The Spanish market has been turning in recent years in a very noticeable way towards SUVs and hybrid engines. Hence, the Renault Austral is very important for the gala brand. If you are only looking to get the ECO label, it is offered as a microhybrid, cheaper but less powerful and spends more than the non-plug-in hybrid version that we thoroughly tested a few weeks ago.
It is a car that convinced me a lot. Dynamically, it is one of the best in the compact SUV segment, although the unit we tested had the 4Control rear axle steer system, which is linked to the multi-link rear suspension… and a simpler rear torsion bar is offered as standard and cheap. It spends little, the interior finishes are good and the connectivity technology is, if not the best (you may not be very Google) of the best.
What did not convince me? Well, details of the interior, such as rear visibility or the amalgamation of controls behind the wheel. It could improve comfort on highway trips, reducing that aerodynamic noise that reaches the passenger compartment remarkably. And sometimes you notice the operation of its peculiar hybrid system (such as when one engine or another is coupled, it does not have a gearbox to use), something that will surely be refined over time.
The price is not low. For the unit we tested, with the iconic higher trim and sprit package Alpine was asking for €43,600 at the time of testing. With the rise in prices in the last two years and if we compare it with rivals with more equipment, it is not an unreasonable price and the Qashqai, made on the same platform, is at close prices. The bad, that it is already about rates that make you think of a plug-in hybrid SUV. Depending on how you use the car on your daily commute and whether you can charge it at home – much cheaper – it may interest you more than a high-priced hybrid SUV.
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