We looked at the Autral a couple of weeks back. Overall we liked it and it had plenty of tech however I have my reservations with all trims bar the top spec (not on the scheme) having an rather basic torsion beam set up, rather than multi-link rear suspension. Although better than the Arkana you spoke about the other day, there is still more lag choosing what powertrain to use than rivals however that depends very much on how you drive whether you will notice it or not, albeit far more refined than the Arkana. On a personall note I found it very dark inside without a sunroof, which is limited to the top spec.
Reports say Renault modelled it on the Hyundai Tuscon as a direct competitor, so you could equally say the Kia Sportage is also a direct competitor as it is the sister car to the Tuscon, Both the Sportage and Tuscon have DCT which has less lag. The Austral uses the same platform seen in the Nissan Qashqui E-power, which offers more of an EV style driving experience.
On paper at least the Austral is the most fuel effecient but lags behind the other where 0-60 is concerned. As always you need to test drive yourself 🙂