Until now exclusive to Europe, the Renault Austral SUV entered Latin America through a Caribbean country. The Dominican Republic is his first stop in the region.
Since its world premiere in 2022, everything pointed to the Renault Austral It would be an exclusive model for Europe. In fact, this is the star SUV of the French in the compact segmentand has achieved significant notoriety in the Old Continent thanks to its large interior space, high level of technology and several hybrid mechanical options.
It’s been about a year since Tests of this model are carried out in Colombia, where Renault-Sofasa has several units that usually roll on our roads for their corresponding validation. That already opened the possibilities for it to arrive. Now, these grow after the launch of Austral in Latin America.
Contrary to what one might think, It was not Brazil, Argentina, Chile, much less Colombia. the first country to receive the new SUV on this side of the world. This task corresponded to Dominican Republic, a Caribbean nation that presented it through the importer Euromotors. However, It has some variations compared to the original European model.
Renault Austral in Latin America: it is no longer a hybrid
We know from good sources that the Renault Austral that It is tested in Colombia with hybrid mechanics, which the French manufacturer seeks to adjust for the complex national geography. However, in the case of the model presented in the Dominican Republic They decided to go “fixed” and equip it with a traditional gasoline engine.without support in electrification.
Thus, it incorporates a motor 1.3-liter four-cylinder TCe turbowhat delivery 150 hp and 250 Nm of torquecoupled to a CVT-X automatic transmission with front-wheel drive and “Multi-Sense” driving modes, including one Off-Road. It is a similar motor configuration to which the Nissan Qashqai offers in Colombiawith the same Duster engine but somewhat lower performance.
On the other hand, most of the comfort elements were maintained. Among them the complete LED lighting, fixed panoramic roofroof bars, light and rain sensors, heated exterior mirrors, automatic dual climate control, keyless entry, dual interior screen, wireless CarPlay and Android Autoshift paddles, wireless cell phone charger and ambient lighting.
One of the main characteristics of this model is the enormous capacity of its trunk, which can offer up to 500 liters of capacity with the rear seats in use, thanks to the fact that the latter They are sliding in 16 cm. Now, by folding down these seats, you can obtain up to 1,525 liters in the cellar.
Security in what is fair
Where things changed was in security. As standard, the Renault Austral for the Dominican Republic has 6 airbagsABS+EBD brakes, emergency braking assistance, dynamic control, hill start assistelectronic parking brake with Auto-Holdalert for loss of air pressure in tires and front and rear sensors.
However, advanced assistance was lost such as forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane keeping, available across the range for Europe. If I arrived in Colombia, this SUV should include these elements which in our country already has the Mégane E-Tech.
Sale price
In the Dominican Republic, the Renault Austral is available in a single Techno version, in colors Shale Grey, Iron Blue, Glacier White and Arctic White. It arrives as a new option within the compact SUV segment, where it rivals the Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, Nissan Qashqai, Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Taos and Ford Escapeamong many other similar models.
Imported from Palencia, Spain, The advertised price is $44,900.which in turn are some 175 million Colombian pesos. The company Euromotors SAS sells there.
Clearly, the Renault Austral is a car that may have a large market in Latin America. However, when looking at the product policies of the French manufacturer, it is not very clear that this model can reach other countries such as Colombia. Here, The next novelty will be the hybrid Arkana.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED: Renault Arkana will arrive in South America this year, and in Colombia it will be hybrid.
Óscar Julián Restrepo Mantilla. Source: Renault Dominicana.
