Renault Austral review

Prices start from £34,695 for base Techno, £36,695 for mid-range Techno Esprit Alpine, and £39,495 for the top spec Iconic Esprit Alpine. All of them get the top 200bhp hybrid powertrain.

On lease you’re looking at £400, £430 and £465 over four years with a 10,000-mile yearly limit and £5k down payment through Renault’s own finance scheme.

That also makes it competitively priced compared to rivals, with the Nissan Qashqai e-Power starting slightly cheaper at £33,670, the Hyundai Tucson almost like-for-like at £34,640, and the Kia Sportage HEV slightly more at £35,270. But those are also all available with cheaper powertrains too.

What’s the difference between trims?

Techno models get the 9.3-inch head-up display and twin 12-inch screens with built-in Google functionality, 19-inch alloy wheels, matrix LED headlights, roof bars, parking sensors with rearview camera, and keyless entry/start.

One up Techno Esprit Alpine trim adds 20-inch alloy wheels, Alcantara upholstery with blue stitching, heated front seats and steering wheel, electric/handsfree boot, electric front seats with driver massage function, speed and traffic sign recognition, and adaptive cruise control.

Top-of-the-range Iconic Esprit Alpine gets four-wheel steering (only available on this trim), 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, 360-degree 3D camera, panoramic sunroof, and wireless phone charging.

What’s the best spec?

Do you need four-wheel steering on your family SUV? For the necessary £6k price hike to the top-spec trim we’re not so sure. Instead, we’d be tempted by the entry-level Techno trim, which still gets the head-up display, dual screens and full Google suite, tech more relevant to family life.

Standard paint is white, otherwise it’s a £750 additional fee for blue, red, (our preferred choices) grey, or black. Specced accordingly, you’re looking at £35,445.

As mentioned in the Overview, you're looking at sub-110g/km CO2 emissions whichever direction you go in on the configurator.