Renault's all-new SUV is the Renault Austral, a family SUV with full hybrid system and packed with tech gadgets. Is it enough to compete with rivals? And is the Buy Austral a good idea?
In the Netherlands, the Austral is available as a so-called 'mild-hybrid' with a new 1.2 three-cylinder turbo engine with 130 hp and 48-volt support, and a full-hybrid engine with an output of 200 hp. Interestingly, a plug-in hybrid version has not been chosen.
Specifications Renault Austral
A look at the figures shows that the Austral is right in the middle of the family SUV landscape in terms of performance. With a total power output (petrol and electric) of 199 hp and a 0-100 km/h time of 8.4 seconds, the Austral lags behind, say, the more powerful Kia Sportage hybrid, but it will be faster than, say, the Ford Kuga hybrid.
It also comes with a hefty 2 kWh battery pack to power the hybrid system's electric motor; this is larger than the batteries used by the competition, and should allow you to drive longer on electric power at city speeds.
Consumption Austral
Thanks to the electric motor and large battery pack, the Hybrid achieves consumption of 4.6 l/100 km (1 on 21.7), while the mild hybrid does 5.2 l/100 km (1 on 19.2).
The Austral always starts from standstill electrically and can (in theory) drive without engaging the petrol engine. However, this depends on whether you go easy on the throttle and whether there is enough charge in the battery. Most of the time, however, you notice that after a solid wave of initial electric acceleration, the engine kicks in to provide more power to keep up with traffic.
If you want some extra power on the go, such as when overtaking or merging on the motorway, the Australian's gearbox unfortunately takes a bit too long to shift into a gear, leaving a gap between your demand for power and speed. The Sportage hybrid does respond a lot faster in such situations.
Steering and handling
The steering seems nicely weighted and pleasantly precise for family SUVs, but the Renault Austral goes one step further by offering the option of all-wheel steering (4Control). This drastically reduces the turning circle to 10.1m (the much smaller Captur requires 11.1m), making the Austral easy to manoeuvre in city traffic.
The Austral's suspension is soft, making it comfortable. In sport mode, sporty drivers can indulge themselves because then the car shows a surprisingly dynamic side. You can choose from a drop-down menu how much room you want from the assistance systems to bang through corners hard. Our advice would be to avoid the larger 20-inch wheels, though, as they transmit the impact of potholes and rough roads at low speed. The smaller 18-inch wheels should solve this problem and should also cause less road noise.
Interior and technical gadgets
If you like big screens, you will no doubt have a fondness for the Austral. You get a 12-inch digital multimedia screen in the centre console. The design of the dashboard resembles that of the Megane E-Tech Electric. Fortunately, Renault opted for real buttons for the main functions, which makes the controls more logical. Think of various climate functions.
Of course, using a Google-based voice control system, you don't have to touch the screen itself. You can give the Austral voice commands to adjust the air conditioning, control the navigation or even change the driving mode, for example, if you want. This would even be our preference for convenience and safety while driving.
The same compliment can be used to describe the rest of the interior, which has many soft finishes, with cheaper plastics well hidden from the driver's field of vision. The plastics used in the rear do tend to be of the harder variety but that is also common among competitors and not distracting.
The driver's seat is widely adjustable and there is plenty of head and legroom in the front for occupants. Helped by the sliding rear seats, there is more legroom in the back than in the rear than, say, the Sportage. The boot is quite spacious, holding 499-1525 litres (Nissan Qashqai: 504-1447 litres).
Conclusion
The 130 hp version of the Renault Austral will be on showrooms from this month (December 2022) and starts with prices starting from 36,480 euros. For 2000,- more, you have the Esprit Alpine model (the new name for R.S. Line), equipped with choice extras such as all-wheel steering and the fine Harmon Kardon sound system. For now, no electric version of the Austral is planned.
All in all, according to connoisseurs and various test reports, it is a quiet and comfortable SUV with very few downsides. Will this kick-start the Renaulution for Renault? Or will it only happen once the electric versions of the Renault 4 and 5 appear? We will keep an eye on it.
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