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Pros: great tech, practical cabin, impressive agility
Cons: firm ride, road noise, little choice of engines
Renault’s last foray into the family SUV market was the Kadjar, and now the brand is aiming to take on the Nissan Qashqai and Hyundai Tucson once more with this: the Austral. Available solely in hybrid form, the car is designed to be more high-tech and more efficient than the Kadjar it replaces, and Renault will be hoping that’s enough to put it ahead of the competition.
Renault Austral Design
Under the skin, the Austral is based on the same basic architecture as the Nissan Qashqai, but Renault is adamant that its car is obviously different and better for it. It certainly doesn’t look that similar to the Nissan, with its distinctly Renault grille and C-shaped lights, as well as the enormous badge on the front.
That said, it still looks a bit generic in profile, failing to stand out from the crowd when parked alongside the Nissan Qashqais, Kia Sportages and SEAT Atecas it competes with. It isn’t ugly – not by a long way – but it doesn’t have the striking angles of the Sportage or the distinctive grille of the Hyundai Tucson.
What it does have is a new Esprit Alpine trim level, born from Renault’s sports car-manufacturing, F1-racing sibling firm, Alpine. With big wheels, Alpine badging and a jazzy interior, the trim level makes no mechanical difference to the car, but it will soon be available across the Renault range, replacing the old R.S. Line trims.
Renault Austral Interior
The new Austral is designed to be much more high-tech than its predecessor, and the interior design has been developed accordingly. It all centres around a big touchscreen housing Google software that makes it slick and intuitive. It even has larger icons to help make it easier to operate on the move, and it comes with Google Maps, rather than conventional navigation.
Quality is generally strong, with everything fitting together neatly and most of the switchgear feeling solid to the touch. Some of the plastics are questionable, but that’s true of most family SUVs on the market today. By and large, it feels as solid as anything from Nissan or Ford.
But the Austral really excels when it comes to practicality. Were we getting the mild-hybrid models in Ireland, we could enjoy a boot measuring up to 550 litres in capacity with all five seats in place, but that figure drops to 503 with the full hybrid model destined for these shores.
Still, that’s competitive for hybrid cars in this class, and the Austral has another ace up its sleeves. The sliding rear bench might not be a novel idea, but it’s one Renault has implemented well to allow owners the chance to trade rear legroom for boot space whenever they choose. Admittedly, legroom does become a bit tighter with the seats all the way forward, but it’s still adequate for most, while even tall passengers will have space to stretch out when the seats are moved all the way back.
Renault Austral Performance & Drive
Just one engine will be available to Irish customers, and that’s the 199hp, 1.2-litre E-Tech Full Hybrid. Combining a little three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with two electric motors and a complicated multi-mode transmission, it uses between 4.6- and 5.0 litres of unleaded every 100km.
That isn’t bad going for a car with 199hp, but it doesn’t feel that fast. Put your foot down and the transmission takes a second to figure itself out, while outright performance is acceptable, rather than ample. That said, the engine is so quiet that it’s hard to tell whether the car is running on petrol or electricity, although it must be said there’s enough road noise to drown out most engines anyway.
The Austral is front-wheel drive – there’s no all-wheel-drive option – so off-road capability is limited, but it has some gusto on asphalt. There’s a four-wheel-steering option that makes it incredibly agile both in town and on country roads, but the steering responds so quickly that you have to be smooth with your inputs to ensure a comfortable ride for your passengers. And even then, things won’t be that comfortable. Admittedly, our test car’s enormous wheels won’t have helped it soak up the bumps, but the ride is certainly on the stiff side.
Renault Austral Pricing
Renault has not yet announced Irish prices for the Austral, but it’s expected to cost a similar amount to rival cars from Kia and Hyundai.
Carzone Verdict: 4/5
The Austral is significantly better than the Kadjar it replaces. While it has its plus points, including great tech and strong practicality, it’s held back by its firm ride and lack of refinement. As a result, the Austral is no stand-out performer, but is undoubtedly worthy of its place alongside its accomplished rivals.