Renault’s new C-segment SUV, the Austral, is set to hit British showrooms soon. At 4.5 metres long, it replaces the Kadjar and boasts a more sophisticated chassis in its top form. With the market overflowing with rivals, including the big-selling Nissan Qashqai, Renault has kept it simple with only three variants, all with the same powertrain, priced from £34,695 to £39,495. Our test car is a top-end Iconic Esprit Alpine.

Powertrain

The powertrain in the Austral is pretty complex and bespoke to Renault in general and this Renault in particular. It’s a hybrid comprising a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine and two electric motors, with a combined maximum of 197bhp. The way it operates isn’t unlike the latest Honda Civic, in that most of the time the main motor is doing the driving. The main motor has 67bhp and two gear ratios and sits between the engine’s transmission and the wheels. The engine makes 129bhp and has an integrated starter-generator attached to it that makes 20bhp. Its transmission has five forward speeds via a dog clutch.

These are really efficient but can be very unrefined, so the ISG helps the engine spin to a precise rpm to exactly match the speed of the road wheels and thus smooth things out. When not coupled to the wheels, the engine can act effectively as a range-extending generator to power the 2kWh battery and main motor. Renault estimates that in town, the engine can be kept off up to 80% of the time.

Fuel Efficiency

On the WLTP combined test cycle, the Austral gets 60.1mpg and 105g/km of CO2 in base form, but that falls to 57.7mpg and 110g/km at the top end. Across a relatively short route, the car demonstrated easily more than 60mpg, with an average of around 70mpg around town.

Suspension and Steering

The Iconic Esprit Alpine gets multi-link rear suspension and active rear-steering, plus 20in wheels. The middle-spec Techno Esprit Alpine also sits on 20s, but both it and the Techno base model have a torsion beam at the back and no rear-steer. Despite the badging, nothing about this car is Alpine. The steering is remote and variably responsive, depending on whether the rear wheels are turning against you (to tighten the turning circle) or with you (to improve stability at higher speeds), but it’s something that drivers can get used to. However, the poor ride quality is a letdown. Body pitch and roll are well contained, but that comes with a lumpenness to the secondary ride, shifting all of apiece with head-toss and thumping along over bad roads, of which there are many in Britain.

Interior

Every Austral has a large number of screens inside: a digital instrument cluster plus an upright 12.0in infotainment touchscreen (from which the climate controls are thankfully left separate). This runs Google’s Android Automotive software, which is probably the easiest around to use (and also supports Apple CarPlay). The upper cabin materials are good (on this top model, at least) and the lower plastics less good – which is relatively normal. The rear seats slide, giving either great legroom or a large 555-litre boot.

Conclusion

The Renault Austral is an interesting and not unappealing package with an impressive powertrain that can achieve great fuel efficiency. However, the poor ride quality and remote steering are letdowns. Despite this, Renault has learnt from the latest Mégane that its customers like simplicity, and this is reflected in the three variants available. With a length of 4.5 metres, the Austral is set to replace the Kadjar and compete with rivals such as the Nissan Qashqai.