CAR OF THE WEEK: Renault style and substance in new Austral

BY Brian Byrne

THE C segment is where the family car sits and is also where fully half of all car registrations in this country come from. It’s also dominated by crossover-SUV format cars, with fully two-thirds of sales in this style, while 30% of vehicles in the segment have hybrid powertrains. It is also arguably the most competed-for space in the Irish car market. 

So when a new model from an established maker in the segment comes along, it is always of interest. Renault’s new Austral E-Tech full hybrid ticks all the interest boxes.

My first impressions are good. The Austral is a handsome beast, with a strong stance and good exterior detail. The front face offers the latest in the Renault theme, a slightly subdued in style but large badge neatly incorporated in a grille designed for a modern and quality look. The profile lines, especially with the 20-inch alloys provided on the launch day vehicles, suggest a car with sporting intentions. The overall sense is a very sleek balance between utility and style.

The Austral replaces the Kadjar, and has similar exterior dimensions, but more room inside for passengers thanks to a longer wheelbase and the fact that it is the first Renault on a new Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi platform for upper level cars. A 555L cargo capacity is among the top figures in the segment.

The launch event featured the top of three grades, the iconic esprit Alpine, and the interior reflected  this with a discreet plushness mixed through the techno-type design elements. There’s an extensive integrated dual screens setup, with the operating system designed by Google as is the case across the new generation Renault electrified offerings — the Arkana and the more recent Megane E-Tech Electric. I like it, as I have previously said. 

That extra interior space, especially for rear passengers, is very evident. Though only a 5-seater, the Austral represents real comfort for adults and children alike, and more than enough luggage space for an extended trip or a weekend away.

That trip won’t be breaking the bank in fuel costs, either. The 200hp powertrain is based on a turbo-charged 1.2 3-cylinder engine and a larger battery than the hybrid systems previously used by the carmaker. Renault claims up to 80pc of time on city roads can be in full-electric mode. A fuel efficiency rating of 4.7L/100km results in around 1,100km range on a tank of petrol.

A launch event is by its nature limited in the amount of time and distance that can be spent in the car, but the drive certainly did leave me feeling that this is a car where comfort on that 1,000km-plus trip would be very much a feature. I also took it off-piste, so to speak, to take my pictures, and the experience suggests that it can well handle my local equivalent of the outback too.

This top end version has a four-wheel steering system that helps with manoeuvrability under pressure, but it also has the benefit of shortening a turning circle substantially. Which means, for instance, those times when you have to reverse the car’s direction in a narrow estate road require less heaving about on the steering wheel.

There’s a lot going on in the Renaultsphere at the moment. The Austral is the latest of what seem to be good things resulting.