Renault Austral debuts as electrified Kadjar replacement

With sister brands Nissan and Mitsubishi having already showcased their next generation models in the shape of the X-Trail and Outlander, Renault has now officially completed the lineage by revealing the all-new Austral.

The replacement for the Kadjar, the 4.51 metre long Austral becomes the latest model to ride on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s improved CMF-D platform, which has been adapted to accommodate electrification as in the case of former pair, the Megane E-Tech Electric and the Arkana.

Deriving its name from the Latin word australis, meaning “of the south” or “southern”, the Austral, according to Renault, “conjures up the vibrancy and heat of the southern hemisphere” as well as representing a “nouvelle vague” (new trend) assortment of technology and features.

Incorporating styling from the Megane E-Tech with a subtle coupe-like sloping roof as well as an X-Trail-inspired D-pillar the Austral rides as standard on 17-inch alloy wheels with higher-end models mounted on 20-inch diamond-cut wheels.

Longer than the Kadjar in overall length and wheelbase, the Austral has a claimed boot capacity of between 430 to 575-litres depending on the powertrain, with Renault also maintaining improved levels of rear head-and-legroom.

The biggest departure from the Kadjar resides inside where the interior sports a new design highlighted by an angled portrait-style twelve-inch touchscreen infotainment system with over-the-air updates, or OpenR in Renault-speak, plus a new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

In addition to a new 9.3-inch Heads-Up Display and a Harmon Kardon sound system designed specifically for the infotainment system, the Austral sports the same steering wheel as the Megane, a selection of materials ranging from leather to Alcantara, and a centre console equipped with an aeroplane throttle-style sliding armrest.

A Renault first is the new Esprit Alpine trim level, which is claimed to incorporate elements from the Alpine range.

Essentially the replacement for the RS Line and erstwhile GT-Line grades, the Esprit Alpine’s touches include Alpine branded 20-inch diamond-cut black Daytona alloy wheels, a satin grey grille, gloss black detaining, satin black roof rails, Esprit Alpine badges and a bespoke colour Satin Shale Grey.

Unique to the interior are alloy pedals, Alpine branded door sills, a Nappa leather/Alcantara finished steering wheel, carbon fibre-look inserts, Alcantara trimmed seats with blue stitching, and the French tricolour in the form of stitching on the steering wheel.

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On the safety and driver assistance front, the Austral comes equipped with a surround-view camera system, Lane Centering, Blind Spot Monitoring, Park Assist, Lane Departure Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert with Automatic Braking.

Together with Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Prevention, the various system culminate in the Austral being capable of Level 2 Autonomous Driving, tough only where permitted.  

As part of the new platform, the Austral offers a choice of two chassis’; the standard setup utilising a torsion-beam design and a multi-link configuration complete with the 4Control rear-wheel steering system.

Like with the previous generation Megane, the Austral boasts Renault’s Multi-Sense drive mode selector with four settings; Eco, Comfort, Sport and Peso with the so-called Extended Grip Pack adding two off-road orientated settings; Snow and All roads.

At launch, motivation comes via three electrified petrol engines under three designations; mild-hybrid, mild-hybrid advanced and E-Tech.

In the case of the former, the familiar Daimler co-developed 1.3-litre turbo has been mated to a 12-volt battery that delivers 103 kW when paired to the six-speed manual gearbox, and 118 kW in models fitted with the Xtronic CVT.

Under the mild-hybrid advanced moniker, the Austral derives power from a newly developed 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo mated to a 48-volt battery for a total system output of 96 kW. Branded as a “genuine alternative to diesel”, the unit is available exclusively with the six-speed manual.

Sitting at the top of the range though, the E-Tech combines the 1.2-litre mill with a 1.7-kWh lithium-ion battery that powers a single electric motor in two states of tune; 118 kW and 147 kW.

Drive is routed to the front wheels only via the unique four-speed multi-mode cluchless gearbox that debuted on the Clio E-Tech.

As with the Kadjar, production of the Austral will take place at Renault’s Palencia Plant in Spain with sales in Europe set to take place from the final quarter for this year. For now, no plans are afoot to bring the Austral to South Africa.