To begin with, it’s short and simple: this is the best Renault we’ve ever driven, but also one of the most impressive mid-size SUVs on the market. The tested car with the extremely long official name Renault Austral E-Tech Full Hybrid 200 iconic esprit Alpine delights with its economical and powerful drive, driving and luxury and impresses with many other details.
The tested Austral is the top of the range when it comes to the offer of this compact SUV. It has the most powerful drive, the richest equipment and plenty more from the list of additional equipment, so it is not surprising that the price rises to almost 50,000 euros. These are already astronomical levels for a car in a class whose prices not so long ago started at around 20,000 euros. But if we compare it with today’s competition and their prices, Austral is absolutely at the average level. After all, we recently tried its gasoline version with all levels of lower equipment and its price came dangerously close to 40,000 euros, so this model with much more equipment and a more economical and powerful drive in the end even seems like a better buy. But let’s start in order.
In a recent test of the gasoline Austral, we mentioned that this is, without a doubt, the best Renault on the market at the moment, and with this drive and equipment it becomes even better. The attractively designed car is a lure for outside views, which is further emphasized by the attractive matte color. Inside, it delights with technology without sacrificing design or impeccable ergonomics. The interior of the car is a real “Wellness oasis” on the road with fine leather, heated seats with massage, attractive ambient lighting, a superb 485 W Harman Kardon audio system and many other luxurious and practical details.
As in the previous Austral that we tested, the interior design and ergonomics delighted us. Everything is in its place, and in addition to the two large screens (instruments and touch screen) there are also plenty of classic buttons, which is to be commended. Technology fans will find the large central vertically positioned 12-inch diagonal screen most impressive. The screen is of high resolution and even more technology, and it is the “home” of one of the best infotainment systems currently in the car world. Google was in charge of it, which is a real rarity in the automotive industry. Austral is only the second Renault with this technology and one of only a few cars with this technology in Europe. Everything works well, smoothly and quickly, and welcome additions are the excellent and always reliable Google Maps navigation as well as other services such as Google Assistant voice control and the Google Play application store where you can download additional applications adapted for this car.
The digital instruments are also superb. They are large, very transparent, full of information, have the possibility of customization, but what we liked the most is their screen. It has a diagonal of 12 inches and is of extremely high resolution and good readability in all light conditions. Renault is also at the level of the best in the world in terms of digital instruments in this model.
Austral also offers several unusual or unusual solutions, the most noticeable of which is that the automatic transmission lever is moved behind the steering wheel, like in a Mercedes. The solution is taken from the electric Megane E-Tech, as well as a large part of the interior. This frees up space on the center console between the seats.
Compliments also for the spaciousness. In the cabin, the Austral offers significantly more space compared to the class average. Renault claims that this is the most spacious car in its class, there really is a lot of room in the back, enough even for two-footers, and the trunk holds 500 liters, which we also have nothing to complain about. There is also a welcome trick with a movable rear bench, and by moving it, the available space on the rear bench can be reduced, but the trunk increases to a sumptuous 575 liters.
The car’s drivetrain is the most powerful hybrid system that Renault currently offers. It is based on a three-cylinder engine with a turbo and an intercooler that develops 130 hp, and the total power of the system is 200 hp. As with weaker hybrids, Renault opted for a different approach from the competition and constructed a complex but very innovative and good hybrid system with two electric motors (one starter generator and the other for drive) and an intricate gearbox without a clutch and synchromesh that has four speeds for the gasoline motor, two speeds for the electric motor and as many as 15 different modes of operation. Renault calls this gearbox Multimode.
The hybrid drive is very efficient in practice. Consumption is very low for such a large and powerful car. In the test, it was only 5.6 l/100 km on average. In the city, it is possible to drop it significantly below five liters per 100 km, and on the highway it does not “go wild” like some hybrids, and with an average driving speed of about 130 km/h, it mostly remains below 7 l/100 km. The drive works quite smoothly, the gearbox can sometimes get confused when you drive aggressively or with a heavy load, but with normal driving you will enjoy quiet operation and comfortable driving, and at the same time in the city, depending on the driving style, up to 80 percent of the driving can be done in electric mode. The only objection to the drive is the speed limit to 175 km/h. This kind of thing is common with hybrids, but we think that 175 km/h is still too little for this kind of car. Accelerations, on the other hand, are completely satisfactory. The car reaches 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds, and intermediate accelerations are even better.
The suspension is in perfect harmony with the rest of the car. It is a bit softer than average and designed primarily for comfort which is excellent, much better than the class average. But the Austral is also quite capable when you get into fast cornering. Leaning is minimal, and the superb 4Control advanced steering system on all wheels, which enables more precise, more pleasant and faster cornering, deserves great praise. This system is an extra charge, but it’s definitely worth it even if you don’t care about “quick cornering”. Namely, at low speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front, which reduces the turning circle by 1.3 meters to 10.1 meters, which is at the level of the Cli.
The tested Austral is definitely the most impressive Renault we’ve ever driven, but it’s possible that it won’t stay that way for long. On its basis, the larger Espace and the attractive Rafale have already been created, and we can’t wait to try what they have to offer. The price of the tested car is 47,760 euros, but this is due to the extremely luxurious equipment, the list of which can be found at the bottom of the test. You can get the same hybrid drive in the Austral for as much as 11,000 euros less with a lower level of Techno equipment, which in itself is already more than rich enough. This version will be chosen mainly by those for whom the price is not a problem.
FACTORY TECHNICAL DATA:
Važnija oprema Renault Austral E-Tech Full Hybrid 200 iconic esprit Alpine
20″ alloy wheels, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, 12″ touchscreen, navigation, 12″ digital instruments, head-up display, front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree parking camera system, power leather seats, heated front seats , steering wheel and windshield, massage on the driver’s seat, Harman Kardon 485 W audio system, wireless mobile phone charger, electric trunk opening, Matrix LED lights, 4Control Advanced steering on all wheels…