Renault Austral review

• What is it?
• What do you make of the looks?
• Hybrid only?
• Four-wheel steering? Ambitious.
• But it’s a family car, so the cabin matters.
• What's the verdict?
• What is it like to drive?
• Does anything confuse it?
• What’s it like around town?
• And you said it was quiet?
• What is it like on the inside?
• What should I be paying?

Overview

What is it?

This is Renault’s first convincing attempt at a mid-size family crossover, a kind of car that sells in huge numbers. It comes only as a full-hybrid. That pitches it against the Nissan Qashqai e-Power, Toyota RAV4, and Kia Sportage HEV.

Renault isn’t doing a diesel, because people no longer want them. It’s also avoiding, at the moment anyway, a plug-in hybrid version because those are expensive and Renault reckons lots of people don’t plug them in often enough to save significant petrol.

It comes to the UK early next year with prices from just over £35k.

So it’s a decently powerful car, and trim levels are high too. The screen system is comprehensive and connected, and the rear seats slide for extra versatility. In other words, there isn’t a base-spec car in the Austral range.

Renault actually designed the Austral to be launched in 2021, but then switched the sequence between this and the Megane E-Tech Electric. However much crossovers matter, it seemed more urgent to get the electric hatch out there. Fortunately the Austral doesn’t seem out of date as a result. It gave them extra time to hone the complicated powertrain and four-wheel steering.

What do you make of the looks?

In that interval between design freeze and launch, Renault got a new design director, Gilles Vidal. But he didn’t change much. It’s a handsome thing, even if it inevitably finds it hard to stand out among a sea of other crossovers, especially in profile. Still, it has a good solid stance, the high-spec UK cars running on big wheels. Fancy LED lighting lifts the front and rear views.

Hybrid only?

Yes, and it’s Renault’s geared hybrid system, E-Tech. In which you have a petrol engine with a simple four-speed gearbox, plus an electric motor with two gears of its own. Those two have 15 different allowable permutations of drive, either combined or singly. In fact it always starts off in electric drive because there’s no clutch, another reason it’s simple and light and compact. A second smaller motor starts the engine and synchronises the gearshifts.

In the smaller Renaults this hybrid setup runs at 280 volts and is paired with a basic four-cylinder engine. Here it gets 400V and a three-cylinder turbo, which is more powerful, torquey and quiet. It improves the experience and gives a useful 200bhp combined.

Even more significant if it’s your company car: all versions, even on 20-inch wheels with the extra weight of four-wheel steering, score under 110g/km CO2. The hybrid rivals are mostly around 125-130g/km.

Four-wheel steering? Ambitious.

Yup, it’s actually an option, and comes with multi-link rear suspension. That’s the suspension we tested and it’s very good, both to make the Austral easier to thread through cramped streets and multi-storey ramps, and in main-road stability.

Without that option you’re running on a simpler torsion beam rear suspension, which will likely mean less steering precision and more road noise. We’ll let you know when we’ve tested that.

But it’s a family car, so the cabin matters.

Indeed. It’s decently roomy, and a sliding rear seat lets you share the legroom and boot space to suit. The trim and material quality is well up on the Nissan, Ford, Toyota and Kia. There are some handy storage touches, and excellent connectivity.

Renault is aiming high here. There’s no existing body of Renault crossovers waiting to trade into an Austral. You might have forgotten its predecessor, the undistinguished and poor-selling Kadjar. And the Austral comes only as a hybrid, with no cheap petrol manual.

But it’s well-trimmed, feels high-tech, and uses little fuel. If you want a hybrid crossover, it’s a good choice. If the hybrid part isn’t important, you’ve got loads of other strong choices, especially from the Stellantis and VW Groups, but even then it holds its own in most ways.

Driving

What is it like to drive?

Two points of interest here, the hybrid system and the 4WS.

We explained the hybrid mechanism briefly in the overview page. Now for how it feels. Mostly, it falls into the background. On light throttle the engine starts and stops far more often than you realise unless you’re looking at the power flow dash graphic. It’s near-silent and very smooth.

A good dose of full throttle – up a motorway on-ramp or passing the derestriction sign, say – also feel natural. Engine revs rise through a gear then drop on an upshift. The 0-62mph is a respectable 8.4 seconds.

Does anything confuse it?

Only when you ask for power suddenly does it get into a muddle, pausing while it rearranges the sources and ratios, then clunking slightly as it forges ahead. You do have steering column paddles, but they affect only the degree of lift-off deceleration, not the acceleration gear.

Overall though, it feels as natural as any hybrid. And the quietness and rated economy are excellent. But of course rated economy largely relates to mixed-speed driving. Again like any hybrid, on a steady-speed motorway where there’s not much chance to recover energy, so economy falls short of a diesel.

What’s it like around town?

The four-wheel steering is a success. You gain a lot, not just in turning circle but in the way the rear follows the front to clear obstacles. In roundabouts and tight corners, agility is strong. On A-roads, it’s calibrated to give fine stability, so it’s very relaxing to bowl along.

It contains roll and body heave well, and grips gamely, but it’s not about feedback or engagement. Because it’s a family crossover.

And you said it was quiet?

At all speeds, yes. The optional Harman stereo is a fine thing. The ride isn’t harsh, but can get a little busy because the springs are taut.

The assisted driving systems works smoothly, and – so important this – it’s easy to find and fathom the switches that engage and disengage them.

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

The cabin is dominated by two screens, and they display attractive, logical graphics. The system is built on Android, and that allows a clever mix of on-board and cloud-based navigation and voice activation. Perhaps unexpectedly, it also co-operates nicely with Apple CarPlay. No smartphone sectarianism here.

The driver has proper hardware hardware switches and stalks to control the climate, stereo and ADAS. Can’t tell you how much this reduces stress.

The transmission is controlled by a stalk, so the centre console is freed up for big trays and cupholders, variously covered and uncovered by a sliding thingy that contains the wireless charge pad and a padded wrist rest that makes it easier to jab at the touchscreen.

The back seats are roomy enough. If they’re roomier than you need, they slide forward to swell the boot. This also has the effect of bringing your toddlers closer while you reach around to placate them with carrot batons or those sucky yoghurt sachets.

Renault has done with Alpine what BMW did with M, Mercedes with AMG, Toyota with GR et cetera: it has created a badge called Esprit Alpine. It does nothing to the dynamics other than bringing 20-inch wheels. But it is a smart trim, with nice sporty fabrics and extra equipment inside, and a body kit and black pack outside.

Indeed the impression left by the cabin trim and materials does feel a step more expensive and stylish than any of the rivals.

Buying

What should I be paying?

It won’t arrive in the UK until spring 2023 so exact prices and versions are unforthcoming yet. But as with the Megane, all of them will be comparatively well equipped, and all of them get this top 200bhp hybrid powertrain (you can get non-hybrids elsewhere).

The hints are it’ll be £35k and up, with the main extras being the 4WS, the Esprit Alpine trim packs, and a panoramic roof.

Given the CO2 is 104-109g/km depending on equipment, company car tax should be pretty low.

Renault warranty is pretty solid at five years; limited to 100,000 miles, but unlimited in the first two years.

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