Kadjar Diaries – The Most Expensive Fill‑up Yet...

First, having bemoaned the lack of keyless entry on the Kadjar, it was delicately pointed out to me (by someone who’s never even driven it) that it is keyless, you just have to push the little button on the handle to unlock it. Slightly chastened, but still reassuring myself that “it’s not my fault – these things should be more obvious”, I got in (without removing key from pocket) and made my way home, stopping on the way at my local petrol station to fill up with 55 litres of super unleaded. In a diesel…

Fortunately I realised my mistake almost immediately, when I looked down to check my speed and saw the rev counter red-lined at 5000rpm, and after a two-hour interlude while ‘The Fuel Doctor’ came and drained the tank, I was back on my way. The look of bewilderment on the face of the guy in the petrol station kiosk upon seeing me filling up the same car for the second time in two hours went some way to lightening my mood, but still, at nearly £300 (two 55-litre fill-ups, plus £180 to the friendly Polish chap who came to my rescue), it has to go down as one of the most expensive tanks of fuel in history!

Oh well, I’ve done 500 miles since, with the engine showing no ill-effects from my misadventure, and at least my colleagues didn’t laugh like drains when I told them…

Average fuel consumption this week: 50.1mpg (although the cost per mile doesn’t bear thinking about…)

Price of our car (Signature Nav dCi 130 2WD)  £23,570 plus £800 optional extras