Trunk comparison: Mercedes Benz GLE vs Renault Austral

Key Differences

The Mercedes‑Benz GLE offers significantly more cargo length: with the seats folded down, the trunk is 13.4 in (+21%) longer and with the first row of seats upright, 7.5 in (+22%) longer than the Renault Austral. The height of the trunk opening is also noticeably larger on the GLE by +3.1 in (+11%).

In contrast, the Renault Austral has a significantly deeper trunk well: the depth (loading edge to trunk floor) is +3.1 in (≈700%) greater on the Austral than on the GLE.

Smaller differences without emphasis: the narrowest trunk width is 6% larger on the GLE, the trunk opening on the Austral is 2% wider, and the loading edge of the Austral is only 1% higher above the ground.

Impact on Usability

The greater cargo length and higher opening of the GLE make it better suited for long items (e.g., skis, furniture parts, long boxes) and facilitate loading bulky cargo because more deep length and more opening height are available. The larger clearance at the narrowest point supports storing wider items.

The deeper trunk floor of the Austral creates more usable volume below the loading edge and is well suited when items need to be stored "deeper" (e.g., boxes, luggage that should be out of sight).

At the same time, the deeper well can make handling heavy loads more difficult because more depth is required when lifting in; the loading edge is barely higher, so it hardly improves handling.

In short: the GLE is more practical for long and bulky cargo and easier access due to the higher opening, while the Austral offers more volume in a deeper well, which can be useful for certain packing tasks but physically more demanding when loading.