Renault’s new Austral family SUV is the latest example from the company of how to use tech in a user-friendly manner in a vehicle without the distraction of overly complicated or confusing systems. Their intuitive infotainment system works incredibly well, with each spec within the range also delivering a decent amount of kit. Competition comes in the form of Kia’s Sportage, Toyota’s Bz4X, the Tonale, Kuga, Tucson and Subaru’s Solterra.
Special mention : Infotainment is how it should be done, electric driving is highly enjoyable and makes congested cities easy to navigate. Who wouldn’t want a combustion engine car that drives like an electric car and has a ‘range’ of 900+ kms.
Needs work : When the engine kicks in it’s coarse, but it only powers up when you accelerate or it needs to juice the battery. The three stalks on the right of the steering wheel need a re-think, design is awkward. Start up sound is oddly loud when you open the door. It’s so far between fill ups that you might just forget to refuel.
| 200 HP | Petrol / Electric / Auto |
| 0-100 km/h in 8.4 seconds | Road Tax €180 |
| Price: from €45,295.00 As Specc’d €52,295.00 | Boot Space 555 litres |
The Austral only comes with one powertrain in the lineup and it’s the full hybrid 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 1.7kWh battery powering the electric motor with a total of 197bhp.
There’s a long list of standard equipment, including front and rear parking sensors, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reversing camera, 19” alloys, 12” digital instrument cluster, 12.3” portrait touchscreen, adaptive LED headlights and a simple head-up display.
The next models up include the Techno Esprit Alpine and range-topping Iconic Esprit Alpine. Starting with 20” wheels, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, with those 5 star Euro NCAP safety features such as adaptive cruise control with lane steering assistance and traffic sign recognition. Top-spec Iconic Esprit Alpine models come with upgraded Harmon Kardon stereo, a 360-degree camera, wireless phone charging, pano roof and 4Control rear-axle steering.
The Austral has a relaxed driving style which helps fuel efficiency, it doesn’t feel as slow as its 0-100 km/h time of 8.4s suggests. If you ask too much from it too quickly, there’s a slight pause while it decides which powertrain to use. Yet using the EV mode in the city reduces tiredness and stress with a pleasant set-off from standstill, low down torque is good.The 4Control rear-axle steering turns the rear wheels in the opposite directions allowing for a very tight turning circle at low speeds. The ‘E-Tech 200’ powertrain is capable of completing up to 80 percent of city driving on electric alone. You can adjust the levels of regenerative braking. The highest level is quite strong with a slightly inconsistent pedal feel.
The infotainment is accessed via a 9.3” head-up display, a 12.3” digital dash and a 12” touch screen using Google’s OS. You can access services via the touch screen or voice control. The interface is easy to read with clear graphics. Whether you’re using the 12.3” display in front of the driver, or the 12” portrait touchscreen hung over the dashboard, the former deals with speed, trip, and autonomous safety tech, while the latter looks after everything else, from infotainment to climate controls.
Powering the large central screen is the hyped Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, which really makes it the slickest running infotainment system in a vehicle that while it isn’t classed as a high end luxury vehicle, the system certainly is. Its fast reaction times and sleekness are mirrored by the standard sat-nav mapping that’s powered by Google software. Navigation information can be shown on the central screen and can be mirrored in the drivers instrument binnacle.
The standard eight-speaker sound system is decent but the upgraded 12-speaker Harman Hardon system fitted to the range-topping Iconic Esprit Alpine which is worth the extra outlay.
The interior looks smart with flashes of metallic-look finishes, lots of piano black trim, and a decent amount of soft-touch plastic. To get the blue ‘esprit Alpine’ trim and stitching across the seats you will be looking at getting the Techno Esprit Alpine and above. In terms of quality, it meets the class standards with hard plastics hidden lower down on the dashboard and door cards.
The driver gets a good amount of space with a pleasant driving position for taller adults you get plenty of head, leg and shoulder room. Lumbar adjustment is standard across the range, and from mid-range Techno Esprit Alpine upwards, you get electric front seat adjustment.
Chunky pillars may make it awkward for some to see out of the Austral when reversing so it helps that it comes with rear cross-traffic alert, which warns of approaching moving objects. Every Austral also comes with front and rear parking sensors for those last spots left in the car park that no one else is brave enough to consider.
The Austral has lots of storage cubbies, from the door bins to the large glovebox and the space under the front armrest. On the centre console there’s a sliding panel which reveals a sliding wireless phone charging pad on the top-spec models.
All versions of the Austral come with a sliding rear bench so either boot space (555-litres) or knee room can be adjusted. The seats split in a 60:40 layout, and can move independently of each other as well as having Isofix points. The release handles for the seats are just inside of the boot to make life easier. Although sometimes having the release on the shoulder of the seat is handy when you want to secure items in the boot without anyone seeing you actually open the boot.
The other downside is that the boot loading height of 805mm is one of the highest of any new car we’ve measured, and will be a real hindrance for any dog owners wishing to put pets in the Austral. When the subwoofer is optioned in top-spec models it takes up most of the underfloor storage on offer.
The light steering makes the Austral adept at parking in tight spaces but it lacks heft when cornering when on the move. On range-topping Iconic Esprit Alpine models the Austral comes with four-wheel steering (called 4Control). The large 20” wheels can be fidgety at low speed but they hold the road nicely with decent grip and there’s not much wind noise unless you’re on the motorway for an extended time.
Adjustable regenerative braking is a good idea but when the regen is too heavy the motion can jerk passengers about giving them a less than comfortable journey if used over a long period.
The best way to get through congested traffic is via the use of the cars electric power and it does this quite well, making dreary commutes less stressful. Even as a hybrid, when the petrol engine kicks in to recharge the battery it will have that gruff engine note that PHEVs are known for but it doesn’t last too long unless you’re constantly putting pressure on the accelerator.
There’s a wide range of driver assistance systems onboard with around 30 on board giving it the full Euro NCAP five-star rating. The systems also provide safety without interfering in the driving experience.
Every version comes with blind spot monitoring, lane departure, lane keep assist, front and rear automatic emergency braking, with front and rear cross-traffic alert. Owners rate fuel economy and running costs as reasons they buy Renaults. Renault have put effort into the interior of the Austral with soft dash materials surrounded by neat metal finishes tidying up the facia, with harder plastics used in the lower sections of the dash and flimsy air vents letting it down a little. Excellent fuel economy & low emissions mean the Renault Austral should be very cost-effective to run. While its brilliance lies in the city, longer motorway journeys can take their toll on the 1.2litre 3 cylinder engine especially when fully loaded.