Renault Austral vs. Hyundai Tucson

 In the SUV galaxy, the Hyundai Tucson has recently made a big breakthrough. The model ranks close to the Top 10 in Europe since the arrival of the fourth generation in 2020. Its original style and good price-performance ratio appeal to the general public, who see it as a great alternative to the Peugeot 3008, Citroën C5 Aircross or Volkswagen Tiguan. Renault, which intends to return to the market with a more successful proposal than the Kadjar, therefore hopes to compete with the insolent success of the Tucson thanks to its new Austral. First virtual confrontation.

Originality vs classicism 

Taut lines and protruding edges, marked shoulders, imposing rims, square wheel arches and aluminum-style gray protective shoes, the Tucson has all the codes of the current SUV. Its original design is inspired by the 2018 Le Fil Rouge concept car, with a large faceted grille framed by optics on each side. The rear section also benefits from its own style elements, such as lights in the shape of two fangs connected by a band, or a wiper hidden in the top of the spoiler instead of being a protuberance in the middle of the tailgate like the most other models. Facing him, the Austral plays a wiser score. The dimensions are almost identical with 4.51 m long, 1.83 m wide and 1.62 high for the Frenchman, against 4.50 m long, 1.87 m wide and 1.65 m high. for Korean. The lines are more aggressive than the Kadjar, but rounder than the Peugeot 3008 or the Tucson. The sides are also sculpted, but much less than the Korean rival. The Austral prefers softness and classicism to an overly original and potentially controversial look. It favors the C-shape for its optics, both front and rear, while a light strip cut by the Diamond logo is placed on the tailgate.  

On board, the two compact SUVs have very different personalities. The Tucson plays on symmetry with a central console that separates the space dedicated to the front passengers with an imposing element. The dashboard is very refined, and is limited to the horizon by aerators which run over the entire width to the doors. Behind the original four-spoke steering wheel are digital speedometers on a 10.25-inch screen, without a cap. The central 8 or 10.25-inch touch screen, placed quite low, still benefits from tactile shortcut keys (navigation, radio and volume) and touch-sensitive keys for air conditioning settings. Materials are fairly basic, with glossy black plastics placed here and there. The automatic gearbox is replaced by buttons. In the Austral, the dashboard uses the new inverted L screen architecture inaugurated by the electric Mégane. An effort of presentation was made after the passenger compartment of the Kadjar, relatively low quality. Thus, the quality of finish has been revised upwards with more valuable and recycled materials. The Renault also has an imposing central console, hiding certain tricks such as storage under a large sliding hand rest. The 60/40 rear bench seat slides over 16 cm, unlike the Tucson which only has a fixed 40/20/40 bench seat but the backrest tilt is slightly adjustable. This saves a few liters of trunk, with a volume oscillating from 616 liters to 1,795 liters when the bench seat is folded down. 

Engines 

The Tucson leaves with an advantage over the Austral: it benefits from a wider range of engines. Indeed, the Korean SUV still has a diesel, the 1.6 CRDi of 136 hp (4×2 or 4×4) equipped with a 48V micro-hybridization. In essence, the Tucson has a 150 hp 1.6 T-GDi, also associated with a 48V micro-hybridization. Finally, the model is also entitled to a classic hybridization of 230 hp and a rechargeable hybrid version of 265 hp, offering all-wheel drive automatically. The Austral has given up on diesel like its cousin Nissan Qashqai. It only uses electrified petrol units. We are therefore entitled to a 1.3 TCe four-cylinder 140 or 160 hp (with 12V micro-hybridization), a new 1.2 turbo three-cylinder 130 hp with 48V micro-hybridization, and a new E-Tech hybrid engine using the three-cylinder 1.2 turbo 130 hp. This engine offers a total of 160 or 200 hp. For the moment, Renault does not intend to market a plug-in hybrid variant, but could review its plans since several competitors are offering it.