than their French rivals on their model, but quite how they got to those numbers I don’t know? The fact remains that this car shares somewhere in the region of 60% of it’s mechanical components with the Nissan Quash thing and is around £2,000 cheaper on a comparable model. So what’s the catch? Quite frankly, I couldn’t find it. You get Japanese reliability at French prices on shared platform that helps decrease running costs. If the depreciation predictions turn out to be true and you aren’t annoyed by the looks, then the car is well worth a test drive. I’m actually looking forward to getting one of these for a week long test drive, as I’d like to try it on my daily commute of back roads and city centre driving.
