Facelifted Renault Kadjar gets revised engine line-up

Renault has revealed the facelifted version of its Nissan Qashqai-rivalling Kadjar at the Paris motor show. 

Among the tweaks to the car, which was first introduced in 2015, are revised engines, with a new 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol unit co-developed with Daimler. It’s available in 138bhp and 158bhp guises, with both manual and EDC automatic gearboxes, and is claimed to have strong low-range torque. 

The Kadjar’s 1.5-litre dCi diesel engines have also been tweaked, and are now branded Blue dCi to signify their use of selective catalytic reduction in pursuit of lower NOx emissions. Power has increased for the engine in both states of tune, with 113bhp and 148bhp variants now available, in place of 109bhp and 128bhp pre-facelift.

Renault claims that most customers bought their Kadjar for its design, so changes to the car’s look have been subtle. On the outside, the Kadjar has been given a gentle refresh, with redesigned front and rear bumpers. Above this, the grille is wider and has more chrome than before. 

The headlight clusters keep the C-shaped Renault daytime running light signature, although this now incorporates the indicators, where before they were separate lamps. The foglights are now square, instead of round. At the rear, there are now LED reverse lights, foglights and indicators too.

Two new 17-inch and 19-inch alloy wheel designs are now available, while shades of grey, blue and green have been added to the car’s colour palette.

Inside, much of the car’s switchgear has been redesigned, with the air-con, window and door mirror switches improved – the last two of which are now backlit. The door cards have been redesigned and have larger storage capacities, while the centre armrest now slides rather than being fixed in place. Particular attention has been paid to the seats, which now use a new type of foam, are more supportive and have length adjustment up front. 

The door handles, air vent surrounds and centre console trim have a metallic finish, while the infotainment system sits flush with the dashboard, and is available with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Rear passengers also get two USB ports. 

Details on pricing and specs are not being released until nearer the car’s on-sale date in the first quarter of 2019. Prices for the entry-level car are expected to start at around £20,500 (Rs 19 lakh) - a small increase over the pre-facelift model’s £19,790 (Rs 18 lakh).