Renault has announced the price list for its new Austral petrol-electric hybrid SUV, which the brand has launched with the aim of “conquering the mid-sized family SUV market.”
The long-awaited replacement for the Kadjar SUV that was removed from sale last year, the Austral E-Tech is now available to order in the UK, posing a direct challenge to consistent best-sellers like the Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson.
While these established rivals are available with cheaper combustion-powered and mild hybrid powertrains, Renault is only offering the Austral with its ‘E-Tech’ hybrid engine, which the manufacturer says sets a new “benchmark” for hybrid power in its class, thanks to its low CO2 emissions and high fuel efficiency.
This ‘E-Tech’ powertrain makes use of 1.2-litre petrol engine and 2kWh battery pairing to provide 200hp and a reported fuel economy of 60mpg. By comparison, the Nissan Qashqai e-Power hybrid has an output of 190hp, and offers a fuel economy of around 53mpg.
The new Austral is a similar size to the retired Kadjar – it sits slightly taller and is six centimetres longer. While the Kadjar offered 527 litres of boot space, its successor has 35 litres of internal storage space and up to 555 litres of boot capacity.
On the tech front, the Austral features a 12-inch infotainment console and a 12-inch digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, as well as a nine-inch head-up display that projects driving information onto the windscreen.
The infotainment runs “up to 35 apps”, including a range of Google services including Google Maps, Google Assistant, and access to Google Play. Other Renault apps can plot navigation routes and reportedly operate home devices with voice control.
Key trim level features
Entry-level ‘techno’ (from £34,695)
- Matrix LED headlights
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Roof bars
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Rear-view parking camera
- Keyless entry
- 12-inch infotainment console
- 12-inch digital instrument cluster
- Head-up display
- Frameless rear-view mirror
- Sliding centre console armrest
- Dual-zone air conditioning
Mid-range ‘techno esprit Alpine’ (from £36,695)
- All ‘techno’ features that are not replaced
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Alpine-inspired interior detailing
- Alcantara leather upholstery with blue stitching
- Heated front seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Electric power tailgate
- Massage function for front seats
- Traffic sign recognition
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane keeping assistance
Top-spec ‘iconic esprit Alpine’ (from £39,495)
- All ‘techno’ and ‘techno esprit Alpine’ features that are not replaced
- Four-wheel steering
- 12-speaker audio system upgrade
- 360-degree parking camera
- Panoramic sunroof
- Wireless smartphone charging
The Austral range begins with the ‘techno’ trim grade, which includes matrix LED headlights, surround parking sensors and a parking camera, as well as keyless entry. A frameless rear-view mirror and automatic dual-zone air conditioning also come as standard.
Opting for the ‘techno esprit Alpine’ adds more upmarket interior detailing inspired by Renault’s performance-focused spin-off marque Alpine, Alcantara leather upholstery, heated front seats with a massage function, and an electronically-controlled boot lid. This grade also adds a few bits of safety tech, including traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistance.
Finally, the range-topping ‘iconic esprit Alpine’ trim features a speaker system upgrade, a surround-view parking camera, wireless smartphone charging and a panoramic sunroof. The model also comes with ‘four-wheel steering’, which tightens the car’s turning circle.
On sale now, the prices for the Renault Austral start at just south of £35k – around £1k more than the cheapest iteration of the Nissan Qashqai e-Power.
