the hybrid SUV that thinks it's a hot hatch

On the downside, you’d hope that stiff suspension would translate to good body control, but not quite; there’s still a lot of weight to tie down, and the Austral feels a bit wibbly over fast crests, and slops over just a bit too much if you push it hard into bends.

Still, there’s a lot of grip, and the engine is eager to rev, if not that gutsy low-down, so it’s possible to have some fun, even if this isn’t really a driver’s car.

The Telegraph verdict

This Austral, then, hasn’t just been given the name of a hot hatch – it thinks it is one. But of course, it’s not. It’s still a big, hybrid SUV, and that means it can’t do sporty quite as well as its badging suggests.

The trouble is, because of its delusions of sportiness, neither can it do comfort very well, either – and that’s a problem in a car intended primarily to be practical family transport.

It’s a shame, really, because elsewhere the Austral is pretty good – practical, spacious, smartly finished and well-equipped. But in none of these fields does it cross a line into outright excellence. And in a crowded field of talented rivals, that means it lacks a stand-out quality to make you want to choose it over any of them. It’s not bad, then, the Austral – but it’s no Alpine.