Renault Kadjar review

Even the tallest adults will be comfortable in the Kadjar’s front seats. There’s plenty of leg and head room, as well as a decent amount of elbow room between the driver and passenger.

The glovebox is a good size and will hold a bottle of de-icer as well as the handbook. The central cubby is also deep enough to store something like a portable sat-nav, and the door pocket will hold 1.0-litre bottles. The two fixed cupholders can each hold a large takeaway cup, although because the cups are situated between the armrest and gearlever, they get in the way a bit.

Two adults will be comfortable in the back of the Renault Kadjar, which is one of the best in the class for rear passenger space. The panoramic roof on top-end Signature models cuts into head room a little, but even passengers who are well over six-foot tall will be happy with the remaining space.

The rear seat is wide enough for three adults, although there is a raised tunnel in the middle of the floor, which means the middle passenger must share foot space with their neighbours either side of it. This is something that some rivals, particularly the MPV-style alternatives such as the Peugeot 3008, avoid.

The Kadjar’s doors are tall and wide enough to allow you to easily access a child seat from outside the vehicle. With map pockets on the backs of the seats, small door pockets and masses of space, the Kadjar is perfectly suited to family motoring.

With rear seats that are split 60/40, and fold virtually flat, the Kadjar is par for the course by the standard of the small SUV class; however, there’s none of the sliding rear-seat versatility that you get with some alternatives, such as the Skoda Yeti and Kia Sportage.

You do, though, get 'easy-folding' rear seats as standard on Dynamique S and Signature trims (they're an option on the Dynamique). This handy feature allows you to drop the rear seats simply by pulling a small lever in the boot. The front passenger seat doesn’t get height or lumbar adjustment in any trim, and electric passenger seat adjustment isn’t available, either.

Officially, the Renault Kadjar has about the biggest boot in the small SUV class – bigger even than a Qashqai's, albeit by a small margin. Its real-world versatility is broadly the same as the Nissan’s, assuming you go for a version with a false boot floor. This handy feature is standard on Dynamique S Nav trim and above, and optional on Dynamique Nav. However, it isn't available at all on entry-level Expression+ trim.

With the rear seats folded and the false floor set to its highest position, you're left with a virtually flat extended load bay with no annoying steps or ridges. However, there's no option of an electric tailgate on any version.