The Renault Kadjar is a spacious family SUV that’s perfect for the family – it just isn’t that exciting inside and is pretty dull to drive.The Renault Kadjar is a large family car that looks smart, is cheap to run and comes with a fairly big boot. It sits above the Renault Captur but below the Renault Koleos in terms of size in Renault’s SUV range.
Pros Big boot Spacious cabin Frugal engines
Cons Drab interior Entry-level models quite basic Less comfortable than a Qashqai
The Kadjar is a crucial car for Renault because it has to do battle in the mid-sized crossover arena.
Pros Comfy if you go for small wheels, Decent room for your money, Improved engines
Cons Dull to drive, Unhelpful touchscreen
The Audi RS Q3 Sportback is a fast SUV with a distinctive five-cylinder petrol engine and a lovely interior. The lower, lighter hatchback RS 3 will be even more fun to drive, mind you.A couple of things help the Audi RS Q3 Sportback stand out amongst performance SUVs – its sharp looks and that characterful five-cylinder engine. It just sounds better than the rest.
This latest addition to Audi Sport’s growing stable of RS models is also one part of a dual-pronged attack on the small performance SUV market. While the RS Q3 should appease those wanting a little extra headroom for rear passengers, the Sportback earns extra style points with its sloping rear end. The Sportback delivers the kind of assured handling we associate with the RS range, letting you make rapid point-to-point progress while remaining predictable at all times, if lacking in true driver engagement. The progressive steering rack doesn’t give much sense of what the front tyres are doing through corners, and there’s little playfulness to be found from the rear end when pushed. On the smoothest roads and the optional adaptive dampers set to their most comfortable, the Sportback is just about relaxed enough, but still jostles on rougher surfaces. Dynamic mode is a lot more brittle, picking up even the smallest of abrasions. Ride refinement is merely average for the class, though our test drive didn’t provide an opportunity to see what effect smaller 20in alloy wheels would have on comfort.
Audi's cheeky little SUV offers exactly what we expected from the tech-loving German automaker in a handsome and mostly practical package.
Pros Sharp styling, plentiful tech features, spunky driving demeanor.
Cons Tight rear quarters, noticeable turbo lag, a few cheap interior materials.
