Renault Kadjar 2020 review: Life snapshot

The Life is the entry-point in Renault's Kadjar small SUV range, wearing an MSRP of $29,990.

The entry-point to the three variant Kadjar range, the Life has a reasonably impressive list of specifications over the its Nissan Qashqai cousin, with which it shares a chassis.

Renault says Kadjar is a portmanteau of sorts which blends 'Kad' for quad and 'jar' for agile - to give the impression that this SUV is both practical and sporty.

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Explore the 2020 Renault Kadjar Range

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Unlike the Qashqai though, the Kadjar range is powered by just one engine, a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol which Renault has co-developed with Mercedes-Benz.

The engine has competitive power outputs of 117kW/260Nm and is mated only to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

There is no manual transmission available in the Kadjar range in Australia, nor is there a diesel all-wheel drive which is available in Europe. The Kadjar is built in Spain, and its 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine has a timing chain, not a belt.

Standard specification on the Kadjar Life includes 17-inch alloy wheels (no steelies for the Kadjar range), 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, 7.0-inch digital dashboard with dot-matrix gauges, seven-speaker audio system, dual-zone climate control with dot-matrix displays in the dials, cloth seat trim with manual adjust, ambient cabin lighting, turn-key ignition, front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera, tyre pressure monitoring, auto rain-sensing wipers, and auto halogen headlights.

Stock active safety includes auto emergency braking (AEB – works only at city speed with no pedestrian or cyclist detection). The Life is fitted with six airbags and the expected stability and brake controls. The Kadjar has not yet been rated by ANCAP.

The Kadjar launches alongside a refreshed Renault ownership program which consists of a five-year warranty, five years of roadside assist and five years of capped price servicing.

Service interval is 12months/30,000km and pricing for the Kadjar range comes in at $399 for the first three services, $789 for the fourth (due to the replacement of spark plugs and other essential items), then $399 for the fifth.