Written by Adam Binnie Updated: 14 August 2024

Eye-catching styling and seamless interior tech, combined with punchy performance and 60mpg. The Renault Austral promises much, and we’ll be testing how well it can deliver it over the next six months.

Reports by Adam Binnie

Update 1: Welcome

Plug-in hybrid economy without having to plug it in? Can it be too good to be true? We welcome the Renault Austral and its intriguing powertrain

It seems I’ve got a bit of a thing for red crossovers, as I wave goodbye to the Cupra Formentor and welcome this considerably brighter Renault Austral.

Digging back into the past reveals I’ve had a decent run of similarly toned SUVs – a Volvo XC40, and a Mazda CX-3 and CX-5, all in firey hues.

I feel pretty well qualified then to say that this particular Flame Red is my favourite of all of those, which is a bit controversial when you consider how iconic Mazda’s Soul Red has become. But you can spot the Renault from the other side of a car park with ease, such is the vibrancy of its paintwork.

It’s really quite a good looking car, with chunky proportions and striking C-shaped head and tail lights. This theme continues inside too with the best incarnation of Renault’s upright screen I’ve seen to date, and plenty of soft-touch and technical-looking fabrics.

All of this has somewhat softened the blow of my last long termer’s passing. In my final Cupra Formentor update I spent about 1,000 words explaining how much I loved it and how well it fit into family life.

It’s fair to say that’s a hard act to follow, and I didn’t want that to influence my early opinion of the Austral. This car replaces the Kadjar, which always felt like it lived in the shadow of the Nissan Qashqai that it was mechanically based on.

That was a problem at a time when the Qashqai was already the default crossover choice for a lot of family car buyers. Nissan absolutely nailed that brief and got to the market before a lot of its major rivals and enjoyed great success off the back of it.

The Austral feels much more its own car, and in the years that have passed since its predecessor arrived, the mid-sized family SUV range has absolutely exploded to the point where I can talk about how good this Renault is without comparing it to a Qashqai.

And it is good – really good in fact. I’m jumping the gun a bit here but I didn’t need to worry about my first impressions being corrupted by the Cupra’s passing. The talents are more than skin deep, thanks to brilliant, seamless connectivity of its interior tech, a punchy engine that promises 60mpg, and surprisingly cosseting cabin noise levels and suspension.

That last point may stand out to you if you’ve read any other Austral reviews. When this car was launched it had firm suspension and many road testers (including those on Parkers) rightfully pointed this out.

This 2024 model has fixed that problem with a much more forgiving set up. It’s still quite poised, I reckon it sits somewhere between the Cupra’s comfort and sport modes, meaning it’s well balanced for everyday use.

I’m also really intrigued by the engine – it’s a conventional hybrid (so you don’t need to recharge the battery) and Renault says it can do 80% of normal driving in EV mode. I’ve not done enough miles to test this out yet but anecdotally I’ve noticed it moves under electric power way more than I was expecting. That means its often quiet and wafty, with a smooth power delivery.

Finally, there’s the additional practicality a more traditional, tall SUV offers over the Formentor’s crossover hatchback shape. It has a 430-litre boot – admittedly only ten more than the Cupra, but if you slide the rear seats forward this increases to 555-litres. How practical it is to do that day-to-day we’ll have to see.

So things are looking bright from the off. I’m really intrigued to see how efficient the Austral can be (especially when I attach my bikes to the roof) and what it gives away in order to deliver that cost saving per mile. From my initial impressions, that appears to be very little.

Update 2: Spec inspector

A pretty straightforward engine and trim range makes for a pretty straightforward buying decision – just get the one we’re running here

On the face of it this should be a short update – there’s one engine option, and three trims. We’ve got the middle one here, called Techno Esprit Alpine. I’ll explain what that comes with (and what it doesn’t) as we go, but TL;DR, I think it’s the best option.

In the brochure’s topline numbers, Renault highlights the fact the Austral has 30 advanced driver assistance systems, 984cm2 of screen and head up display space, and 555-litres of luggage capacity.

There’s an asterisk against these figures highlighting the fact that they’re dependent on trim, and so you instantly think “oh here we go, that’ll be for the top spec car only” but it seems like we’ve got most of them as standard. UK models seem to be very well equipped.

All three trims get the same 12-inch main screen, 12.3-inch driver’s screen and 9.3-inch head up display. Same for the 555-litre boot, although that’s dependant on the rear seats being slid forward like I mentioned before.

There does however appear to be a slight disparity between the safety systems on offer. Base spec Techno gets most of it (see the highlights in the bullet points below). Upgrading to Techno Esprit Alpine gets you active driver assist, which is basically a more sophisticated active lane keep and adaptive cruise control system (you get basic adaptive cruise as standard).

Standard safety kit

• Front & rear active emergency brake assist

• Pedestrian alert

• Distance warning alert

• Emergency lane keep assist

• Active emergency braking system

• Driver attention alert with drowsiness warning

• Speed sign recognition

• Adaptive cruise control

• Rear view camera

• Automatic matrix LED vision headlights

You’ll need the top spec car if you want hands free parking and a 360 degree camera. I’ve never been impressed with the former, but the latter is pretty useful, especially if you live in a city or want to keep those wheels kerb-damage free.

Elsewhere the middle trim we’ve got here looks like the sweet spot in terms of looks as well as kit – you get smart 20-inch wheels (an upgrade over the standard 19s) plus fancier fabric on the seats, Alcantara on the dash, and eye-catching red, white and blue stitching on the wheel. A decent upgrade over the slightly dull looking Techno interior.

Handy gadgets I think you’ll appreciate in the mid-spec car include a hands-free electric boot, heated front seats (massage and powered adjustment on the driver’s side too), and a heated steering wheel.

Upgrading to the top trim gets you the safety tech mentioned above, a panoramic roof, 12-speaker Harman Kardon stereo, and upgraded door mirrors with memory function.

All in all while the top spec car gets some nice upgrades, it doesn’t look any different to the middle trim we’re running, which I think represents the best bang for buck in the Austral range.

I am a sucker for a nice stereo, but in all honesty the six speaker Arkamys audio system that comes as standard does a surprisingly good job. I could also be convinced by a panoramic roof (I like being able to keep an eye on my bikes when they’re up there) but again that’s a “nice to have” rather than essential.

Something that doesn’t get much of a mention anywhere, curiously, is the four-wheel steering system that only comes with top spec cars. This shrinks more than a metre from the turning circle by angling the rear wheels during tight turns. It also improves stability at high speed.

I can’t say I’ve noticed the Austral having a particularly bad turning circle but again if you live in a city this could be a really useful upgrade. It’s odd therefore that Renault doesn’t make it more of a selling point. Further investigation required.