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Ditched SUVs for an estate earlier this year, so much nicer to drive, practical & more economical. Mine is a Toyota Corolla 2.0 hybrid touring sport, self charging hybrid that gets 50 to 60mpg with ease and being the 2.0 has some getup & go. The ecvt gearbox on the 2.0 is also very good as very smooth & responsive.

My Iconic Esprit Alpine was delivered a couple of weeks ago and already I have completely forgotten the Mercedes GLD I part exchanged. The Austral offeres so much and even though it is extremely expensive here in the Netherlands, I can honestly say it is worth the price. The biggest compliment comes from my neighbours boys - according to them, it's "the best car in the world" and they are car savvy. Great car and I am glad I took the plunge!!!

Top notch review, you have been nailing it recently…wide spread of vehicles and in fairness playing to your strengths. I’d not touch a French car new, but this will probably be great value in the 12-36 month bracket, and it looks as if they are upping their game whilst VW seem to be in reverse.

Hello James, I'm a long time follower, first time posting, just wanted to say thank you for all your amazing reviews on cars old and new and for your unbiased opinions on them. Whenever I do buy a car, i always refer to your videos first, so once again, many thanks and all the very best for your channel's future growth!

Interesting review. The only one on KZfaq of the Austral that’s highly critical of how it drives. With everything I guess it comes down to personal taste. I would urge anyone to test drive this car and make their own mind up, the same with any car review.

I have driven the Esprit Alpine Australe a few months ago, I absolutely loved it, really smooth and comfortable, the combustion engine was a bit loud at low revs but that's mainly because the rest of the car is so quiet! Almost forgot, but I love that the drive selector is behind the steering wheel just like in older French cars

The Pseudo McPherson suspension, if I know correctly, means that it's a McPherson suspension, but with a seperate steering knuckle. So not the entire strut+knuckle assembly turns, the strut can't turn at all, instead there's a seperare knuckle. It helps eliminate torque steer, because it's possible to make the steering axis cross the ground line on the same line as the middle of tyre (if that makes sense). The rear H axle I assume is just the run of the mill twist beam setup found on most fwd's, just given a fancier sounding name.

My Passat remembers the assistance settings too. And if you want to change them while you’re driving, everything is within fingertip reach via a dedicated button on the tip of the indicator stalk. They realized you might want to switch lane assist on and off when you go from a back road to a freeway, or vice versa. VW then decided to ruin all of that on the ID series by putting everything in the touchscreen, in a tab you can’t access while the car is moving. And apparently it resets itself to “on” every time too. It’s great to hear that Renault is being reasonable.

I have had a Megane E-tech Iconic for 2 months and yes you should try one, it is brilliant. My wife has a Dacia Jogger which is also brilliant, that has more room in it than the Austral, has a boot which is twice the size when in 5 seat mode, is roomy enough to seat seven adults (the rearmost seats are actually roomier than the middle ones), does 45 to the gallon and costs half as much as either the Megane or the Austral. I know you have tried the Sandero, I think you should also try the Jogger.

I think the french brands are on top at the moment when talking about interiors and overall features , they certainly do give you alot of tech and spec for your money , they i am a vw driver just now , and though i have enjoyed my time driving them , they are just getting too far ahead of themselves so wont be buying a vw again until until accept and figure out what market they are in Also fantastic review first time i am came across this channel

I've bought the exact colour and model you tested I've done 3000 miles and have to say my gearbox is super smooth and i never get less than 53 mpg The ride is slightly firm but don't mind that when pushing on and find the grip from the Michelin tyres more than adequate The rear suspension is multi link on the 4 wheel steer model and beam on the others and I would think with the smaller wheels they would ride smoother than the 20 inch wheels on the top models Overall so far I think it's one of the best Mid size SUVs and looking forward to many more miles in it Thanks for the review

Random but does anyone else love the intro? Not many KZfaq channels have intros, and those that do are shit and I skip, I always love this intro and it makes me happy 😅

I’ve always enjoyed your channel and just wanted to say that by starting to review new cars you’ve added a whole new dimension for me, making it a lot more relevant if you will. Thank you.

A 28 minute video that, without all the added 'waffle' could have happily been done in 10 minutes max.

I live in a nice, but busy neigbourhood in the Netherlands. My road tax is €60 per month. My insurance is €85 per month (im 22 years old, Audi A3 2011). My car costs €145 per month just for existing. Just to put things in perspective

And yes that traction problem is the same as our Arkana. And it changes down to first at silly times. You can wheel spin all the time if you want to which is weird for an automatic with traction control.

Nice review, good to hear about what new tech other companies are implementing albeit even bad ones. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the civic ehev considering it’s known as the drivers hybrid.

The gearbox is quite interesting, it does not have any clutches in it. Instead the two electric motors match the speeds to engage the gears. I found some videos about it some time ago when I looked at the Clio e tech.

As someone who's been driving a hybrid for the last 8 years - they always made sense

Thank you for the honest review! there are so many youtubers who simply promote whatever car they review. For them any car is wonderful. Very helpful, clear, straightforward and honest! Cheers.

For me, the perfect Hybrid would be a Plug-In Hybrid with an electric range of a (genuine minimum) 60 miles or so. That means a 15Kw/Hr Battery and means that, for most people, you would be running a cheap EV for most of your daily driving, charged from off-peak tariffs. I have 2 cars. A 30Kw/hr LEAF and a petrol Dacia Lodgy (for longer trips and load lugging). The LEAF does 95% of our miles and charges from solar panels. I rarely use half the battery on any journey, so 15kw/hrs in a Hybrid plus a 1.2L turbo petrol engine covers all my bases and probably means 1 or 2 fill-ups per year (like my Dacia).

Great review as always!

James can't understand what is the target group of the Austral E... I mean isn't it Austral-Eans!

Such a critical review, wonder if Renault will lend you future test cars or send any more sweeties! Also disappointed that you didn't test the 4 wheel steer in a 3pt turn.

Good review but in all honesty I am not sure where the driving review of this car comes from. The Austral is a very nice car to drive and we and friends have had no issues that you say is the problem area it is very smooth to drive and the gearbox is smooth. It really is a wonderful car and the tech is top notch. I could not recommend this car enough. Well done Renault on making such a lovely car.

Love this channel!

1st honest review I have seen on this car

And another amazingly perfect shirt for the video.

My dad the Kadjar years ago, this sounds the the spiritual successor

You get a like from me for your commitment to the correct pronunciations ;-)

The Huge grill i love it.

Really good and helpfull review..doing my own test drive today, but dont think roads will replicate what you had.

I recently had a 2022 Hyundai tucson 1.6 hybrid auto for work. I did just under a 1000 miles with a mix of driving and it did 46mpg so really to me you would need to want the car and it’s features to justify it over one of the Korean cars

Been driving for the last few days. Drives far better in sport mode. The hybrid aspect is perfect when you don’t want to have to plug in. Seats are not the most comfy and plenty of plasticky bits. Tech is good once you have got used to it.

For me the best Hybrid is the most underrated, the Vauxhall Ampera, a car way ahead of his time, reliable, fun and really good on fuel. I had one as a company car and it is still my favourite hybrid

Plenty of hybrids that make sense, X5 50e, Cayenne E Hybrid, GLC Hybrid, GLE Hybrid to count some of these we have been looking at.

This car has a 5 speed (the 1.6 in Clio/Captur/Arkana is 4 speed) gearbox on the petrol side and a 2 speed gearbox on the EV side so yes it technically has 7 gears, the number 15 is the number of possible gear combinations. This includes, pure petrol, pure EV, hybrid (petrol and EV motors), plus regen etc etc.

4:12 this is probably something to do with the fact that the E-motor makes peak torque at close to 0 rpm but the petrol engine probably makes peak torque between 2000 and 3000rpm

Great video and enjoyed a new car review after watching your £500 Honda CRV yesterday. Needing a new car to replace a defective new Kia Niro HEV4 that I fought for nine months to reject I tested the same Austral, couldn’t get on with with the four wheel steer and the gearbox was odd, brakes were awful and the car was beset with rattles, for £40k not good enough. Ended up with a new (23MY) Skoda Superb Estate Tdi - more space inside, huge boot, better ride and handling with a range way better than the Austral. Thanks James, really enjoyed this one.

I done test drive with this car, so quite happy, but only problem Nissan badge, Xtrail, Qashqai.

i have had a 73 plate elite techno alpine for 3 months now you say you dont get the mpg then drive it right my first full tank i got 677 mile from the tank new tight engine - i have never struggled for grip in any weather - im sorry you cant drive a car for a few days and know what its like to live with - the tech is awesome the inside is always pleasant to be in and i think its an awesome renault the best ive had out of the 5 ive owned

Hi. Gastric doctor here. Re the sweets, australe is a form of chronic gut issue associated with diabetics

So, my 2018 Seat Toledo has a bigger boot (550L all usable) and also does 60mpg (not just manufacture quoted, that's what I'm actually getting). Ok, it doesn't have all the latest toys but it does fit in a small garage and costs a fraction of the price. Just saying

Renault shoyld’ve just called it the new Kadjar, because that’s literally what it is. A refreshed and better looking Kadjar

full hybrid aka 96 prius tech for 39k . I would buy one as looks nice and think Renault best represents my character, in some of the other brands would feel like driving someone else's car, but nothing write home about

About your comment about getting a hatchback instead, do European compact hatchbacks have more features and are they larger? Here in the states most hatchbacks lack even the potential to get all the features seen here or in other crossovers. Plus this looks much more spacious on the interior than any Golf, Civic, or Corolla I have been in. The difference in specs crososver offer us here vs a compact car are crazy. Most compacts have no rear vents or charging, no reclining seats or shades, i bring these up for families. Up front there is normally a bit more. But again getting a crossover normally gets your more bang for your buck.

These is a good looking car and good value for money new BUT you can get a 1 year old Honda HRV for under £26.000, which I think is better looking and will DEFINITLY be more reliable.

I drove this car for two months whilst my insurance sorted my car out, in town it was great and on motorway very comfy. Loads of toys and really nice to drive, however on back roads and B roads the gearbox was kinda rubbish and I'm not Ayrton Senna but the random downshifts and slow gear changes were frustrating. Still a really nice car. Might have a look when my current pcp is up as second hand these have already lost over 8 grand after a year so deffo be some good pcp deals to be had!

Like your honest review! Could you do one on the new Kuga?

I'm so damn tired of SUVs...

I beg to you try and get a hold of an MX-30 R-EV. There are press cars knocking about now, and I've driven one of the Mazda fleet and I'm very keen to see if your opinions line up with mine

1:44 look at a reflection on the door handle

No, it doesn't make sense. Too large and "fat". SUVs never ever make sense.

Looks great! I’m wondering in US if the closest thing is a Toyota Crow?

Hi James, you referred to the luxury car tax (applied to vehicles with a £40K+ list price) being applicable for five years. In fact it’s five years after the first year making six years we have to pay the government around £50 per month to drive on our wonderfully maintained roads!

James would you please be kind enough to give me the name of the emission’s certificate mentioned in a previous video? May have been Maserati & was linked with ULEZ. Thank you. Christopher

I think that the criticisms on the way it drives are largely thanks to the fact that it's a full hybrid - with 2 separate power units, it has to transfer power to the wheels in a complicated manner that just does never equal either a full ICE or EV. Until yesterday, I had a Corolla Hybrid 1.8 Wagon and it had the exact same feeling of 'nearly there, but not quite' - downtown driving was fine, because the electrical motor helped it zip along quite nicely, with the petrol engine jumping in just for a bit of charging the battery and some extra horses when needed. Driving at full speed on the motorway/highway (100km/h or thereabouts) same thing: the drivetrain could handle this continuous task quite well, with the engine at about 1800rpm and the electrical motor jumping in to smoothen out certain parts or small climbs. But everything inbetween city and highway driving felt like having 2 cars at the same time, it was just nervous, sluggish and screamish. Accellerating beyond 50kmh had the engine suddenly kick in screaming, even though the CVT transmission sort of helped smooth out the accelleration, it still felt like an old 4-cilinder pulling a 1350kg car through a puddle of mud. I had to set the car to Sports mode to actually make it feel a bit fast, but that just made it scream even louder. My 2019 Focus before it and my current 2024 Polestar 2 feel far better in terms of having a continous power output than the Hybrid from Toyota. I do see why people like it and it has great benefits, such as an average of 1:20 consumption, but it never felt smooth or well optimized. I heard that the 2.0 liter version does a lot better but it's inherently the Hybrid technology that makes cars like this feel 'odd'. Renault choose its own hybrid 'combination' which seems different, but not better or worse than others.

can i ask you in your opinion whats the best in built car music system

Nothing that ugly or expensive makes sense ! ❤

No idea what he's on about regarding the gearbox to me driving this car last week it felt like it was driving on a single gear it was that smooth

Nice review. I can't make my mind up on this or the kia sportage GT Line ?

The CX60 you drove recently is a mild hybrid system, contrary to what you said in this review.

Must be just you .Everyone else seems to love it from the reviews I have seen .

Nice to see I'm not alone in almost hitting something because of lane keep assist. Some systems are straight up dangerous.

I've had this car on hire for 2 days. Averaged 56 mpg over 300 miles. You just drive with a heavy foot

I wonder how this would stack up against a top of the line hybrid RAV 4. Plenty of those here in the States. They're everywhere, it seems

Just looked at the list of the last 2 years of your reviews and if my eyes deceive me can't help but notice that a plug in hybrid Ford Kuga maybe a good 2nd hand value as the chassis might be important part the car just a thought against others like it 👍

Have you ever driven the Citroen c5x? They kinda interest me a little bit

It appears to have an Austin Allegro steering wheel 😲🤔😂

I believe the gearbox is the same as the Arkana E-Tech. It’s actually a dog clutch ,shocking, I know.

Looks good. We’ve got the Arkana which is similar but weirdly they didn’t really advertise and you don’t see many at all.

4 speed auto is very strange. And I thought the DSG6 in my Audi PHEV was outdated...

As of the end of April 2024, the top spec no longer comes with 4Control (Rear wheel steering) for the UK market.

French Qashqai is a fantastic car. Very underrated.

Hold on Mr James.. I have a 2018 2.0d Touran. 55L tank, does an easy 630 mile range between 60-70mpg Am I missing something?..

Had my Austral for about a month, with half a tank I am getting around 350 miles of range. Depends on how you drive it.

It's not for your phone, it's for the key 🤦‍♂️

This is Nissans' e-power. You should review the Nissan note e-power Nismo S. Not sure you got it in Britain

Hmm I'm juggling between this, and a Kia Sportage Plug in hybrid.

Sorry James - I suggested the camera/screen for pillars about 5 years ago . . .

3 years ago you could get a very nice car for 40k, now you get a budget Renault with a 3 cylinder engine that looks like it may fall apart within 5 years.

It’s basically a Qashqai that wants to be a Peugeot

Mmmm I would imagine if this car goes wrong in a few years time it will be an expensive nightmare to fix!

Heck im paying €100/month for a diesel punto... Im glad renault went for a slightly less edgy design outside. Im not really fond of those modern hard edged cars.

Just brought a brand new Mazda 3 sedan here in Australia I just wouldn’t buy an SUV ever

I hate the trend of FWD-only crossovers, carmakers aren't even trying anymore

Car tax in Ireland is awful, if a cars listed CO2 emissions are 226g/km or higher it’s €2400 a year tax, every year. No sliding scale. It basically ended the market for petrol engines over 3 or 4 litre. You’ll still see the rare v8, but they are very thin on the ground

Can't help but look at the body shape above the beltline and think it really wanted to be a compact estate

My colleague at work just purchased a 2020 Nissan Qashqai 1.5 diesel. It has a 7 or 8 speed auto and he is genuinely surprised at its high 50s / low 60s mpg figures.... As a motorcyclist he doesn't drive like Miss Daisy. So I am surprised that Nissan can get it right but Renault can not..!!

Does the sunroof not open?

Another brutally honest review James. Do you know if Renault has addressed the potential for thermal runaway in the hybrid battery? Many watching this just want a car but one without the increased risk to demolish their home if parked in the garage.

The stereo controls position - I have to demur. I used to have a Clio (with controls behind the steering wheel) and now have a Fiesta (with controls on the wheel) - and frankly it's more ergonomic (easier and more natural to use) to NOT have the controls on the wheel. One of a host of things I abhor about the Fiesta, in fact - it's a dreadful car.

Not realy ground braking mpg. I had an Audi 80 tdi and a ford orion 1.6d that could do 1000 miles per tank full. We should be getting 2000 miles a tank 30 years later....

Am i missing something. My older 2016 Hyundai Tucson 1.6 4 cylinder turbo does 50mpg very easily. Less complication. Seems the 60.1mpg is not that greats. Of course a nice car is just that what is a few MPG between friend’s. Just the over playing the hybrid tech from Renault.

If it’s based on the Qashqai, we have they fitted it with this archaic powertrain? Nissan has a far more interesting solution where the petrol engine basically works like a generator. The wheels are always driven by an electric motor

Your luxury tax seems sensible, ours is for cars beyond 250 HP

Hmmm.,,.hybrid Duster might be interesting

40k still too much when wages haven’t gone up in 20 yrs . 30k tops

be keeping my diesal 4 x 4 kadjar sig nav s a while longer then