The new Renault Kangoo is very much a vehicle for the 21st century and boasts modern, expressive styling, this being highlighted by a short ‘cobby’ front end. It comes in two versions, both sharing the same overall styling, with the ‘Compact’ version being considerably smaller. That said however, inside both this and the larger ‘Express’ have a capacious bright cockpit that is more in line with a car or MPV than a working vehicle. Modern, expressive styling seem to have been the design key words as there is space to securely fit an A4 clip board on the dash, store two lap-top computers in the glove box, as well as an overhead shelf to swallow up whatever else you want to carry close to hand and out of sight.
Multimedia connectivity with Bluetooth capabilities helps make the driving and passenger area as good as any modern Health and Safety conscious office. Add in things like fully adjustable seats, adjustable steering wheel, cruise control, air con, parking sensors, automatic headlamp and wiper activation and driving is not going to get too stressful. Safety is high on the list with pretensioner belts and airbags all round if required. The cockpit forms a rigid non-deformable survival cell to protect its occupants in the event of a crash and you have a choice of bulkheads or safety bars behind you. ABS, brake assist ASR traction control and ESC under-steer control, along with a load limiter make the specifications sound more like a top of the range family motor, rather than a working vehicle. For those times you need to increase the load capacity, providing you have no passenger, the front seat will collapse level with the rear floor to give extra length, if you do not opt for the fixed bulkhead.
The rear of the Express can now take loads between 3 and 3.60 cubic metres. The width between the rear wheel arches is 1.21 metres, which means that euro pallet will just slide in. The smaller ‘Compact’ shares the width, but length is just 3.83 m long as opposed to 4.21m for the larger Express. The load capability is just 2.3 to 2.9 cubic metres, but the turning circle and ease of manoeuvrability is well worth opting for it if you do not have large loads to carry. Both have asymmetrical rear doors that have been beefed up and designed for constant use. A sliding side door (depending on specification) adds to usability and access. Powering these new versions are three diesel engines, 70, 80 and 85bhp versions of the 1.5dCi unit. There are also two petrol engines, a 1.6 8V and 1.6V 105hp available. The list of options and extras also reads like those on a car brochure!
Built on the ‘Scenic’ chassis, it gives a level of handling not normally associated with a van of the genre. With a track 12cm wider at the front and back and a 10cm longer wheelbase compared to the existing version, the vehicle is very stable with little roll and pitch being noticeable even when loaded. Even some steep climbs out in the Scottish countryside were accomplished without the need to use the lowest gears and on the tight backstreets that formed part of my test route the turning circle was superb. The new Kangoo is better in every way and Renault has managed to achieve a replacement that is still as recognisable as its predecessor. Quiet an achievement!
