Wheelpower
Rolling down the South Rift on the Kadjar
Thorn Mulli
Adagala
Armed with little more than a suitcase and loads of goodwill, Ralph and May Spinks, established The East African Mission Orphanage (EAMO) in 1997, to provide a loving home for hundreds of orphaned children including babies and teenage mothers. One of the enterprises set up by the Spinks to support this orphanage, tucked amongst trees and birdlife is aptly named Ziwa Bush Lodge. ‘Ziwa’ is Swahili for ‘water body’, which is the central feature of this boutique experience that would be my home for a night as I fished out some of the least known spaces in the South Rift. It would also double-up as a test-drive for the Renault Kadjar. While it does not sound very French, ‘Kadjar’ is derived from two French words; 'Kad' inspired by the ‘quad’ to represent a go-anywhere four-wheeled vehicle while 'Jar' is derived from the French word agile as well as ‘Jaillir’, which means to 'emerge suddenly'. While the name can throw you off, the Renault Kadjar passes as distinctly French in character. What with its concept car-like nose, swooping side panels and sculptured rear lights.
But is there more to this pretty carriage, more so the power that our roads require; nay demand? No better place to challenge this assumption than to plough through agricultural town of Njoro located 18kilometres south west of Nakuru. Njoro town was the headquarters of the former Njoro District. My first impression is that the push to start the petrol variant of the Renault Kadjar riding on front traction is rather light, and you feel it. It pushes a commendable 10.4 seconds zero to 100km/h. On the go, it feels even lighter attributable to the engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox - not the fastest, but useable nonetheless. I, nonetheless, did feel the engine’s torque struggle when overtaking and suspect that it might worsen with a boot full of luggage.
Where it really won me over, however, was the aesthetics, fuel economy and security features. With nine colours to choose from (I drove the pearl white version) I reckon the flame red version or cosmos blue is more arresting on the model. It is without a doubt a beautiful car finished off with striking 17-inch alloy wheel rims. The stylish exterior and spacious interior make this a sensible and practical crossover that will leave you with few complaints. The relatively spacious cabin will fit three adults with ease while the 472-litre boot also caters to all your shopping and moving needs. The retractable tow-bar that can hold three bikes is especially practical during a family outing. You will also find the 200mm ground clearance worth the trouble. Leather-covered steering wheel, dual-zone air-con, automatic headlights and cruise control are great additions as is the customisable, easy to operate, R-Link 2 multimedia system (in English, thankfully) projected on a seven-inch screen.
My only concern was that the plastic material used in most of the dashboard needs particular maintenance. The speaker quality too came off as average. Luxury, however, is nothing without security and from the look of it no compromises were made. I noted front, side, and curtain airbags, along with other fancy electronic assists such as traffic sign recognition, automatic parking, and lane departure warning. No doubt that this bunny delivers quite the unexpected punch. The journey to Njoro is punctuated by what has become tradition over the years; the obligatory stop at the Rift Valley viewpoint to take in the panorama, and the Delamere Kobil Service Station stopover point off Naivasha along the Naivasha-Nakuru highway. With the sun falling fast, we make for Ziwa Bush Lodge, a gem tucked in the middle of nowhere; you'd have to be looking for Ziwa to find it. Indeed, the short drive down a winding bumpy road is totally worth the effort