The Renault Magnum is a flagship for long distance transport its sturdiness and distinctive design are the exterior indications of its interior quality it is one of the best soundproofed and most comfortable cabs you could sit in. It also offers the driver excellent all-round visibility - large glazed areas; wide rear view mirrors; a commanding position of the road ahead and at night halogen headlamps with complex lenses ensure a high level of lighting.In the Cab
The Magnum cab remains one of the largest and most spacious in the market. Perhaps that’s what adds to the challenge of entry and exit! Once you are in though, it’s certainly worth the climb. The internal height of 1.87m (over 6ft) and a completely flat floor means you can move around freely standing up and once you park yourself in your air suspended seat, the joys of the new Magnum become apparent. The heated seat, which is adjustable for height, weight and reach, gives you a perfect driving position. The 4-spoke padded steering wheel is fully adjustable for height and rake as well. The control layouts in the new Magnum’s are also simple and easy to use as well. The dashboard display panel conveys comprehensive driving information, fault analysis and maintenance details. If you are off the messy disposition like yours truly, there’s also an endless amount of storage for your bits and bobs. There are two cab variations on offer Privilege and Excellence.
The Power to Deliver
The DXi13 engine in the Magnum optimizes your travelling time even on the most demanding routes and provides new power levels at 460 and 500 hp and offers up to 5% reduction on fuel consumption. We tested the beefier 500 hp, which notches up an impressive 2250Nm of torque between 1050 and 1400 rpm. Models that are fitted with Renaults’ Optidriver+ automatic gearbox, which ours was, also gain from an extra 22Nm of torque on hills at 1050 – 1000 rpm. Optidriver+ also comes with Optibrake, which gives you an additional three levels of retardation. It is engaged by leveraging a three-pronged stalk, positioned conveniently at the side of the steering wheel. If this still isn’t turing you on, and you don’t want to fork out for the Optidriver, you’ll be grappling with ZF’s 16-speed manual box. An important thought to consider though is that the manual transmission is 60kg heavier than the Optidriver+ so you’ll be losing some payload. The Magnum uses all-round disc brakes with Electronic Braking System (EBS) management. The new generation EBS offers drivers a whole new range of features, including engine-brake management, brake defects warning, brake temperature warning and hill-start assistance.
On the road
Taking in our traditional route of motorway and country roads we left the services on the M74 and headed south, the gorgeous weather made perfect driving conditions with the added bonus of light traffic throughout the route made it a perfect journey. The Optidriver+ gets a big thumbs-up for both practicality and performance. To engage it, you simply nudge the gear lever down and then left. To drive in manual, you simply nudge left again. As you do though, we left the heavy work and thinking to the technology. Gear-shifts, at all times were precise and well-timed. As for the engine, the 500hp on offer matched all challenges head on. Torques the buzz word these days and the DXi 13 gives you plenty of lift when you need it. The Magnum’s road handling is also impressive and there’s virtually no cab roll to speak off. The new suspension has also given the Magnum a much-improved ride and a day behind the wheel certainly isn’t tiresome. Wind noise and engine noise is barely noticeable, so we doubt you’ll find much to complain about in the cab.
The Verdict
Renault Trucks seems to have made changes in all the right places. There’s plenty of torque in the engine and fully laden at 40 tonnes you’ll rarely notice it on your journey. We also think you’ll love the much improved road handling and suspension. We think the Magnum is as good as anything on the market and most importantly you’ll have happy drivers.
