What seemed like a pretty modest facelift while it was testing turned out to be a big update for the Renault Kadjar. It feels like the automaker listened to the complaints people had with their crossover and fixed it.
The Kadjar came out in 2015 and sold 450,000 units, so you couldn't exactly call it a failure. But Renault didn't sell as many units because of bad perceived quality and tiny engines.
A new family of powertrains has been adopted, starting with the 1.3-liter turbo served in two flavors. It's been tested over 40,000 hours, so it should be sufficiently reliable while providing huge power increases. The base unit makes 140 HP, which is 10 more than the 1.2 it replaces.
However, there's also a 160 HP version with 270 Nm of torque and a standard 7-speed EDC gearbox. Both versions come with a GPF. The diesel, meanwhile, has all be switched to an SCR exhaust gas after treatment. The base unit is still a 1.5, but it makes 5 HP and 10 Nm more.
Meanwhile, the 1.6 has been phased out in favor of a 1.7-liter (1,749cc) which produces 150 HP. And for the first time, you will be able to have it with 4x4, something Renault is only too keen to show off in its videos.
The exterior looks a little bit more premium thanks to small LED fog lights and other revisions to the bumpers and projector units. The footage we're showing you portrays the Kadjar Intens in Iron Blue and the new Black Edition trim level with tinted design elements and a Flame Red paint. There's also a Highland Grey model; see if you can spot it.
The interior might seem unchanged, but it's not. They re-modeled the doors, center console, installed an R-Link 2 system with Apple and Android connectivity, as well as handles in the trunk that drop the rear seats. Full technical specs are available in the pdf file.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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