Toyota Corolla Cross vs. Renault Austral: The first driving comparison
Created: 10/09/2022, 1:00 p.m
By: Rudolf Boegel
Things are slowly getting tight in the upper compact class.
With the Renault Austral and the Toyota Corolla Cross, two new SUVs are rolling out.
Their motto: hybrid is the new diesel.
With the compact to middle class you make money.
If the car manufacturers used to fight a hot duel around the VW Golf, today it's the SUVs of the C segment.
VW Tiguan, BMW X1 and Co. have to face new competition: Renault Austral and Toyota Corolla Cross.
We have already compared the two models.
France against Japan and both against everyone: Renault speaks of reconquest, Toyota wants to shake up the C segment with a third model.
The starting point for the two large corporations is very different.
Renault has made an attempt to gain ground before.
Kadjar was the name of the tongue twister on four wheels, which was only allowed to drive up one generation along with a facelift.
Unluckily and in the end then also unsuccessfully, he now disappears from the stage.
The king is dead, long live the king.
Only a few centimeters larger, perhaps more characteristic and modern in design, it is celebrating its resurrection as the Austral.
What did you think of the name?
Nothing says on request.
Austral just sounds good - and maybe also arouses longings.
Australis is Latin and means "south",
Toyota Corolla Cross vs. Renault Austral: The first driving comparison
The Toyota Corolla Cross is definitely one for off-road use.
Unlike the Austral, it is now also available with four-wheel drive.
© JONATHAN@JONATHANGODIN.BE / Toyota
At Toyota, the situation is different.
The Corolla name has a huge tradition here.
Corolla has been around for as long as Toyota has.
If not even longer.
Corolla was the name of a small car, various limousines, station wagons and even a van were called that.
No wonder that the Corolla is the most successful vehicle of the "nothing is impossible" car manufacturer with 50 million units sold.
That would be as if Volkswagen had always just called all of its Polos, Passats and Tourans Golf.
And now the Corolla is also available as a compact SUV.
It's not the only thing at Toyota.
In the C segment, it even has its own competition.
The C-HR may be smaller and more progressive in design, but like the larger and even more off-road capable RAV4, it has a mainstream sales focus.
For all those undecided who can't decide between the C-HR or the RAV4, Toyota now wants to make a new offer in the middle with the Corolla Cross.
And by the way, of course, poaching at Tiguan & Co.
A cockpit that can now be found in many cars.
Toyota doesn't offer anything exciting here.
©Toyota
Toyota Corolla Cross vs. Renault Austral: Hybrid displaces diesel
Both Renault and Toyota are basing their foray into the C segment on market research.
And they predict in unison that the common SUV will overthrow the compact car from the throne this year in terms of sales figures.
And another is on the retreat.
The good old self-igniter is being phased out on both the Austral and the Corolla Cross.
The new diesel is called Hybrid.
And there are now so many varieties that you have to explain first.
It's very simple with what the French and the Japanese don't have or don't have yet.
Namely a chargeable plug-in hybrid.
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The Japanese are real experts in this type of drive.
With the Prius they were “primus inter pares” for a long time.
So the first to combine a combustion engine with a mini electric motor that supplied itself with braking energy.
Such a drive proved to be very efficient, especially in cities.
The Prius quickly became taxi drivers' favourite, and the technology has been refined over time.
They are available in two versions in the new Corolla Cross.
Once in the combination of a 1.8-liter petrol engine with a 95-hp electric motor.
However, this variant with a total system output of 140 hp will follow later.
Toyota Corolla Cross versus Renault Austral: Top models with around 200 hp
At the start, Toyota is rolling with the two-liter variants.
One has an electric motor, four-cylinder petrol engine and front drive, the system output is 197 hp.
In contrast, the 2.0 AWDi is powered on all four wheels.
He also gets a third motor, also electric on the rear axle.
He also has 197 hp and runs 0.1 seconds faster from 0 to 100 km/h than the front-wheel drive (7.6 seconds).
Renault also says: Hybrid is the new diesel (how long that will remain in Germany after the end of the environmental bonus is of course open).
With the exception of the top-of-the-line E-Tech Full Hybrid, the Austral is powered by an in-line four cylinder assisted by a belt alternator starter.
Optionally with 140 or 158 hp, sometimes with a switch, sometimes with an automatic.
The full hybrid comes up with 200 hp.
The power controls a newly developed 1.2 liter three-cylinder petrol engine (131 hp) and two electric motors, which bring it together to 68 hp.
Unfortunately, there is still no all-wheel drive variant
Toyota offers rather conservative home cooking in the rear design of the Corolla Cross.
Since the French competition is much faster.
©Toyota
Toyota Corolla Cross vs. Renault Austral: The Corolla Cross torments loudly under high loads
Lots of theory, now to practice: How do the two Tiguan challengers drive, each of which draws their additional energy from a 1.5 or 1.7 kWh battery?
Of course, this does not allow you to cover long distances in one go, but in city operation or when just gliding, the electrical component adds up to a considerable sum.
With the Corolla Cross we came to 46 percent with a consumption of 5.1 liters.
With the Renault Austral it was 40 percent, but with a consumption of just over six liters on comparable test routes.
Why was that?
We enjoyed the Austral more.
On paper, it lags behind by almost a second when sprinting to 100 km/h. But both the new three-cylinder and the interaction of the three engines seemed livelier, more pleasing - and above all quieter.
The Toyota Corolla Cross, on the other hand, seems to suffer under high loads because the petrol engine always revs up quite quickly, which it loudly reports.
It's not a design flaw, it's intentional.
At high speeds, the engine is simply more efficient, according to Toyota.
The Austral, on the other hand, is set to run the petrol engine over and over again to keep battery levels high so it can boost quickly.
Toyota Corolla Cross vs. Renault Austral: French Elegance vs. Land Cruiser Style
If you compare the two models in terms of dimensions, you will hardly find any differences.
However, the Austral is five centimeters longer.
When it comes to optics, both would-be off-road vehicles are on the “fat pants” side with large, greedy coolers.
Renault shows a little more elegance.
The Austral's sideline suggests a slight coupé line, while Toyota sticks to Land Cruiser styling here.
The rear of the Austral is bold, the lights are built and arranged like a C like at the front.
Like the Austral, the Corolla Cross has powerful shoulders, but the finish at the rear is calm, you might almost say boring.
Which unfortunately continues inside.
In the Japanese cockpit, bland food is the order of the day.
In the middle sits a tablet-like infotainment screen, against which nothing can be said.
Except that it looks like it was retrofitted.
Directly below are three hard plastic switches for heated seats and steering wheel.
Clack, clack - we haven't heard that for a long time.
If you board the Austral directly, you'll think you're in another century when you look at the cockpit.
The digital instruments are combined here to form a harmonious screen landscape that covers an impressive 774 square centimeters, as Renault calculates.
In the center console, a large, leather-covered chrome clip is immediately noticeable, reminiscent of the thrust lever on airplanes.
This movable palm rest is a nice idea and should enable wrist-friendly operation of the touchscreen.
We suspect that someone has fallen in love with the design.
We also.
Unfortunately, the navigation system, made by Toyota, is not quite up to date.
The graphics lag behind real time - which is why you often make wrong turns.
©Toyota
Toyota Corolla Cross vs. Renault Austral: All-wheel drives here, all-wheel steering there.
As for the assistance systems - Renault has increased it to 32 if you choose the full equipment.
There is everything: from the parking assistant to the adaptive cruise control.
Traditionally, Toyota doesn't let themselves be splashed out and also makes a big splash.
Camera and radar systems have increased and lengthened their field of view.
Other road users are now detected earlier, motorcycles and objects on the side of the road are recognized more easily.
For the first time there is also an emergency braking system: if the driver faints or suffers a heart attack, the hazard warning lights come on automatically and the car brakes to a standstill.
The doors are unlocked for assistants and paramedics.
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When it comes to digital assistance systems, there is a tie.
When it came to the chassis, we found both cars to be comfortable.
Comfortable to handle, sufficiently tight in the curves.
The steering is a little more direct on the Renault, a tad too spongy on the Toyota.
In one discipline each, the two competitors are ahead by a nose.
The Austral comes with four-wheel steering, which goes up to five degrees on the rear wheels.
Enables a turning circle like that of the small car Clio.
For this, Toyota offers the Cross right from the start with all-wheel drive - so it is reasonably capable of off-road use.
The rear seat of the Austral can not only be divided, but also moved backwards.
You have up to 16 centimeters of leeway and can accommodate more or less luggage.
©Renault
Renault Austral E-Tech Full Hybrid 200 Alpine
Engine/drive Three-cylinder petrol engine / + E-machine / front
Power / torque 146 kW (200 hp, system) / 2 x 205 Nm torque
Vmax/ 0 -100 km/h 174 km/h / 8.4 s
Length/width/height 4.51/1.83/1.62 m
Luggage compartment volume 430 – 1,445 l
Consumption 4.6 - 5.1 l
Price from 44,400 euros (base model: 29,900 euros)
Toyota Corolla Cross Lounge 2.0 AWDi
Motor/drive four-cylinder petrol engine / 2 electric motors / four-wheel drive
Output torque 146 kW (197 hp) / 190 + 206 + 84 Nm torque
Vmax/ 0 -100km/h 180km/h / 7.5s
Length/width/height 4.46/1.82.1.62 m
Luggage compartment volume 433 – 1,337 l
Consumption/range 5.3 - 5.4 l /100 km / 455 km
Price: from 45,200 euros (front-wheel drive from 38,600)
All-wheel drives in the Toyota: Which one has more charm?
French elegance or Japanese effectiveness?
Which of the two Tiguan challengers has the edge?
As is so often the case, it is also a question of taste and money.
Buying a new car is currently not a bargain hunt.
Austral and Cross are no exception.
Around 45,000 euros is not exactly small for the top models, but if you hunt BMW X1, Tiguan & Co through the configurator, you will end up much higher.
We both liked Austral and Corolla Cross.
The technological distance to the premium competition is shrinking more and more, especially when it comes to hybrid drives, the Japanese are traditionally leaders, and Renault also has a certain amount of expertise through its alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi.
Both cars are good, as the first road test shows.
If you want it a bit more extravagant and elegant,
maybe the Austral is the right address.
Those who are more into the checked shirt charm of an off-road SUV should get the Corolla.
C'est la vie.