Trunk comparison: Kia Sportage vs Renault Austral

Key Differences

The Kia Sportage offers a cargo space that is 3.5 in (≈6%) longer with the seats folded down and 1.6 in (≈5%) longer with the first row of seats upright compared to the Renault Austral. The height of the trunk opening is the same for both models.

The width at the narrowest point is 2 in (≈5%) greater in the Sportage, while the opening width is 2.8 in (≈7%) larger in the Austral. The loading edge of the Austral is 2.4 in (≈8%) higher above the road than that of the Sportage.

Notably, the depth of the trunk (distance from loading edge → trunk floor): the Renault Austral exceeds the Kia Sportage by 3.1 in (+700%) here.

Implications for Usability

The outstanding depth of the Austral means its cargo floor lies significantly lower beneath the loading edge.

Practically, this means more usable interior space vertically (more room for tall or stacked items below the loading edge) and generally better accommodation of irregularly shaped cargo that would not fit as far into a shallower floor.

However, the loading edge of the Austral is somewhat higher relative to the road (+2.4 in), which initially makes lifting heavy items in more difficult.

In the present combination (Austral: loading edge +2.4 in, trunk depth +3.1 in compared to Sportage), the calculation results in a trunk floor about 0.8 in lower in the Austral design — in practice, Sportage and Austral are comparable when actually lifting or placing cargo, with the Austral tending to be more flexible due to the deeper interior.

The length advantages of the Sportage (4–3.5 in) are small and only slightly increase the maximum usable loading length; they are hardly decisive for most everyday items.

The slightly greater narrow interior width in the Sportage makes storing narrow/tight loads easier, while the wider opening of the Austral facilitates loading and unloading wider items. Since both differences are under 10%, their effects are limited and depend heavily on the specific cargo.

Conclusion

The most notable difference is the significantly greater trunk depth of the Renault Austral, which leads to noticeably more usable interior volume and better accommodation of tall or irregular cargo.

All other deviations (length, width, loading edge height) are comparatively small (<10%) and only slightly affect everyday usability; here, the Sportage has slight length and interior width advantages, while the Austral has a somewhat wider opening. Which option fits better depends on typical cargo: tall/stacked storage → Austral; longer, flatter items → Sportage.