New Renault Austral SUV will rival Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Qashqai, and will come with hybrid powertrains
- Replacement for Renault Kadjar SUV teased again
- E-Tech hybrid will offer lowest CO2 emissions
- Due on sale in the next few months
The new Renault Austral SUV has been teased for the final time before its reveal on 8 March. We’ve already seen a stylised image of what the interior will look like, and now Renault has given a hint to what we can expect from the exterior design.
As expected, the Austral will look similar to the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric SUV. This image suggests it’ll have a chunkier front end, with large air intakes and 4×4-inspired skid plates. The E-shaped headlight clusters have an intricate signature and look to be joined by a trim piece that’s either likely to be chrome or illuminated. We see hints of the Renault Koleos SUV in the front-end design.
Like the new Megane SUV, the Austral’s roofline seems to slope down, giving a sporty look that may come at the expense of rear visibility. Exaggerated wheel arches and deep body creases are also set to feature.
Renault’s new family SUV will rival a multitude of rivals including the Ford Kuga, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Qashqai. It will be fully unveiled on 8 March, and we expect Austral prices and specifications to be revealed a little later on.
New Renault Austral interior
From this image, the Austral will have a sleek, spacious and tech-filled cabin, with a much more modern feel than the Renault Kadjar it’s replacing.
While some of the details will be toned down for production, this teaser image shows the basic layout of the Austral’s interior. The steering wheel is neither square nor circular, but will have function buttons to control various systems and features. Behind it is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. This is joined to a portrait 12-inch touchscreen in an L shape that seems to wrap around the driver. The portrait screen will make the cabin feel different from its rivals’, because most offer two landscape screens side-by-side.
The touchscreen, called OpenR by Renault, first appeared on the new Megane crossover, which will sit below the Austral. The screen includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus Google search and Google Maps.
Thanks to Renault’s alliance with Nissan, the Austral will sit on the same CMF-C platform as the Nissan Qashqai. The new car will be slightly larger than the outgoing Kadjar, putting it in line with similarly sized rivals like the Ford Kuga and Hyundai Tucson.
On the inside, a 200mm increase in the wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) relative to the Kadjar will provide more room for passengers in the back. Renault seems to have focused on adding extra space and storage compartments, so the Austral should be a very practical family SUV.
Despite an industry-wide push towards electrification, the Renault Austral will not be available as an electric car at launch. Instead, buyers will be offered an updated version of Renault’s 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine. This engine also features in the Qashqai, where it produces either 138 or 153bhp, with both getting mild-hybrid assistance. The Austral will also be available with a 1.2-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine; we’ll have to wait to see if the performance figures explain why there are two very similarly sized engine options.
An E-Tech hybrid version is also on the way. This version will be the most economical, because it’ll have the biggest battery. CO2 emissions are claimed to start from just 105g/km for this engine. With those CO2 figures, we expect the E-Tech will be a ‘self-charging’ hybrid rather than a plug-in hybrid, even though Renault has both options available.
Before the Austral arrives later in 2022, Renault has updated the outgoing Kadjar as a ‘last hurrah’ for the popular family SUV. If you simply can’t wait for the new car, you can find out about the updated model here.
Keyword: New 2022 Renault Austral SUV will be revealed next month