2018 Renault Kadjar

Renault Kadjar

Renault’s Kadjar always felt like the forgotten cousin at the C-segment SUV family braai—technically present, but never really the star of the show. Sharing its underpinnings with the Nissan Qashqai meant it was solid where it counted, but also made you wonder why you’d pay a premium for a badge swap. You got a 1.2T petrol with 96 kW or an 81 kW dCi diesel, both stuck with a manual gearbox, which already boxed out a big chunk of city-bound buyers. And if you’re browsing classifieds now, you’ll find a grand total of three Kadjars on offer, ranging from R179,950 to R223,900. Let’s be honest, you don’t shop for a Kadjar—you trip over one and decide if you’re in the mood. Both available units are 2018 models, averaging about 123,803 km on the odo. Not low, but hardly scary for a crossover that’s probably clocked plenty of N1 miles. The 96 kW TCe Dynamique sits at R223,900, the diesel Dynamique at R179,950, and an extra 1.2T Dynamique at R199,950. If your life is spent slogging between provinces, the diesel’s the obvious choice because it’ll save you at the pumps. Where the Kadjar did make sense was against the Tiguan—it gave you that high seating position South Africans crave without the VW’s big price sticker. Park it next to a Qashqai and, on paper at least, it’s basically the same car with French styling. And that’s the point: the Kadjar just never built a following here, which is why finding one now feels a bit like spotting a lost Renault at a classic car meet—rare, but only if you’re actually looking.