The foot brake could not be faulted and was as
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efficient under load as when travelling light. Though stiff at first, the gearbox soon softened up. Nevertheless, my companion found selecting reverse gear a wrestling match at times. For her smaller dimensions the driver's seat adjusted well but the pistol-grip handbrake was somewhat awkward, requiring a heave of the body to apply it fully.
Travelling from race circuit to race circuit occasionally called for long stints at the wheel. The vinyl-covered driver's seat and the bench passenger seat proved extremely comfortable and with the ideally placed steering wheel and controls neither of us ever suffered from a sore back or aching shoulders. Switches and dashboard displays were respectively well sited and easy to view by day or night.
The door-mounted rearview mirrors gave excellent visibility and needed no extensions when towing; the lights provided good night vision and, after 37,000km no bulbs have needed replacement.
Probably the single most useful aspect was the Master's low floor height. At just 508mm (19.9in) loading the motor cycle was an easy operation. Even carrying a 1kw generator or tool chest it was possible to step straight into the rear.
While the front-wheel-drive enabled the gate to be low, it did prove to be a problem when laden, towing and forced to stop on a steep hill. Though never stranded, the combination did cause a few apprehensive moments: with all the weight at the rear, the front wheels lost grip.
There were few weak points but those that did exist were
very irritating. It would hay been helpful to have been abl to lock and unlock the slidin, door from outside rather than t, have to do this via the offsid cab door. For a vehicle of its six and bearing, the Master's hon can only described as patheti and is something of an embai rassment to use.
More annoying was the wate that seeped in under the cab an' sliding doors when drivin! through torrential rain. And th caterwauling that emanate from a so-far undiscovered re gion in the front of the cab was great irritant for it reached deE feningproportions at times. occured when travelling in hc weather, necessitating openin one or both of the cab window: it appeared at a speedlof 50km/I increased in volume with th speed of the van and with th amount the window(s) war opened and was affected b wind direction.
On its account the coati system could not be said to b efficient, but in our more cm tomary English weather, th heating was more than ade quate.
Renault UK (Western Avenue attended to the Master's se vices. Twice we had complaine of a sticking accelerator peck and graunching from the steel ing system at the extremes c lock. On the third occasion, E around 32,000km, Renaul recommended a new steerin rack, steering box, accelerate and choke cables; these part were duly ordered and th vehicle was pieced together fen our use meanwhile. It prove, difficult to drive during this tim because of the erratic way i which the engine would suc denly rev to screaming pitch
eking gear changing an ieasy operation.
There was some delay in denary of the required parts. pparently these were some of few items that are not intertangeable between left and 3ht-hand-drive vehicles. After /a weeks the parts were re'dared and by just over four eeks all but the choke cable ere ready to be fitted.
Apart from this delay, we were itisfied with Renault's standard work. The only cause for comaint was their failure to identify le cause of the distressing 3ise already mentioned — and ith it, a certain lack of symethy for the problem. An air ter hose was broken by an der-zealous mechanic.
The Renault Master compares lry favourably with a 2000 Ford -ansit which we have driven. le large front window gives Jperior visibility, and an advange over some of the Master's )mpetitors is the fact that the lose-less" front makes parking 'tight spaces easier than might e imagined.
Likewise, the fact that the Mos1r has single rear wheels gives dded interior space. The uoted cubic capacity is .05cum (3 1 8cuft) but this ppears more because of the ahicle's height. It has certainly eon a useful asset to be able to tand inside to work on lachinery when weather condions dictated. The wheel arches re squared off and this adds to le useful working area.
In 1983 the Master will unergo the same sort of unishment. If it stands up as fell next year as it has this year nd if its performance and reablibity are as good, there can e no cause for complaint.
CM road tested both petrol nd diesel-engine versions of le Renault Master T35 on July 8,1981.