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VI, e initially tested the Renault Trafic i .9dCi coo,
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hot on the heels of the Vauxhall Vivaro r.9DT1 (CM 13-19 Dec 2001), which is the same vehicle under a different badge and produced near-identical results. So this time round we asked Renault to Jet us run the 8zhp version in an effort to provide a better comparison for operators. We've used a Trafic TOO in our photography but the roadtest results concentrate on the 82hp version.
It's fair to say that when the Trafic went on sale in September 2001 it changed the shape of van manufacturing in Europe. It looks different, very different from the front—reminiscent of the latest high-speed trains. It handles differently from its competitors too, and offers the driver much more room than its predecessor.
According to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders the Trafic has been selling like hot cakes, helping Renault boost its October 2001 registrations by 50%. The original Trafic had a production of nigh on 20 years from its 1981 launch until Renault finally called it a day last year after knocking out more than 93o,00o units.
Following such a successful act was never going to be a cheap project—as long ago as 1997 word spread of a joint venture with General Motors. The resulting Trafic/Vivaro provides Renault with the final link in its reborn light CV line-up; Renault-badged examples are built in GM's Luton plant, which has been treated to a /185m makeover.
Product profile
Renault has embraced common-rail technology, promising operators industry-leading fuel economy. The Trafic currently comes with a choice of two 1.9-litre diesel engines, two payloads and one wheelbase (short) long-wheelbase and chassis-cab variants due out this year.
The less powerful of the 1.9dCi chargc cooled direct-injection common-rail furl diesels develops 82hp at 3,500rpm w-. r oNm of torque at 2,00 orpm. The roc> version offers maximum torque of 240K By the end of March they will be joined b: 2.0-litre r6V petrol engine producing 120 at 4,750rprn, and Renault has a 2.5dCi iC engine in the pipeline promising 133hp 3,500rpm with 310Nin at 2,000iTtn.
The 82hp version comes with a five-spe box driving through the front wheels; me power brings an extra gear.
The reborn Trafic features a number of u. ful innovations. For example, to help sect the load, adjustable attachments have been ted to runners against the interior side pan. capable of holding 400kg (a feature whi may be extended to the Master). Operate will also note the brake and rear fog lights p tected under a plastic casing, with reverse a indicator lights mounted in the lower pan
Productivity
On the day of the test route it was cloudy a wet with a cold wind coming in from t north. The final part of our van test route ha into Sutton and the M20 hill climb we made into a head wind but for the rest oft route northerly gusts were helping us alor Our 82hp r,9dCi Trafic returned 36.2m fully laden with just 5,000km on the cloc That compares well with the roohp Vain& Vivaro (31.6mpg), and more established roc els like the Citroen Dispatch (34.3mpg) a Mercedes-Benz Vito TIO CDI (38.8mp Payload for the Trafic is 948kg, which eclipE the Dispatch by almost 5okg but loses out the Vito (995kg) and the load-hungry Toyc Hiace Power Van (1,255kg).
In fact anything over 9 ookg should prc adequate for most operators' needs in t mid-van market; those looking for somethi bigger would do better to look for a 3.5-torin The impressive 5.om3 load space comes coi tesy of the Trafic's 542mm floor height that's lower than the Dispatch and Vito, a will also make loading and unloading a mc comfortable chore.
The 82hp Trafic has no trouble keepi pace with surrounding traffic; it's on a par with the competition in this respect but the ioohp version is a little quicker.
On the road
With 82hp on tap five gears are more than enough to work smoothly through the box to top gear (at 35-45mph) without any obvious gaps in the gearing. In fact we've found that with a six-speed box the driver is sorely tempted to start in second, thus rendering it a five-speed box by default. At least with an H-pattern and dogleg fifth at top right the driver is more likely to see it as an extra gear at the top end of the box.
Common-rail technology has made CVs below 3.5 tonnes into particularly quiet and efficient products and the Trafic is no exception. From the moment you get in noise is noticeable by its absence—until the driver becomes familiar with the bite on the clutch expect a certain amount of over-revving to compensate for the lack of engine noise.
From a standing start, and from below 15mph, acceleration is sharp and responsive, comparing more with CDV figures than its peers in the mid-van sector. The Trafic is nippy enough to make light work of the urban traffic chaos across south-west London.
The steering is equally light running fully freighted or empty: occasionally the driver does like to feel a bit of rigidity when driving at Full GVW, if only to remind him that there's a load on board.
Vision from the van is excellent, with decent sized wing mirrors featuring a blindspot mirror. The height of the cab, accentuated by the rise in the van's roof and the height of the dashboard's full-width shelf, can be a little disorienting; at first it can be tricky knowing exactly where the front bumper is when manoeuvring in tight spots. No doubt this will soon be overcome with experience, but it's a strange sensation.
Cab comfort
It is hard to imagine, when driving the new Trafic, that not too long ago CV manufacturers built a shell, stuck a dashboard in with two seats and a fag lighter and called it a van. Car standards of comfort are now the norm, but what could well set the Trafic aside from its competitors is the amount of interior space it provides for the average driver.
Even the more rotund individuals out there will be pleased—but unless you're vertically challenged there's little to be gained from using the seat's huge range of movement, both backwards and forward and up and down. It's a different story for lanky drivers, who will be caught in a Catch-22: by moving the versatile seat into the optimum leg position and distance from the steering wheel they will invariably run out of headroom. This led to our tester adopting a stooped or slouched driving position. It's possible to lower the seat but at the cost of legroom and position, which compromises loot pedal control.
The steering wheel is adjustable but the top of the wheel will still block out some of the dials. It also lacks the seat's range of adjustment to let all drivers get completely comfortable with hands at ten-to-two. A lack of space for the taller driver is an industry-wide prob lem in mid-vans fitted with bulkheads course: to be fair, Renault has come close solving it than its competitors.
Operators using the Trafic for multi-d work should find enough places to put ev thing bar a hold-all inside the cab. There decent-sized side pockets and a full-wi shelf, glove box and upper shelf. There's e a clothes hook on the left of the central das knee height to take that wet coat.
The passenger gets a drinks holder at left of the dash and the driver is cle expected to smoke 20 Gauloise a day, judg by the size of the ashtray on the right.
The Trafic 'co we tested sported French-designed CD-Rom Carminat Sate Navigation system. It costs 1750, proved s pie to use and is a thoroughly useful bit of but the driver has to sacrifice the CD playe use it. Also, in bright weather the driver do well to see the screen as it reflects lil mirror, despite the hood that covers it.
There's a subtle French touch on the t doors, where the left door opens out firs you're parked up on the nearside and c need to open one rear door to unload it mi prove awkward for access to the pavemt but we confess that this is being very pick)
Summary
The Trafic's aerodynamic design alone enough to excite a jaded roadtester becauE does stand out from the crowd. Time will if van operators will love or hate the new lc but it's functionality and productivity t counts, and potential buyers need only loo the statistics: the Trafic has a very cowed fuel figure, didn't drag its heels around test route and carries a decent payload.
It's not all sweetness and light, of cou: beanpole drivers will struggle with the seat position if they try to sit upright, and the sts ing wheel position is not versatile enougl avoid obscuring the dials. But those sn gripes aside, this vehicle is bound to enha the renaissance of the Renault range.
• by Kevin Swallow