Renault’s Kadjar crossover revealed
Renault isn’t a name that’s known for its SUVs, neither in India, nor internationally, until quite recently. The Duster (technically a Dacia) set their sales charts on fire here in India, and also gave a new dimension to the French manufacturer. However, the Koleos which was their first SUV in India, had a tough time in terms of sales here and in international markets. Thus, the Kadjar, the brand’s first C-segment crossover, has plenty of hopes riding on it.
Renault’s badge re-engineering strategy isn’t exclusive to India as the Kadjar is shares its CMF platform with its Nissan counterpart, the Qashqai. As a result, it has similar dimensions, measuring in at 4450mm in length and 1840mm wide. The design is unmistakably inspired by the Renault DeZir concept model, and is applied in such a way that the crossover seems like the elder brother of the Renault Captur. In comparison with the Qashqai, the Kadjer has a more prominent face with softer lines, and gets Renault’s family design featuring a large diamond emblem on the grille flanked by large headlamps.
Renault is rather tightlipped on the mechanical details till its official unveil at the 85th Geneva Motor Show, which opens on March 5, 2015. However, the consensus is that the petrol and diesel engines from the Qashqai will be used. In that case, the petrol engines would be the 113bhp 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol, and the 108bhp 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol mill. A 128bhp 1.6-litre diesel engine will also be on offer. When the car goes on sale early next summer in Europe, Africa and the Mediterranean region, the crossover will be available with either four- or two-wheel-drive. The Kadjar offers advanced connectivity with the R-Link 2 multimedia system.
Renault also has plans to sell the Kadjer in China at a later stage, which indicates its India entry isn’t too far in the future. As long as the name is concerned, Renault claims ‘Kadjar’ is based on two words: Kad is inspired by quad, to represent a go-anywhere four-wheeled vehicle, while Jar recalls the French words agile and jaillir, respectively, representing agility and suddenly emerging from somewhere.
