The all-new Austral SUV, the replacement for the Renault Kadjar, will be sold in the UK in 2023, Autocar has learned.
The model, which was previously confirmed for a launch in Europe, will bring bold new styling, a drastically enhanced kit list and all-electrified powertrains in a bid to “win back” buyers in the crucial crossover segment.
Prices for and specifications for UK sales have not yet been confirmed, but deliveries will start from the middle of next year.
Positioned as a rival to the Ford Kuga and Toyota RAV4, it’s the first Renault to use the new third-generation CMF-CD platform, co-developed with Alliance partners Mitsubishi and Nissan, which can accommodate a range of electrified drivetrains.
The Austral will be sold with a choice of two full-hybrid systems, pairing a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor for combined outputs of 157bhp and 196bhp.
Renault claims this set-up can muster as much as 61.4mpg on the WLTP combined test cycle while emitting just 105g/km of CO2.
There’s also a mild-hybrid petrol option that Renault posits as a “genuine alternative to diesel”, given that it’s claimed to be capable of 53mpg. This pairs the same engine with a 48V battery and a belt-integrated starter-generator for an electric boost under load and thus reduced petrol consumption.
Opening the line-up is a pair of 12V mild-hybrid petrols, which use a 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine to produce 138bhp and 157bhp and crack 45.6mpg.
Renault says the new platform makes the Austral “a true joy to drive”, hailing its rigidity and “optimised” suspension set-up as factors that give the potential for “true driving pleasure”.