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Renault Kadjar vs Nissan Qashqai

What's the difference?

VS
Renault Kadjar
Renault Kadjar

2021 price

Nissan Qashqai
Nissan Qashqai

$33,890 - $52,090

2024 price

Summary

2021 Renault Kadjar
2024 Nissan Qashqai
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Inline 4, 1.3L

Turbo 3, 1.5L
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded Petrol

Electric/Pulp
Fuel Efficiency
6.3L/100km (combined)

5.2L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Jerky dual-clutch auto at low speeds
  • Falling behind in advanced safety tech
  • Pricey

  • e-Power limited to costly Ti grade only
  • Requires 95 RON premium unleaded
  • No spare wheel – boo!
2021 Renault Kadjar Summary

Don’t let people talk you into buying a tiny car just because you live in the city. That’s what I’ve learnt from being a car reviewer and living about eight kilometres from the CBD.

Yes, car spaces are small, or almost non existent, but the people that live there are as full-sized as people elsewhere and they often carry around just as much gear. What you need is a big, little car and the Renault Kadjar is that – a small SUV which is actually bigger than most.

The Kadjar is also French, and that’s appealing to us city folk because even though there are millions of us living in one square metre we like to think of ourselves as different, as individuals, cosmopolitan, metropolitan.

So the Kadjar looks perfect then, right?

Well, it’s good yes… in some ways, but after reading this you might prefer its Japanese cousin, the Nissan Qashqai. Let me explain...

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2024 Nissan Qashqai Summary

Everybody loves an underdog story and Nissan’s one is a beauty.

For decades, the model we knew as the Pulsar struggled to crack the European small car market against the likes of the Ford Focus and the company was in serious strife. Worthy but derivative, it struggled to stand out.

So, for its 2007 replacement, some bright sparks convinced Nissan to reimagine the hatch by butching it up, raising the ride height and changing the name to something exotically daft. And, voila, the original Qashqai was born.

Initially sold in Australia as the Dualis, it quickly became a global smash hit, finally catapulting the brand from follower to leader, creating the small SUV segment as we know it today.

If you love your Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30, Toyota C-HR or VW T-Roc you have Nissan’s ingenuity to thank.

Now it’s at it again with the Qashqai e-Power – an EV-first hybrid using a petrol engine to only charge its battery so an electric motor can drive the front wheels. More than a Prius, less than a Tesla, then.

The next big thing or a dead end? Let’s find out.

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Deep dive comparison

2021 Renault Kadjar 2024 Nissan Qashqai

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