Renault at the vanguard

RENAULT'S aspirations to become a player in the Australian light commercial market have taken firmer shape with the arrival of the Master and Kangoo models to complete the line-up that began with the Trafic van earlier this year.

Master

THE Master is aimed at a broad spectrum of the light commercial market, including small to medium-size businesses, retail and fleet operators, the rental market and vehicle converters, said Renault’s newly appointed commercial vehicles and fleet sales manager, Adam Le Fevre.

In this very pragmatic part of the vehicle market, the company will be pushing the Master’s low running costs, reliability stemming from its proven track record elsewhere around the world (387,000 Masters have already been built) and its ease of use – the Master has one of the lowest step-up heights in the light commercial van market.

The Master, which actually arrives here four months ahead of schedule, is covered by a three-year/100,000km warranty and the servicing schedules are every 15,000km – with full maintenance services coming every 30,000km. The big Renault van is also covered by a 24-hour roadside assist program.

The Master, in effect, is a step up from the Trafic and can take payloads up to 3.5 tonnes in either van or cab-chassis configurations.

The Master van competes in the Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Fiat Ducato area of the market and comes with three body lengths and two roof heights (low and midroof), while the cab-chassis comes in long-wheelbase form only.

The two specification level Master range (the base "Air" and the upmarket "Integral") is powered by a 2.5-litre common-rail turbo-diesel engine producing 84kW and 290Nm of torque, driving through a six-speed manual transmission. A "robotised" semi-auto will come in early 2005.

Renault is pushing the car-like, driver-friendly qualities of the Master by making air-conditioning standard at both levels, along with power steering, height adjustable driver’s seat, CD AM/FM radio, tinted windows, lockable glovebox and driver’s armrest.

The Integral picks up power windows and door mirrors, as well as an anti-theft alarm.

Pricing starts at $38,690 for the Master Cab Chassis, while the Master vans start from $39,990 and rise as high as $43,490.

Kangoo

THE very appropriately (for Australia) and cutely named Kangoo has also been a familiar sight in Europe for some time, with more than 760,000 built since the introduction of the original model in 1997.

The current model came in 2001 and last year Renault sold 110,000 to claim 26 per cent of the compact light commercial segment in Europe.

A clear competitor for the Holden Combo and Citroen Berlingo light vans, it will arrive here in September, in one form only. Standard equipment will include air-conditioning, power windows and door mirrors, remote central locking and a CD player in the dash.

The safety credentials include disc brakes, ABS and EBD (standard on automatics, optional on manuals), seatbelt pretensioners and a driver-side airbag. However a passenger-side airbag does not get a mention at this stage, even as an option.

The Kangoo uses the 1.6-litre, front-drive petrol engine seen in the Renault Clio. It produces 70kW at a relaxed 5000rpm, along with 148Nm of torque at a less lazy 3750rpm. The manual transmission is the same five-speed box used in the Clio, while the four-speed auto also comes from the same passenger car source.

The Kangoo, like the Master, is available in either Air or Integral form, except that the only difference between the two in terms of standard fittings is that the Integral gets automatic transmission and ABS.

Dimensionally, the Kangoo is close to its Holden and Citroen counterparts although it is a tad smaller and lighter.

But the interior dimensions give a maximum useable width of just over 1.2 metres and a maximum height of about the same – making it slightly higher but not quite as wide as the Citroen. The loading height, while quite good at 605mm, is not as low as the Citroen’s 567mm. And the payload, at 600kg, is a whacking 200kg less.

At $17,990 in manual transmission form, and $21,490 as an ABS-equipped auto, it is slightly above the Holden and Citroen. But Renault believes the equipment levels are good enough to keep it competitive.

The Kangoo will be sold through specialised Renault commercial vehicle centres in all capital cities.