PARIS: It’s been a long-time coming but Renault has finally revealed a close approximation of how its first one-tonne Ute will look.
Dubbed the Renault Alaskan Concept, the bold new Ute will – according to the French car-maker — offer best-in-class fuel economy and a payload of more than one tonne.
And yes, the Nissan Navara-based dual-cab is a global vehicle — to be built in Spain and Mexico – so it’s coming to Australia.
Renault has also confirmed the production version of this new one-tonner, which will look nearly identical to the show truck you see here, will be unveiled in the first half 2016, and will be offered in a wide range of body types and powertrains.
The vehicle revealed today (albeit only externally — there are no interior images) is a five-seat dual-cab ute pitched as a lifestyle vehicle, and even features cameras in the mirrors to film passing landscapes.
Laurens van den Acker, Renault’s senior vice-president of corporate design, reckons this latest creation “sticks to the rules of the pick-up segment” while dialling in “specific Renault cues in the form an attractive, status-enhancing front-end”.
Words like ‘robust’, ‘athletic’ and ‘forceful’ have been bandied about by Renault and the concept’s pumped-out wheel-arches filled with 21-inch alloy wheels certainly give it plenty of road presence.
The centrally-mounted exhaust outlet at the rear of the Ute is also eye-catching, although the chances of that particular flourish making it into production are slim at best.
The European car-maker asserts the final design will be ‘similar in spirit’ to the concept and will feature the same dimensions.
Although Renault is keeping details and specifications under lock and key until the Alaskan’s official unveiling at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show in less than weeks, the company has confirmed it will be powered by the same 2.3-litre four-cylinder biturbo-diesel seen in the Renault Master van.
Laurens van den Acker, Renault’s senior vice-president of corporate design, reckons this latest creation “sticks to the rules of the pick-up segment” while dialling in “specific Renault cues in the form an attractive, status-enhancing front-end”.
Words like ‘robust’, ‘athletic’ and ‘forceful’ have been bandied about by Renault and the concept’s pumped-out wheel-arches filled with 21-inch alloy wheels certainly give it plenty of road presence.
The centrally-mounted exhaust outlet at the rear of the Ute is also eye-catching, although the chances of that particular flourish making it into production are slim at best.
The European car-maker asserts the final design will be ‘similar in spirit’ to the concept and will feature the same dimensions.
Though Renault is keeping details and specifications under lock and key until the Alaskan’s official unveiling at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show in less than weeks, the company has confirmed it will be powered by the same 2.3-litre four-cylinder biturbo-diesel seen in the Renault Master van.
In the big van, the diesel four-banger develops 100kW/340Nm and up to 110kW/350Nm, although Renault reckons it’s new ute will offer ‘outstanding’ acceleration so it’s likely to offer higher output versions.
It will need to, given most one-tonners available in Australia offer 450Nm or more. Expect something more along the lines of the Nissan Navara’s 140kW/450Nm output from the same 2.3-litre donk.
Considering Renault’s new ute is based on the NP300 Navara, which will also underpin Mercedes-Benz’s new ute it’s likely a seven-speed automatic transmission will be offered and four-wheel drive is a given.
Also like the latest Navara, Renault’s new pick-up will feature coil springs at all four corners (as opposed to the rear leaf springs in most Ute) and will be pitched as a more sophisticated vehicle as a result. A benchmark 3500kg towing capacity is also likely.
In terms of safety the Renault pick-up will need to have autonomous emergency braking (AEB) to achieve a five-star safety rating in Europe, where Renault has been the top light commercial vehicle brand for the past 17 years.
The Navara scored just four stars from Euro NCAP this week for not including the system, but comes with a five-star ANCAP rating in Australia.
Not to be confused with the recently revealed Renault Oroch Ute for Brazil, which is based on a smaller platform donated by the budget-priced Dacia Duster, the larger and more rugged Alaskan represents the French car-maker’s ambition to offer a light commercial utility vehicle in all major markets around the world.
As Ute continue to grow in popularity, accounting for around a third of all LCV sales – and roughly a fifth of all new car sales in Australia – the new Ute cannot come soon enough for Renault Australia.
