Renault Austral Owner's Manual

About The Austral

Renault’s latest compact crossover offering, the Austral, first made its debut in 2022. Of course, only a single generation has been released since then by the French automaker.

The model was released as the successor to the Renault Kadjar. In addition to this, a version with an extended wheelbase is expected to replace the Renault Espace at some point in the near future.

Because the Austral is sold with only hybrid powertrains, competition naturally comes from other hybrid crossover SUVs. The most notable of these include the Nissan Qashqai e-Power, Kia Sportage HEV, and Toyota RAV4.

Powertrain options consist of both 1.2 L and 1.3 L mild hybrid engines, as well as a 1.2 L full hybrid E-Tech Hybrid version. All of these engines have been outfitted with turbochargers.

Renault does not currently offer any diesel powertrains and will likely not do so in the future due to declining demand.

All of these engines are located at the front of the Austral and provide front-wheel drive as standard. There is no all-wheel drive offered currently.

Transmission options include a 6-speed manual or 7-speed automatic. Renault also offers an X-Tronic CVT transmission exclusively for the 1.3 L engine configuration.

Trim levels have not yet been confirmed. However, it is expected that the Austral will feature a base-level trim called the Techno. The release of the model introduced brand new trim packages for Renault called the Espirit Alpine and Espirit Alpine+. These trim packages are said to be inspired by Alpine, a French sports manufacturer that is owned by Renault.