Yeti competitor from Renault: the Kadjar

[ChrisRs]

A Kinissahundai

[P6bJOHN]

No, A 'KinIsore.

[JCP]

A quashcai with added french reliability/engineering ---Surely a winner

[yetiscot]

The steering wheel.

No, the thing that looks like a huge ---well it is a French car :peek:

[900000]

Well when Mercedes starts using Renault engines in it A and C-class you know things aren't that bad. I've had a Renault many years ago and NOTHING went wrong on it ever. Solid and sturdy. This Kadjar's basics are all the same as the QQ's - there would be no cost saving if it wasn't shared. So apart from the Renault micro-engines that Nissan (and Mercedes) use anyway, the basics like electrics and air con and whatever will be combined Nissan/Renault engineered. So if people think the QQ is reliable, I really don't see why this one won't be? Only fly in the ointment is of course the QQ is built in Sunderland which has a reputation of building quality cars. This Renault will be built in France... in their haphazard fashion as they do. So if I was to be forced to choose between these two I'd opt for the ubiquitous QQ too. But I have to be between one heck of a devil and a hard place to choose either. 

[hmibennett]

Still liking my QQ+2 after two weeks of ownership.  A different kind of car from the Yeti but seems sturdily put-together to me.  I think knocking the build quality of French cars has become a bit of a bandwagon: after all, the majority of French people are still very patriotic when it comes to car purchases, and they tend to hang onto cars longer than we do here (so second hand values are comparatively higher in France).  They wouldn't behave in this way if their cars were constantly unreliable.  In the past I have had several Citroens and Renaults and now keep a Peugeot 207cc in France: none of these has been any trouble at all.  A bit off-topic maybe: but I wouldn't knock this new car just because it is a Renault (not that I like the look of it!).

[albero78]

Hi all,

I just ordered my Yeti and have had for four years a Renault Modus that has never had a serious problem and has been very reliable.

I drive from time to time my father's Citroen C3 and I find it amazing.

I can just hope that my future Skoda Yeti will be as good as the other French cars I've had the opportunity to drive.

 

The Kadjar does not look bad but it is very big (4.45m!) and it looks very much like the new QQ. This is not of course a bad thing as such.

 

Andrea

 

[lfc958]

Why is it that all the Yeti  competitors & to some extent the bigger SUV's have to have the central console height between your hip & arm pit.

 

The pics of this are the same, & the QQ was closer to arm pit than hip when i looked at one.

 

Seriously if i want the centre console that high, i will use the MX5 

[Hairball]

Maybe it's just me but the angle of view from the initial post makes me think its been made of plastic, left too close to a hot radiator and a three year old bipedal creature has played with it then called away for feeding before finishing the modification activity. Inside looks OK.. In the flesh it will probably look OK.

 

I'll wait and see in a few years time compared to Yeti II (that I sincerely hope will be at least as good as the original Yeti)

[Fuch]

That looks fine & will be a winner for Renault I thinks but I got the yeti because it looks like a errr....yeti!!

Run x3 ren traffic vans ones got 120,000 miles on it for the company & have all been good & they get used big time!

[Andyrep]

No auto diesel 4x4 no sale for me,that why I've just ordered a yeti today over aQQ

[900000]

Seems Renault knows about their quality issues at least.  This is a subscription only article from Automotive News Europe:

 

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE

Renault taps partner Nissan to boost quality

Philippe Prevel: "Today, we manage innovation in a different way and our quality standards are much stricter than they were before."

Bruce Gain

Automotive News Europe
February 6, 2015 06:01 CET

Renault has been working hard to improve the quality of its cars following criticism by customers and industry experts. It has used knowledge gained from alliance partner Nissan and by benchmarking rival Toyota to get better. Renault executive Philippe Prevel explained the quality control strategy for the group’s diverse brands -- including Dacia and Lada. Prevel, who was replaced as Renault quality chief by Christian Vandenhende on Jan. 1 and will move to a new role at the company, spoke with Automotive News Europe Correspondent Bruce Gain shortly before being reassigned.

Where does Renault’s quality rank today against other global automakers?

If you gauge quality using traditional metrics, we are quite good. But measured in overall customer satisfaction, we are just average in many cases. This involves such things as car colors, seat configurations and issues that are not real failures but they annoy the customer. Each market has customer expectations that are slightly different. For example, car color tastes in Europe are very different than those of Indian customers, who want very light colors and even creamy whites in the interior. If you just offer black upholstery inside the car, you’re getting it wrong.

How did you address criticism over Renault’s quality?

We had some weak points around the beginning of 2002. We started by analyzing each of the failures and defects. This was a huge project that took place for several years.

What are some examples?

We were not alone when we faced issues with our diesel systems around 2003-2004. Daimler, Toyota and other automakers were all going through a period of innovation and maintaining quality was not completely under control. Today, we manage innovation in a different way and our quality standards are much stricter than they were before.

When did you start implementing your current quality-control process?

We began benchmarking Toyota in the 1990s and the process has evolved since then. Standards are updated regularly across the Renault-Nissan alliance production processes. If you find a failure or weak point, you update the standard in a way that the entire alliance production processes implements it.

How will Renault production become more closely aligned with Nissan?

We still have some points that are a little bit different because we still do not engineer the cars in completely similar ways. This has an effect on manufacturing because the way you design the components will have a consequence on the manufacturing process. We still have some gaps on an upstream level, but we still have the same common platform and production process worldwide.

What is the main challenge you faced as director of quality?

We want to understand in better detail what an Indian, Russian, French or German customer wants and how to address those needs upstream so that when the vehicles enter the retail channels we are 100 percent in line with customer expectations. The mission of management is to make sure that the loop is closed when we have an issue and to make sure the action plan is consistent. We fix and eliminate the issues quickly and completely. We do not want to see the same issue again days or weeks later. If we are able to detect the failure in a few days, the number of cars with defects is obviously going to be drastically reduced.

To what degree has the Renault-Nissan alliance influenced production processes at AvtoVAZ and Dacia?

We proceeded step by step. We began by updating the quality of the existing models. With Dacia, the first model we launched was a learning car for the manufacturing process. We are proceeding in a similar way at AvtoVAZ. We have started with the Lada Largus and used it to teach the Russian team how to come closer to our standard way of working. So you implement the Renault quality processes as the starting point and then add the new processes to the other cars.

What are the main challenges in maintaining quality?

It’s difficult to detect what we call “low signals,” which are the very first failures. For example, we are starting production of the new Espace on the new CMF-CD platform. This is a large-volume platform that will be shared. So what is very important is to detect smaller issues before they become a huge crisis. And we have to jump on those small issues to kill them. It’s like when a fire starts. At first, you can put it out with your fingers. After a few seconds, you need a glass of water to put it out and so on.

[freedie]

Veeerrrrryyyyyyy interesting (lets ash build up on cigarette from start to finish)

[Dr Zoidberg]

The first review seems promising, but if you think a Qashqai is the work of the devil you're unlikely to be convinced by this.

 

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/renault/kadjar/first-drives/2015-renault-kadjar-16-dci-130-4wd-review?utm_medium=EMAIL&utm_campaign=Enews%20Bulletins&utm_content=link2_2_1&utm_source=20150604

[900000]

The first review seems promising, but if you think a Qashqai is the work of the devil you're unlikely to be convinced by this.

 

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/renault/kadjar/first-drives/2015-renault-kadjar-16-dci-130-4wd-review?utm_medium=EMAIL&utm_campaign=Enews%20Bulletins&utm_content=link2_2_1&utm_source=20150604

 

 

I sat in a fair few of them at the Istanbul Motor Show this past weekend. They are ok. No more, no less. Didn't want me to go get my cheque book out, but also I won't mind being given one as a company car. Oh and speaking of which my company car is arriving next week (I hope) and it might be sharing some parts with this Renault...  So I shouldn't be too damning of it.

[Dr Zoidberg]

I think most Renaults look really good at the moment. I love the look of the Captur and we bought a Twingo, so had I not got a nearly new Octavia I'd have been very tempted by one of these. As you say, for a company car it makes a lot of sense - well priced, lots of kit and low emissions.

[900000]

I think most Renaults look really good at the moment. I love the look of the Captur and we bought a Twingo, so had I not got a nearly new Octavia I'd have been very tempted by one of these. As you say, for a company car it makes a lot of sense - well priced, lots of kit and low emissions.

 

The kit I'm going to get in my QQ compared to what I would have had in a Golf for the same lease cost is just off the scale. But I'll report back once I have the car.

[andyspan]

The kit I'm going to get in my QQ compared to what I would have had in a Golf for the same lease cost is just off the scale. But I'll report back once I have the car.

Have I missed something Johann, are you getting a QQ? Is this replacing the Yeti?

[manxskoda]

Don,t think so he said Company Car, unless the Yeti is his Company car.

Tony

[900000]

Have I missed something Johann, are you getting a QQ? Is this replacing the Yeti?

 

I will NEVER replace my Yeti with something like a QQ.  No I'm keeping the Yeti and the MX-5 in London. The QQ is my company car in Istanbul - where I'm now basically living. So I decided I have to go to the dark side once in my life and "own" a Japanese car and the QQ is as good as any. I like them. So actually looking forward to getting it. Still have no idea when the lease company will come deliver it nor what colour it will be - I just know ten to one it will be a solid colour (so white or red I suspect!). it's a 2WD 1,6 DCI automatic Sky Pack - which is just above Tekna level here. So all the bells and whistles bar sat nav and the road sign reading and self parking technology bits.

 

http://www.nissan.com.tr/content/pdf/141105yeniqashqaibrosuru.pdf

[andyspan]

 Ah, that's okay then!

[manxskoda]

a Japanese car, built in Sunderland- UK me thinks.

Tony

[900000]

a Japanese car, built in Sunderland- UK me thinks.

Tony

 

And designed in the Nissan Design centre in Paddington London. I know it's one of the most British cars you can get. Still has Japanese logic in how it's menus will work, when the auto lights switch on and off, how the mirrors unfold (eg every time you lock and unlock, even if you don't start the car, or if they unfold only once you start the car) and all the legio tiny bits of German logic I like in my Yeti. So time will tell if this Japanase software logic will drive me up the wall or not. I already know that having only the driver's window with one touch (when the Yeti has it on all FOUR windows) will drive me nuts as it is such a tiny, tiny easy thing to add but they refuse to do it an most all Japanese cars for whatever unlogical reason they see fit. At least (I think from memory) the QQ's one and only one touch button doesn't say AUTO on it in large as life near Braile script letters....  

 

Above the only photo I can find. No AUTO on it but just the one lone window button with an image of the one touch on it...  sigh.

 

I digress. We should be discussing the Kadjar. Ah yes, but that too will surely have Japanese logic and not French logic in these things since that is a QQ at heart? Who knows. 

[jonceebee]

Johann, I am sure you will take to the Qashqai, when I traded my Yeti in last March for my 1.2T Tekna I could not believe the difference, much quieter, smoother and tons more comfortable. Even the 19 inch wheels give a good ride and after 15 months of ownership not a single problem or complaint. As for the toys that come with the top of the range model, you could play around for months. I think the choice of a CVT box you have made may be a bad judgment as my dealings with this style of box on an earlier Prius was a horrible experience of whirring and over revving. The 6 speed manual QQ box is a delight.

Come and join us on the QQ forum to add your comments.

[900000]

Johann, I am sure you will take to the Qashqai, when I traded my Yeti in last March for my 1.2T Tekna I could not believe the difference, much quieter, smoother and tons more comfortable. Even the 19 inch wheels give a good ride and after 15 months of ownership not a single problem or complaint. As for the toys that come with the top of the range model, you could play around for months. I think the choice of a CVT box you have made may be a bad judgment as my dealings with this style of box on an earlier Prius was a horrible experience of whirring and over revving. The 6 speed manual QQ box is a delight.

Come and join us on the QQ forum to add your comments.

 

This is one of the few CVT gearboxes that actually get good reviews. So I'm hopefully it will be ok. With traffic here and doing very, very long days (I'm still in the office now at 00:50 local time) I want a slushbox to drive home in for the days my boss is using his BMW and driver. On the weeks he's not here (every second week) I'll be using said driver and car for when I'm lazy and perhaps have had enough of the CVT.