Kadjar! It's Renault's Qashqai rival

Ladies and gentlemen, the sleepless, impatient nights are over. This is what the Renault Kadjar looks like in real life. 

While Renault's last mid-size crossover, the Koleos, disappeared from the UK after a mere two years thanks to slow sales, the Kadjar launches at a time when the SUV segment is bustling. Nearly a quarter of the cars sold in Europe are currently crossovers, in fact.

Which means the Kadjar faces some serious competition. Renault reckons it'll hold its own in the design stakes, asserting it boasts hints of the Dezir concept supercar, and using words such as ‘sporty' and ‘seductive' with alarming frequency.

In truth, it looks like Renault's diddlier Captur crossed with a Nissan Qashqai, the car which which the Kadjar shares its platform.

It's not a bad looking thing, though, and it's boosted by the fitment of LED headlights, which are a dominant presence on the Kadjar's fizzog, alongside Renault's ginormous diamond badge.

Shared DNA with the Qashqai means familiar hardware too: there will be a choice of front- or four-wheel drive, a hugely flexible boot and the likely choice of 1.2 and 1.6-litre turbo petrol engines and a 1.6-litre turbodiesel.

Like the rest of the Renault range, the Kadjar gets a nice big shiny touchscreen, running an updated version of the company's iPhone-like R-Link system.

While the Qashqai is built in sky-high numbers in the UK, the Kadjar will roll off Spanish production lines, with - more interestingly - Chinese production to follow. That makes it the first Renault to be built in China, as the company aims for a 3.5 per cent share of that hugely expanding car market.

The Kadjar had its velvety cover pulled away at the Geneva motor show this week. UK sales kick off in autumn.

What do you reckon, dear reader? Exciting enough to compete in an overburdened market?