Renault Austral review

Driving position

Just as we Brits like, the Renault Austral provides a high driving position for increased visibility, but it never feels like you’re driving an overly big car.

It’s easy to judge the width of the Austral most of the time, and it never feels too big weaving in and out of parked cars, plus there’s plenty of adjustment in the seats to help you get comfy from behind the wheel.

They have a good amount of support, and mid-spec techno esprit Alpine cars and above come with electrically adjustable front seats for added luxury.

The wing mirrors offer a lot of visibility, but the downside of that is that they’re so big they create a slightly bigger than usual blind spot, which is most noticeable when taking tight corners when you want to judge how close you are to the kerb.

Tech and features

Renault has come a long way since the 2010s in terms of tech, and the Austral is proof of that with a sharp 12-inch touchscreen infotainment display that’s responsive for the most part (though in our experience, the heated steering wheel shortcut button sometimes took a few jabs to activate).

The Google-backed system works well, and you can use all of the features you’d expect, like up-to-date Google Maps and that handy voice assistant, but chances are you’ll be running Apple CarPlay or Android Auto from your phone most of the time.

All models also get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that can be customised with a few different display options, and again, for the most part, it’s good, but we do wish it could be just a little bit more responsive.

For example, you’d expect the digital speedometer to increase in increments of 1mph no matter how fast you’re accelerating, but most of the time it skips numbers to keep up with acceleration, which gives it a dated and cheap feel.

The first-generation Citroën C3 of 2002 was like this, but a modern SUV two decades on should be a little bit slicker in our opinion.

Mid-spec cars have a large and information-packed head-up display and a powered boot lid, while top-spec iconic esprit Alpine cars get a 360-degree parking camera and a 12-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system.

Thankfully, all models get 360-degree parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard, regardless of trim level, as well as matrix LED headlights and keyless entry.

Engines and power

There’s only one powertrain available for the Renault Austral, but thankfully, it’s a good one.

It’s a 200hp self-charging hybrid that Renault claims will do 80% of town journeys on battery power alone, which is meant to translate to a 40% fuel saving. In practice, those might be pretty bold claims, but more on that below.

It all centres around a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which produces around 130hp, and a 68hp electric motor supplements that for the best blend of efficiency and performance, depending on how you’re driving.

Unlike some hybrids with noisy CVT gearboxes, the Renault Austral has a pretty unique setup with two gears for the electric motor and four for the petrol engine – all handled automatically, of course.

In our experience, Renault’s claims of a “premium driving experience combining liveliness and efficiency” are pretty accurate, because you can put your foot down and the electric motor whirrs into action before the petrol engine starts to give you even more power.

It’s actually a pretty engaging hybrid setup, and it’s fun to balance exactly where the power is coming from with your right foot.

We did around 250 miles in the Austral across a mix of city roads, country lanes and motorways, and it never felt bogged down, but with a 0-62mph time of 8.4 seconds, it’s not exactly slow.

We also love the paddle shifters on the back of the steering wheel, but rather than changing gear, they’re for choosing between four different levels of regenerative braking, from a light coast all the way to nearly a one-pedal driving experience, which Renault recently debuted in the 4 E-Tech. That’s something we’d love to see in more hybrids.

All of that said, and while it would probably be the powertrain we’d choose given the option, it would be nice to see more options for different types of drivers, including a plain mild hybrid petrol model that could help bring the starting price down by a few thousand pounds.

In France, it’s sold with a 1.3-litre mild hybrid petrol, paired with a manual gearbox for 130hp or an automatic transmission for 160hp.

Handling and ride comfort

On the whole, the Renault Austral feels pretty composed. Our test car with 20-inch alloys felt fine over poorly paved roads, and it has a surprisingly wide wheelbase given its manageable exterior dimensions, which helps iron out speed bumps around town.

Top-spec iconic esprit Alpine cars have four-wheel steering, which isn’t something we see in the Austral’s rivals. Called ‘4CONTROL Advanced’, it means the back wheels will also turn (to a lesser degree than the front wheels – five degrees maximum) for enhanced stability at speed.

For tighter turns, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels, reducing the Austral’s turning circle by 1.1m (from 11.2m to 10.1m), making it as manageable in tight spaces as many city cars. We didn’t find the standard-spec Austral’s turning circle an issue anyway.

Our mid-spec techno esprit Alpine car didn’t have this, and we noticed a bit of lean in corners, suggesting it’s best driven sedately, not enthusiastically.

Sam Sheehan tested the 4CONTROL Advanced model, and noted: “It makes the turning circle unbelievably good… It’s better than a MINI and also the Renault Clio.”

Boot space

Renault leads with claims of a 555-litre boot. That’s pretty impressive, but that’s with the rear seats slid forward. With the front seats slid back, this configuration could result in zero legroom (the front and back seats can physically touch), so you won’t want to be carrying anyone in the back when you do this.

Still, the 487-litre space with the rear seats in their most backwards setting is still over 100 litres more than you’d get in a family hatchback. In this setting, it’s about average for a family SUV.

We think having the flexibility to slide the seats all the way forward is great – not only does it put the Austral towards the top of its class, but it offers up more options and configurations to improve versatility.

It’s just a shame that the boot floor doesn’t extend if you push the rear seats forward, so you can lose smaller items in the gap that’s created.

Rear seats

As already implied above, rear-seat space can depend on how you’ve got the seats configured for the boot space.

In their most spacious setting, there’s enough space for two adults, but headroom is reduced in the middle seat because it’s a bit higher.

Storage solutions

The centre console is dominated by a large armrest, and we think it looks similar to some automatic gear selectors. Once you’ve tried to put the Austral into gear this way, you’ll realise it’s actually a handle to adjust a sliding tray, which houses the wireless phone charger.

You can either use it to uncover two cupholders in the front section or a deeper storage bin in the rear section. It’s not necessarily that practical in daily use, though, because you’ll need to remove any cups or bottles so you can slide it forward to access items in the deeper compartment.

Fortunately, there’s also another storage area under the armrest, which has a split opening mechanism reminiscent of BMWs.

But back to the actual gear selector now, because that’s mounted on the right of the steering column like many other modern automatics. In theory, fine, but in practice, it’s too close to the wiper stalk, so you’ll inevitably end up setting the wipers to maximum speed when you’re trying to make a quick manoeuvre. Trust us, we’re speaking from experience, and it’s embarrassing.

Add to that the fact that you’ve got the classic Renault radio controls on a third (yes, third) stalk on the right, plus the lights and indicators stalk on the left and a plethora of buttons on the steering wheel itself, and it starts to feel a bit messy.

Picture a chaotic Homer Simpson at work, and you get the gist. We’re all for physical buttons over touch-sensitive and touchscreen ones any day, but maybe just a few less.

Towing

It’s quite handy having a punchy hybrid powertrain, because you can actually tow up to 1,500kg with the Renault Austral.

That’s enough for most heavy trailers, but you might struggle with a larger caravan.

Safety

Renault likes to boast about the number of safety systems its cars have, and in the case of the Austral, it’s a maximum of 30, but that applies to top-spec cars with all the options ticked, like 4CONTROL Advanced and a 360-degree parking camera.

In terms of what you’ll use most days, all models have adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, and hill start assist.

It got a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating in 2022, which is highly reassuring for a family car like this.

Fuel economy

Official figures state the Austral will get 61.4mpg on average, but in our experience, that’s a bit high.

We probably drove the Austral in its least optimal conditions – not all town driving where the electric motors should take over, and not entirely on the motorway where the petrol engine can settle into a good rate of efficiency, but somewhere in between with plenty of quick starts from roundabouts and junctions that reduced our overall MPG.

After a week, we got 46-47mpg, which is a fair bit away from the claimed figure. Still, for a pretty big petrol car, it’s good. Just not outstanding.

Reliability

Now that it’s been on sale for a couple of years, we know that the Renault Austral has proven to be a reliable family car.

The platform it sits on also underpins the newer Rafale coupé-SUV and its cousin, the Nissan Qashqai, which sells in the thousands, so you can be pretty confident when buying a used Renault Austral for sale.

Insurance groups

The Renault Austral sits in insurance groups 21-23, which is about middle of the range, and that’s likely influenced by the 200hp hybrid setup.

Many rivals can be cheaper to insure, starting in groups 12 (Nissan Qashqai), 10 (Škoda Karoq) or 15 (Kia Sportage), but go for more powerful versions and they’re more similar to the Austral.

Another reason why a smaller petrol engine might be a good addition to the range.