Renault Boreal 2027 will lose power to pollute less

The Renault Boreal will lose power in Brazil. The 1.3 turbo flex engine of the medium SUV will drop from 163 hp to 160 hp, while torque remains at 27.5 kgfm. The cut meets the requirements of the new phase of the Program for the Control of Air Pollution by Motor Vehicles, Proconve L8.

The change was confirmed by Ariel Montenegro, president of Renault Geely do Brasil, during the presentation of the Niagara pickup. The new arrangement debuts in the pickup, scheduled for November, and arrives at the Boreal at the turn of the 2027 line.

According to Renault, the recalibration is aimed solely at reducing emissions and is not related to the Tax on Industrialized Products (IPI) ranges. The automaker has not yet released the new emissions indexes or informed how the adjustment affects fuel consumption.

Third hit of the 1.3 turbo in the country

It is the second time that the engine has lost power in Brazil. When it debuted here, in 2019, in the Captur, the 1.3 turbo was imported from Spain and yielded 170 hp. In 2025, with the start of national production by Horse — an engine company that Renault maintains in partnership with the Chinese Geely —, at the plant in São José dos Pinhais (PR), the power dropped to 163 hp. Now comes the third number: 160 hp.

The torque has never changed. The Boreal also leaves the São José dos Pinhais line, where it began to be produced last year.

The Boreal is not an isolated case: the Proconve L8 has tightened the limits on pollutant emissions and has been forcing automakers to recalibrate engines sold in the country, in a movement that in some cases appears in the technical sheet as a loss of horsepower. According to the rule’s schedule, the stage has been valid for new models since January 2025 and reaches all national production in 2027.

Same engine in Niagara

The Niagara pickup uses exactly the same set, already with 160 hp and 27,5 kgfm. It is assembled in Santa Isabel, Argentina, and receives the engines produced in Paraná, which standardizes the specification of the two models in South America.

Derived from the same platform as the Boreal, the Niagara arrives to compete for the space of Fiat Toro, Ram Rampage and Ford Maverick, with front-wheel drive and 4×4 versions. Renault has already confirmed that the model will have a hybrid option in 2027. It has not yet been clarified whether the new calibration paves the way for the Boreal to also receive all-wheel drive.