Remember the Kadjar? The Qashqai that'd popped into the French outfitters (briefly) and provided a shortcut for La Regie's crossover ambitions? Well, it's been replaced by the Renault Austral hybrid SUV – and we've driven it. Full review this way ⤵️ 👀
Bauer Automotive staff writer; enjoys Peugeots, naturally-aspirated diesels, column shifts and steel wheels► We hit silky smooth Spanish tarmac to test it outWell, the new Renault Austral is the mid-sized SUV that replaces it and will, in Renault’s words, ‘re-conquest the C-segment’. It comes hot on the heels of its really rather gooda few new features. Not only does it sit on the latest CMF-CD platform but in the UK it’ll be full hybrid-only with a brand-new engine at its heart.
It certainly returns impressive numbers on paper – up to 61.4mpg WLTP and with CO2 emissions below 110g/km across the range. Most of its hybrid rivals return 120-130g/km, so the Austral looks particularly appealing as a company car. The most impressive part of the powertrain is its refinement, though – at motorway speeds, wind noise eclipses the engine’s muted hum, and even when you press on the little 1.2-litre triple isn’t too vocal.
The problem is it’ll remain an optional extra even on top-spec cars in the UK. And we can’t think who’s going to tick the box – is the manoeuvrability of a fairly compact C-segment SUV really such a problem that people are going to shell out to improve it? Handling is otherwise fairly par for the course – the tall and squidgy Renault doesn’t corner as keenly as a SEAT Ateca but nor does it elicit cause for alarm if you carry a bit too much speed into a bend.
Material quality seems high without too many creaks or rattles, and space for rear-seat passengers is impressive, even headroom under the vast panoramic sunroof. Weirdly less so for the driver, though – our 6’2 tester had the seat as far back as possible but still felt cramped. Trim levels for the UK will be exclusively high-end, starting with Techno. If you want to spend more, you can opt for Esprit Alpine or Esprit Alpine+. Don’t get excited by the Alpine branding – this is very much an AMG-Line situation and consists solely of visual improvements rather than any sporting character.Renault says it’s benchmarked the Kia Sportage Hybrid so it’s fair to assume a similar price point.
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