Renault Austral review

Share this article New Renault Austral image bank media Test-Drive, on May 10th 2025 at Barcelona, Spain - Photo Yannick Brossard / DPPI

First introduced in 2022, the Austral represents Renault's more upmarket offering to the medium SUV segment, sitting in the range above the slightly smaller and more value-focused Symbioz. The Austral has now received a relatively thorough facelift, with Renault in many areas looking to address criticisms of the original launch car.

Design and interior

The main styling changes with the facelift are designed to bring the Austral more in line with the Rafale, Renault's SUV-coupe, including a new bonnet and grille, reprofiled bumpers, different light signatures and a revised tailgate. Moving inside, with the Esprit Alpine equipment grade of our left-hand drive test car (said to be closest to the range-topping Iconic Esprit Alpine grade in the UK) there are sporty touches such as the questionable, blue-trimmed seatbelts we've seen with other Renaults.

That aside, the overall interior trim quality is pretty good, with lots of leather and plush materials. A 12.3in infotainment touchscreen is usefully angled towards the driver, and benefits from separate ventilation control switches underneath. There's also a 12in digital driver display, and with the spec tested a useful and clear 9.3in head-up display.

Gear selection is via a stalk mounted behind the steering wheel, which Renault says has been moved further away from the windscreen wiper stalk with the facelift to reduce the potential for confusion. Where a traditional gear lever would go on the centre console, you instead get a strangely chunky handle resembling an aircraft throttle control, which sadly instead of engaging jet thrust only opens a storage compartment. As part of the facelift, Renault has fitted new seats, which it says have been designed to offer more comfort and support.

However, we found these to still be on the firm side - and without providing the last word in lateral support either. The Austral offers a good amount of rear legroom, and headroom should be fine for all but the tallest, while two rear USB ports are available along with air vents. A 527-litre boot is a decent size and can be extended via sliding rear seats - which usefully split 60/40, allowing extra boot space to be created on one side of the car while rear legroom is preserved on the other side.

Although, sliding the seats forward does create a gully between them and the (rather high) boot floor.

Performance and drive

The updated Austral gets a single, conventional hybrid powertrain option in the UK, offering 200hp (a mild hybrid is available elsewhere, while Renault confirmed at the launch that no plug-in hybrid Austral is planned). Renault says this powertrain has been updated to provide smoother acceleration, and on the road, there is evidence to support this, with a smooth power delivery either in B-road or motorway overtaking situations, and without much delay in responding to throttle inputs. When not being pushed, the powertrain is also happy to sit in EV-only mode for extended periods, especially around town.

Despite Renault saying soundproofing has been improved, there can be a fair bit of wind noise from around the door mirrors at motorway speeds. The engine however is quiet at high speeds - it's at lower speeds accelerating out of villages where it can sometimes seem a bit coarse. As for handling, the Austral changes direction willingly, albeit with a bit of body lean and slightly vague steering (we should note that our test car had a four-wheel steering system which won't be offered in the UK).

The ride seems fidgety at times, despite revised dampers forming part of the facelift, and isn't helped by the aforementioned firm seats, although bigger bumps are cushioned well. Renault says the new Austral is available with 32 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) - but as we've seen with other recent launches, it's also keen to highlight the My Safety Switch, which allows the driver to adopt their preferred settings (i.e. turn off annoying systems) with two quick presses. Renault is yet to confirm UK prices for the updated Austral, but they are expected to be close to the current car, in the GBP35-39k range.

While the car does plenty of things well, with the success of Renault's facelift upgrades a bit hit and miss, it may struggle to match the all-round excellence of rivals such as the Hyundai Tucson[1]. Positive: Spacious and practical interior, plush materials, smooth hybrid powertrain Negative: Comfort shortfall, wind noise

Standard equipment: TBC Engines: Hybrid: 200hp 1.2 Equipment grades: Techno, Techno Esprit Alpine, Iconic Esprit Alpine

Transmissions: Six-speed automatic

ModelRenault Austral Hybrid E-Tech 200hp Iconic Esprit AlpineOn saleJuneP11DTBCResidual valueTBCDepreciationTBCFuelTBCService, maintenance and repairTBCCost per mileTBCFuel consumption60.1mpgCO2 (BIK%)106g/km (27%) BIK 20/40% a monthTBC/TBCLuggage capacity527 litresEngine size/power1,199cc/200hpScore8/10Share this article

References

1. ^ Hyundai Tucson (www.businesscar.co.uk)