Car of the Year Contestant (4/7): Can the Renault Austral break pots?

The resolution of the 2023 car of the year election is approaching. As in previous years, seven finalists were selected. Every day for the coming days we will be highlighting a contender for the title of “Car of the Year”. Today the Renault Austral.

If you don’t perform at Renault, you’ll get a name change. Just think of the Renault Laguna. The first generation had messed up the name so much that the second generation replaced it with the talisman.

Playful composition of KAD and JAR

Something similar happened with the Renault Kadjar. The “playful composition of the words KAD- and -JAR”, as described by Renault in its press release, was apparently not playful enough, because its successor was the Austral.

The most common car of the seven candidates

Why are we asking in the headline if he can break pots? Because the Austral is the most common car of the seven candidates. It’s not electric. He does not impress with innovative technology. It’s just a hybrid SUV.

With all the other contenders for Car of the Year, we can come up with a story. The Jeep Avenger, Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X are their brands’ first electric vehicles, the Niro is the successor to a huge blockbuster, the Ariya is Nissan’s first modern electric vehicle and the Peugeot 408 and Volkswagen ID. Buzz does new things in design.

Renault Austral as mild or full hybrid

The Renault Austral is completely new. It sits on a platform co-developed with alliance partners Nissan and Mitsubishi (it also includes the new Qashqai). In the Netherlands, the Austral is only available with three-cylinder engines, as a mild hybrid with 130 hp or as a full hybrid with 200 hp.

The Austral does not have all-wheel drive. According to Renault, there is no demand from the public, and the battery of the hybrid drive train stands in the way of a possible drive shaft to the rear. The Austral is optionally available with 4Control, counter-steering rear wheels.

Follow the 2023 Car of the Year Awards

This year’s Car of the Year awards will take place on January 13th. Until then, the live stream can be seen via Autovisie.nl.