Renault Kadjar 2019 confirmed for Australia

Renault’s SUV tally will swell to three next year, with the segment-splitting Kadjar joining the local line-up.

Renault Australia has confirmed that the small-mid size Kadjar SUV will arrive in Australian showrooms in 2019, to sit above the baby Captur and below the larger mid-size Koleos.

The absence of Renault’s Kadjar from the Australian line-up has been conspicuous since it launched in Europe in 2015, given the SUV boom that’s still growing across the Australian market.

Thankfully we’ll score the updated version which was revealed internationally this week, which scores new front and rear styling plus interior upgrades that include the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Kadjar’s Australian future was confirmed by Renault Australia boss Andrew Moore (formerly of Suzuki) at the local launch of the new Megane R.S. this week. This third SUV is a clear sign of his influence on the local operation, and coincides with his 12 month anniversary since joining the brand.

“We needed to review every aspect of our business, from product line-up, to network strategy, to stock holding, to head office operations, and ensure that every element is working together to achieve sustainable success for the brand,” he told the assembled media.

Mr Moore highlighted the Nissan Qashqai the Kadjar shares much of its components with as a key competitor, along with the Toyota C-HR and Kia Sportage.

For context, the Kadjar is 55mm longer and 30mm wider than a Qashqai, and 223mm shorter and 7mm narrower than the Koleos which also rides on the Renault-Nissan Common Module platform. Incidentally, the Koleos is also a very close relative of the Nissan X-Trail.

Local specs yet to be confirmed, but Mr Moore said it will feature “torquey turbo performance.” We’ll take that as a hint that it will come with Renault’s new 1.3 litre turbo petrol engine which was co-developed with Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler.

It’s available in either 103kW TCe 140 or 118kW TCe 160 guises in Europe, so hopefully we score the TCe 160.

Either way, the Kadjar is slated to arrive in Australian showrooms during the second half of 2019.

Are you glad the Kadjar is coming? Tell us what you think in the comments below.