We didn’t tick too many option boxes when specifying our Kadjar long-term test car, but one extra I’ve made good use of is the Explore Pack (£795), which consists of a retractable towball and a Euroride bike rack to mount on it.
I cycle a lot, so it’s been a huge bonus to be able to carry a bike so easily without taking up space in the car. I prefer the solidity and security of the towball-mounted rack to one that straps to the boot.
The Euroride rack positions the bike low down so that I still get a good view through the rear window, and it must be more aerodynamic to have the bike behind the car rather than carrying a bicycle on a roof rack.I certainly haven’t noticed any significant drop-off in fuel economy when travelling with the bike.
You’d assume that once the rack is in place you can’t get into the boot. However, there’s a neat feature that avoids this potential problem: the whole rack can be tilted away from the car, even when a bike is fitted to it.
Recently, I was meeting family at a pub for lunch, having been away on a cycling trip for a few days. I didn’t want to leave the bike on the car unlocked (the rack itself locks to the towball), but I’d absent-mindedly packed the bike lock in the boot. Without the tilting feature I’d have needed to take the rack off to rummage through the luggage, but it was easy enough to tilt the rack out of the way to grab the lock.
The Renault is coming towards the end of its time on our long-term fleet, and I’m going to miss it. It looks good, it’s practical, and it’s a quiet and refined motorway cruiser. The fact that it’s been so easy to take my bike away with me has been another point in the Kadjar’s favour.