Renault has announced the launch of a new, extended-wheelbase variant of the Kangoo van – the Kangoo Van Maxi. It’s nearly 40cm longer than the current Kangoo van and complements the other variant of the Kangoo, the Kangoo Compact, which is shorter than the regular Kangoo.

Smallest, small and not so small - the Renault Kangoo range

All of this Kangoo goodness comes in a low roof (1.82m), short wheelbase package that ensures that the Kangoo Van Maxi remains well suited for urban use and won’t have its progress impeded by car park height barriers, unlike slightly larger alternatives. It has an overall length of 4.6m with a load length of 2.1m (2.9m with the passenger seat folded down), a payload of 800kg and a load volume of 4.6 cubic metres – a full cubic metre more than the regular Kangoo van.

The Kangoo Van Maxi will go on sale in the UK on 4th June – more details nearer the time.

Trafic Phase III

The Trafic has sold more than 1.1 million units since its introduction in 2001 and remains very popular. It should be no surprise, therefore, that the Trafic Phase III is a definite case of evolution, not revolution. That said, it contains a number of desirable updates to the existing model that should appeal to Renault’s target market for these vans, described by the company as “tradesmen and traders”.

On the outside, it looks pretty much identical. Most of the updates seem to have been inside the cab and under the bonnet. Here’s a comparison of the new Trafic dashboard area with that of the outgoing model:

The updated cab in the phase III Trafic - replacing the one below

The dashboard layout of the outgoing phase II Renault Trafic

Changes to the updated Trafic include:

• In-dash Carminat TomTom satellite navigation, including TomTom’s IQ Routes software, which aims to use real-world traffic data (recorded by other TomTom users) to calculate the best route for your journey at that time of day.
• Automatic climate control
• Improved dashboard storage facilities plus a redesigned instrument console to improve “visibility and legibility of the information display”
• A new range of audio systems including USB and Bluetooth connectivity
• Cruise control and speed limiter with steering wheel controls
• Improved fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions

Renault claim to have improved both fuel consumption and emissions on the Trafic, while leaving the range of engine and power choices unchanged. The same two engines will be available, a 2.0dCi (90hp or 115hp) and a 2.5dCi (150hp). Both 2.0 litre models now boast CO2 emissions of less than 200g/km and Renault claims that it has improved the fuel consumption of the 115hp model by 4.2mpg and reduced its CO2 emissions by 19g/km, to just 195g/km for the manual gearbox.

All have six-speed manual gearboxes as standard but both the 115hp and 150hp models are both available with Renault’s automated manual transmission, Quickshift. In both cases, this promises both lower fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions than the equivalent manual models – in keeping with the promises made for this type of gearbox.

The new Renault Master

Renault is launching the latest version of its large van, the Master, on April 9th. It has just released price and specification details along with a raft of photos of the new van. First up will be the panel van models, but chassis cab, crew cab and minibus variants will be along shortly, too.

What’s New?

Most notable is the expanded range of sizes, weights and driveline options. Maximum gross weights now run from 2.8 tonnes to 4.5 tonnes. There are four lengths, with the longest being a clear attempt to compete directly with the extra-long Sprinter – almost 7m long with an internal load length of 4.3m.

All rear-wheel drive models have twin rear wheels, a decision which will please some but not others, and an optional diff lock will be available for anyone who feels they might need it. Given the recent winter weather, this could be a useful option for drivers whose work takes them off the beaten track.

All models use the same (new) 2.3 litre dCi engine, which will be available in 100, 125 and 150hp versions. This should cover all requirements, I reckon, especially given the dollops of torque available from modern diesels and the six-speed gearbox that will be standard throughout the range.

Is it me, or does it look a bit like a Sprinter from this angle? This is a rear-wheel drive model.

The combination of 4 lengths and FWD and RWD drivelines should mean that there is an loadspace to suit almost everyone.

Rear-wheel drive models all have the extended overhang at the back – so MWB in RWD is actually the same length as LWB in FWD. It’s slightly confusing but I suppose it makes sense when weight distribution is considered.

Three roof heights are available plus all the usual window and door options. As you’d expect, the front-wheel drive version has a lower load floor than the rear-wheel drive versions, meaning that the side door opening is taller, too.

In The Cab

The cab of the new Master looks nice and is typically Renault. There are loads of clever cubby holes, storage facilities and bottle holders, including storage for large items under the twin passenger seat, the base of which lifts up to allow access. The central passenger seat folds down to make a desk for driver or passenger, which could be useful for both paperwork and meal breaks, while the gearstick is the usual dashboard mounted affair.

Inside the cab of the new Renault Master

The middle passenger seat folds down into a desk - very useful for butties and paperwork

What Does It Look Like?

It looks a bit like all the other large panel vans on the market, to my eye, anyway. I’m not sure why, but they seem to be getting closer to each other in external shape and design. Perhaps it’s something to do with crash test requirements for big bumpers, I’m not sure.

Apart from that, it looks pretty good and comes in a decent range of colours, for anyone who doesn’t fancy white. What more can you ask for?

Driving It & Living With It

The acid test for any commercial vehicle comes when it has been on the road a while. Reliability, running costs and whether drivers like it will all become apparent later this year. The new Master is scheduled to be launched in the UK on the 9th April, although Renault dealers are now taking orders for the vans.

We’ve grown used to treating manufacturers’ official fuel consumption figures with a pinch of salt, thinking of them more as an ideal than a reality. That attitude could need some revision, however, even for van drivers.

The winning team & their Vivaro - © GM Corp.

In the recent Fleetworld/ALD MPG Marathon, drivers had to complete a 360-mile course over varied roads using the least fuel possible. Granted, the vans weren’t loaded and didn’t have to contend with the demands of multi-drop, the M25 at rush hour and other such fuel-guzzling activities.

All the same, the results were remarkable – the Vauxhall Vivaro’s class-winning result was an overall 55.25mpg over the entire course – a massive 60% above the Vivaro’s official combined fuel consumption figure of 34.4mpg. Participating vehicles also had to maintain an average speed of 30mph – so their progress was fairly realistic in terms of road speed.

Also competing was the Citroen Nemo, which took the title of “Britain’s Most Economical Van”, beating all other light commercial vehicles with an overall consumption figure of 75.8mpg – more than 20% above the Nemo’s official combined figure.

What this highlights is how big an effect the driver of a van has on its fuel consumption. Sure, real world factors like load, multi-drop, traffic and routing restrictions mean that results like this won’t be achieved by working vans – but worthwhile improvements should still be possible, especially for vehicles on longer-distance work.

I’m going to have to try and squeeze more than 35mpg out of my Transit…

Renault Trafic

I recently spent a day driving a 2007 Renault Trafic, so thought this would be a perfect opportunity to write a review on this popular rental van. It also provided me with a good chance to compare it to the (slightly older) Ford Transit that I normally drive.

My route for the day took in a return trip totalling 500 miles and including city roads, motorways and long stretches of rural A and B roads (in Wales). I also experienced torrential downpours and drove part of the journey in the dark, so became very familiar with the wiper and light controls, which were both perfectly adequate (as were the lights and wipers themselves).

First Impressions

If you like swooping curves and bug-eyed headlights, then you will like the Trafic’s looks. For something that needs to be as square as possible, it manages to look quite curvaceous and stylish without sacrificing those essential van like qualities – load space and practicality.

It’s a noticeable contrast to a Transit, which is all straight lines and angles – somehow this makes it look more workman-like than the Trafic.

In terms of size, the SWB Trafic is pretty much identical to a SWB Transit – length, width and height all appeared to be the same, and loadspace dimensions were pretty close, too.

Comfort & Cab Layout

Renault Trafic cab

Vehicle comfort seems to mean different things in different countries. My experience of French cars and vans, and Renaults in particular, is that the seats are rather soft but nonetheless very comfortable. German vans have firm – but still very comfortable – seats, while Ford cars and vans have carefully middling seats (at least, all of mine have done).

The Renault Trafic stayed true to this pattern – the driver’s seat was quite soft but had adequate adjustment and remained comfortable for the whole of the day I spent in it – at the end of the day, I did not have any aches or pains. It was, possibly, a little bit more comfortable than the driver’s seat in my Transit – although that might be down to my Transit being older and higher mileage – the seat has seen some use.

The rest of the interior was pleasant and usable but unremarkable and a bit plasticy. The dashboard-mounted gearstick comes easily to hand but doesn’t really seem to offer any benefits over its floor-mounted equivalent, other than a slightly shorter throw and more familiarity for car drivers.

Driving & Performance

The Trafic is certainly quite car-like to drive – no doubt one of the contributing factors to its success. The engine pulled well and was reasonably refined and the 6-speed gearbox makes motorway cruising a bit more relaxed and fuel efficient – although 6th gear is only really usable at speeds of over 60mph, which means constant changing down to 5th on a busy motorway. Other than that, performance was very similar to my (5 speed) Transit.

Handling was fine – when empty it was almost like a car and when heavily loaded it remained well balanced and easy to drive. The Trafic’s brakes were decent, although the pedal needed to travel quite a long way down before the brakes really bit.

Load compartment

Renault Trafic factory bulkhead - note the curve & the step

The Trafic I drove had a full, factory bulkhead – meaning that it curved outwards as it rose to the roof, to fit around the backs of the front seats. This meant that stacking boxes against the bulkhead was awkward – I had to fill out the space at the base until it was level with the top of the bulkhead, then start stacking up to the roof.

Still, this is a worthwhile compromise in a short wheelbase van as it provides extra load length (at floor level) whilst providing the safety and security of a full, fixed bulkhead.

Other than that comment, the load space was exactly what you’d expect and appeared to be virtually identical to that in my Transit, except the Trafic had a shallow step by the side loading door, whereas my equivalent front-wheel drive Transit has a completely flat loadspace floor. This is unlikely to make any practical difference to most people, unless a completely flat floor is essential to you.

Quality & Efficiency

My Trafic was a rental van with 45,000 miles on the clock. It had obviously had a great many drivers and was a bit tatty, but everything still worked and there were no rattles or loose bits of trim. This would suggest that the interior build quality, at least, is fairly good.

Similarly, the van still felt decent to drive. Fuel efficiency was around 35mpg for the day – I didn’t calculate it exactly but it was on a par with my Transit, which religiously returns 35mpg, whatever I do.

Final Thoughts

If I was given a Trafic as a daily drive, I’d be perfectly happy. If I was spending my own money, I’d probably by another Transit – if nothing else, I prefer the interior. However, the differences are small and they are both excellent small panel vans to drive and use.

It looks like drivers of vans with a maximum weight of under 3.5 tonnes may escape the London Low Emission Zone, at least for the foreseeable future. Restrictions that would effectively ban vans that weren’t Euro III compliant from entering the zone were due to be introduced in October 2010 – but London Mayor Boris Johnson has announced his intention to suspend the introduction of these rules.

LEZ – What’s That?

Anyone who regularly drives in the Greater London area will probably have come across the Low Emission Zone, or LEZ. Most of the space within the M25 falls into the LEZ (click here for a map of the zone), including the M4 Heathrow Spur, the M4 east of Junction 3 and the M1 south of London Gateway Services.

The goal of the LEZ is to reduce the use of older, more polluting large vehicles (vans, buses, lorries and coaches) in the Greater London area. Restrictions put in place in July 2008 mean that lorries, buses and coaches that do not meet the Euro III emissions standard have to pay a daily charge of £200 to enter the zone.

From October 2010, a similar restriction was to be placed on vans weighing up to 3.5 tonnes – a £100 daily charge for vans failing to meet the Euro III emissions standard. (Cars, motorcycles and vans with an unladen weight of under 1.205 tonnes are exempt from the LEZ.)

What Does This Mean For Me?

Most vans made since 2002 do comply with the Euro III standard – and more recent vans meet the later Euro IV or even Euro V standards. For these vehicles, the LEZ has no effect. No registration or permit is required – just ignore it.

Most London van hire companies operate vans under 5 years old, so they will all meet the Euro III standard anyway.

If the proposed suspension of the new rules goes ahead, then it won’t matter what you are driving. However, if it doesn’t, there are likely to be some seriously inconvenienced people. Tradesmen and small businesses operating older vans – perhaps because they do very limited mileage – will have to choose between buying a newer vehicle and paying £100 a day to go about their business. Similarly, any van hire companies operating within the LEZ will have no choice but to replace any non-Euro III vans with newer vehicles.

If you want to check whether a van you drive is compliant with the proposed October 2010 rules, then Transport for London provides an online compliance checker – click here.

The Fiat Fiorino was one of a brace of new small vans that appeared last year. Also new – and based on the same platform – were the Citroen Nemo and Peugeot Bipper.

Despite their unlikely names, these vans are ideally suited for city use and offer a surprisingly capacious loadspace, with a payload of around 600kg and a volume of 2.5 cubic metres. The Fiat Fiorino was voted International Van of the Year at the Hanover commercial vehicle show and based on this review, it’s easy to see why.

Here’s RoadTransport.com’s Julian Milne putting the Fiat Fiorino through its paces:

Renault Trafic - Britain's Most Secure Van?

The Renault Trafic has added another award to its impressive collection – the British Insurance Vehicle Security Award in the Heavy Van category.

It’s the first time that vans have been eligible for the awards, which are based on the industry-standard New Vehicle Security Ratings. The Trafic comes out top thanks to its remarkable level of factory-fit security – which certainly puts my 2001 Transit to shame.

According to Renault, the Trafic comes with security features including anti-drill door locks and barrels, Thatcham category 1 alarm and immobiliser system, remote central locking with deadlocking, full steel bulkheads and R.A.I.D. (Renault Anti Intruder Device), which automatically locks all the vehicles doors once travelling above 5 mph. A three-button key with selective door opening is also available as an option, to combat opportunistic thieves while the vehicle is being unloaded.

LDV duly went into administration recently – following the withdrawal of Malaysian suitors Weststar from a proposed rescue deal.

However, that isn’t likely to be the end of the story. No one wants to pay more than they have to when buying a company and by waiting until LDV went into administration, potential buyers such as Weststar stand to get a much better deal than they would have done previously.

The risk in holding out for the best possible deal, however, is that someone else might beat you to it. In Weststar’s case, the other possible party is Connaught – a company that produces a pioneering aftermarket hybrid conversion kit for vans. The system has been tested by the RAC and is said to produce fuel savings of around 20%.

Connaught’s interest in LDV seems bold but the synergies are obvious – it could sell factory-converted hybrid vans at virtually no cost over the standard vehicle. This would be a unique offering in the mainstream van market at present.

In addition, LDV had reportedly already developed an electric version of the Maxus, providing Connaught with a good basis for developing an all-electric van to compete with existing offerings from the likes of Modec and Smith Electric Vehicles.

Fuel costs and CO2 emissions are increasingly important to van operators, as business conditions remain tough and regulation relating to emissions gets tighter.

Until last year, van manufacturers were extremely reluctant to publish fuel consumption and CO2 emissions data for their vehicles, claiming (with some truth) that they varied too widely depending on usage and loading.

The government, however, was having none of that and insisted that this information be made public. The result can be seen here, on the VCA’s (Vehicle Certification Agency) website. – a free, easy to use and comprehensive database of new van emissions and official fuel consumption figures.

(There was an similar database published by the BVLRA in December 2008, but it seems to have disappeared from their website)

Although these are only official figures, measured under test conditions, at least they are calculated in the same way for each van, so should provide some kind of meaningful comparison.

To access the new VCA Van Data Tool, click here.

Remember Papa & Nicole – the series of television adverts that helped make the Renault Clio sexy?

Meet The Laitier (the milkman). Driving a 1901 Renault van, he looks set to do for Renault vans what that loved-up couple did for the Clio.

It’s all part of Renault’s first van television advertising campaign.

The advert is going to be shown on national television later this year – as part of the build up to the launch of the new Renault Master (the current model is visible on the left of the photo).

At present, it’s only viewable online – but I would highly recommend taking yourself to Renault’s van site to have a look. It will be a minute well spent!