Renault Kadjar facelift confirmed for Australia

After being on sale internationally since 2015, the Renault Kadjar has finally been confirmed for Australian sales. Due to launch locally in the second half of 2019, the Kadjar will introduce a number of new features into the Australian Renault range – namely a new 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine developed with Daimler.

Sitting in between the smaller Captur and larger Koleos and using the same platform as the Nissan Qashqai, the Kadjar will compete with other segment in-betweeners such as the Skoda Karoq and Peugeot 3008, as well as smaller models like the Toyota C-HR and larger ones like the Mazda CX-5.

Renault Australia director Andrew Moore confirmed the news to local media this week.

“It is with great excitement that I can confirm that the Renault Kadjar SUV will be coming to Australia in the second half of 2019,” Moore said.

“The stylish Kadjar mid-size SUV is a strong seller in Europe and along with our smaller Captur SUV and larger Koleos SUV product offerings, will provide Renault with a genuine SUV line-up to appeal to a wide range of Australian customers.”

Using the same platform as the successful UK-built Nissan Qashqai, the Kadjar is built solely in Spain, and unlike the Qashqai’s 2.0-litre petrol engine and CVT automatic drivetrain, it uses a new 1.3-litre turbocharged engine from the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class in 103kW and 118kW power forms – both with a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Unlike the Qashqai in Australia, all-wheel drive may be offered as an option.

Measuring 4,449mm long, 1,836mm wide, 1,607mm high with a 2,646mm-long wheelbase, the Kadjar is slightly smaller than the Mazda CX-5 in overall dimensions – the CX-5 is 4,550mm long, 1,840mm wide, 1,675mm high with a 2,700mm-long wheelbase for comparison. The Kadjar offers a 472-litre boot that can be expanded to 1,478-litres with the rear seats folded.

Part of the facelifted Kadjar was a slight exterior restyle with more chrome at the front, new alloy wheel designs and all-LED lighting. The interior was revised too, with new switchgear such as window switches from the smaller Clio, upgraded materials and an updated infotainment system with Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring technology.

The Kadjar has been a long time coming for Renault Australia, which has battled pricing issues thanks to the car’s Spanish production source – the larger Koleos is made in Korea and is therefore more cost effective to import for the company. In addition to the Kadjar, the company is also planning on importing the Alaskan larger ute, the Duster Oroch smaller ute, as well as the new Arkana coupe SUV – the latter products if they up being produced in right-hand drive.

With the announcement of the Kadjar’s Australian arrival coinciding with the reveal of the facelifted model internationally, Renault Australia is no doubt excited by the prospect of having three SUVs in its range – and the handsome Kadjar looks to be the best fit with Australian consumers.

Stay tuned to Chasing Cars for more Renault news and reviews.