The Renault Austral is a new face in the popular mid-size SUV market. It sits above the Arkana and Captur in the Renault SUV line-up and replaces the old Renault Kadjar. The looks of the Austral are rather smart, with a large grille and cool curved headlights, while there are lots of lines to emphasise the shape of the wheel arches and the lower part of the bodywork.
There’s a sporty flavour to the rear too courtesy of wide taillights and a faux diffuser on the bumper. The cabin design is a little fussy in places but has a modern look and nice materials on the major touch points. You get two large screens for all the information you need, but the squared-off steering wheel has too many stalks behind it.
Space in the rear is okay, but if you’re behind a taller driver, adults may struggle to fit comfortably. As well as ISOFIX on the front seat, you get two on the outer rear seats, and they have handy covers.
With the help of a sliding rear bench, you can get up to 555 litres of boot space. But there’s quite a high lip, limited room under the floor and the seats don’t fold down flat. That’s the middle of the pack for this segment. With the seats back, you have 430 litres.