Currently reading: Renault Kadjar long-term test report: trading up from a Ford Focus

In sizing up our recently arrived crossover, it has sprung some surprises on us

More than a few people are trading up/across from conventional hatchbacks into crossovers like — or even such as — the Renault Kadjar.

As you may recall, before the Kadjar I spent a year in a Ford Focus, so I feel well qualified to make some comparisons, especially given that the Focus is about as conventional a hatchback as you’re going to find.

There’s much I like about the Kadjar, but compared with the Focus it feels quite big.

I was going to write that the Kadjar is about as big a car as I’d be happy to use every day, for school runs, town trips, awkward car parks and the like, but I was reasonably surprised to discover that the Renault and the Ford are remarkably similar in size.

Amazingly (well, I was amazed), the Kadjar’s wheelbase, at 2646mm, is 2mm shorter than the Focus’s, and its front overhang (from the centre of the front wheel to the limit of the bumper), at 897mm, is 1mm less than that of the Ford.

The Kadjar is 13mm wider, at 1836mm to the Ford’s 1823mm, and overall it is 89mm longer (4449mm versus 4360mm), but all of that is aft of the rear wheels. The boot, basically.

And yet the Kadjar feels both roomier inside and less wieldy in town and when parking, and it’s not the extra length to the rear that’s the issue.

Much of the increased sense of size comes from the raised ride height and driving position.

The Kadjar is 144mm taller than the Focus, with all of the extra height added low down, if that makes sense.

There’s actually 20mm less head room in the Renault, but despite sitting higher up, the view immediately in front of the bonnet is nowhere near as good as it was in the Focus and it’s much harder to judge where the nose and front wheels are.

Kadjar 20 4 017

The raised bonnet and almost wave-like styling flourishes on top of each wing don’t help when it comes to placing the car accurately, either.

As it is, I’m really relying on the parking sensors.

I was convinced they weren’t properly calibrated at first and was sure I was going to hit something, but their red alert ‘collision imminent’ warning actually comes on with at least 30cm to spare.

Still, I’m getting used to it.

Certainly, the rear cabin is more spacious than the Focus’s, presumably because the back seats are sited a little way farther rearwards thanks to the space behind them.

According to our road test tape measure, typical rear leg room in the Renault is 720mm and it’s 660mm in the Focus.

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The boot is a decent size, too, with 472 litres with the rear seats up and 1478 with them down (to the Focus’s 316/1107 litres).

I’ve yet to come close to filling it and, for now, the adjustable floor has stayed in its raised position, which minimises the loading lip.

In the meantime, and excitingly for the sake of something to write about, there might be something wrong with the car: the alarm has been going off, seemingly at random, which has hardly endeared the Kadjar to my neighbours.

I’ll look into it and report back.

Read our first report

Renault Kadjar dCi 110 Dynamique S Nav Auto EDC

Mileage 1730 Price £23,595 Price as tested £24,220 Options Metallic paint £625 Economy 56.5mpg Faults Alarm Expenses None

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mikeyw85 12 May 2016

Speaking from experience...

... I agree with Tim. We have a Kadjar, which is brilliant, but it does feel a bit big. There is plenty of space inside, but it is hard to judge it's size and position from the drivers seat. I haven't been able to put my finger on exactly why this is, but I too realised that it's not actually that big when I saw it parked along side a Focus at the supermarket. First time I've conceded parking sensors are a must. A reversing camera would have been a nice standard option on Signature spec too, Renault!
Shrub 9 May 2016

Sold a dummy..

I was one of many who thought that sitting higher up would bring great benefits to visibility and a sense of control. This is definitely the case with upright crossovers/SUVs such as Yeti, Forester, Rav 4, XC60 but so many now have ridiculously squashed rooflines and mock coupe styling and the trend is getting worse by the month. As such, many so called crossovers feel cramped, dark and awkward to drive. There are exceptions but they are reducing to the extent that if you want a tall driving position with a properly commanding view of the road you are often better off with some of the remaining MPVs around.
perusal 9 May 2016

Alarm

So the alarm is going off at random? We had the same problem with out Captur purchased in 2014. Renault spent 6 months trying to solve the problem with the aid of Cobra, the alarm manufacturer. In the end we rejected the car under the Sale of Goods act, got our money back. Not for nothing do French cars have a reputation for dodgy electrics......