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Rod Chapman6 Jul 2014
REVIEW

Renault Kangoo 2014 Review

A couple of weeks into its tenure as a trucksales.com.au long-termer, Renault's practical Kangoo Maxi Crew is proving its worth

Renault Kangoo Maxi Crew

Long-Term Test (Introduction)

Renault has capped-off its refreshed Kangoo LCV family with the recent addition of the Maxi Crew variant. Based on the longer-wheelbase Kangoo Maxi, but with a second row of seating that folds flat to accommodate larger loads, the Kangoo Maxi Crew offers maximum practicality with car-like levels of comfort and handling.
Long-Term Tests
A key aim of the motoring.com.au (and trucksales.com.au) crew is to make choosing your next vehicle easier. We do this via our mix of news, international and local launch reviews as well as our seven-day tests.
From time to time we also take the opportunity to spend more time in a vehicle. These longer-term tests can be as short as a couple of weeks or up to six months.
Long-term tests give our staff writers and contributors a chance to get to know a car as an owner would. While the car is with us, we pay for fuel, pay for the servicing and generally use and live with the car as a new owner would.
Manufacturers tend to have a love-hate relationship with long-term tests. Six months is plenty long enough to fall out of love with the latest and greatest and to start nitpicking – just like real owners do.
That said, we believe long-term tests give car buyers an added insight into the vehicle on test. Not to mention the qualities behind the brand and nameplate.
Renault Kangoo Maxi Crew
Renault's Kangoo family of small LCVs has some real momentum right now. According to the latest data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the Kangoo's 221 sales to the end of May 2014 represents impressive growth of 66.2 per cent.
It's still lagging some way behind Volkswagen's dominant Caddy (717 sales) but it's gaining ground – Caddy's sales fell by 23.8 per cent over the same period.
A significant part of the Kangoo's growth is down to Renault's revision of the platform, which saw a series of changes instituted from September 2013.
A facelift has seen the Kangoo benefit from a restyled front end, better soundproofing, tighter panel tolerances, a stronger bodyshell and an updated console. The 1.6-litre petrol auto's pricing dropped by $2000 to $22,990 (plus on-road costs) and a petrol manual model joined the fray, kicking the range off from $19,990 (plus ORCs).
The long-wheelbase, 1.5-litre turbo-diesel-engined Kangoo Maxi arrived late last year, and now the range has been capped-off with the Kangoo Maxi Crew – essentially a five-seater version of the two-seater Maxi.
Released in May 2014, the Kangoo Maxi Crew recently won motoring.com.au's small LCV comparison, and when the opportunity arose to keep our test vehicle for a couple of months, we jumped at it.
The Kangoo Maxi Crew has certainly been winning plenty of fans at motoring.com.au's HQ. The team have praised its blend of passenger-car comfort and workhorse practicality. Front seat passengers could be forgiven for thinking they were in a regular car; the quality seating is supportive and fully adjustable, while the dashboard and instrumentation features a mix of contours and textures that are pleasing to the eye.
The major mod-cons are there – electric (front) windows and mirrors, climate control, a Bluetooth audio/telephony package and cruise control with speed limiter.
The HVAC system takes a little longer to take effect because of the large cargo space, but it works well enough, warming us up on frosty Melbourne winter mornings.
The cruise control adjustment buttons are set into the steering wheel while a switch by the driver's right knee flicks the cruise control function over to a speed limiter – a very handy thing in Australia in this day and age. There are audio controls off the steering column.
The dash lends a feeling of refinement you wouldn't naturally associate with an LCV and the plastic surfaces should prove pretty durable in this role – ditto the sturdy footwell liner.
Cabin storage is reasonable. While we appreciate the overhead shelf, the dash-top bin for the optional sat-nav and the deep bin between the front seats, the sidepockets are quite slim and the glovebox is tiny.
There's no ANCAP rating for the model but it does comes with a reassuring array of safety features, including anti-lock brakes with emergency brake assist, stability control, and driver and passenger airbags. Side airbags are an option.
The Kangoo Maxi Crew also gets auto headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and front and rear foglights.
The sense of refinement doesn't quite extend to the rear seating. The 60/40 split-fold seat is a compromise – it has to be – and while it folds down neatly to increase the load area from 1.3 cubic metres to 4.0, it's some way behind the front seating for comfort.
The sliding doors, meanwhile, have windows that pop a few centimetres ajar at their trailing edge. It's definitely more LCV than passenger car in the back.
Still, in an LCV role the Kangoo Maxi Crew shines. With those back seats folded there's a good amount of available space and eight decent tie-down anchor points.
On the road the 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel delivers dependable, tractable urge. Renault claims 81kW at 4000rpm and 240Nm at 1750rpm for this engine, plus a head-turning 4.7L/100km (ADR Combined).
So far we've recorded an average of 6.4L/100km, which has largely been achieved in stop/start city traffic.
The ECO mode, which reduces torque output and alters the mapping of the throttle, is said to deliver a fuel consumption reduction of up to 10 per cent. It makes an appreciable seat-of-the-pants difference on the road so it should translate to a good long-term saving at the pump.
The turbocharged engine takes a few revs to get going, but the go kicks in from 2000rpm with a reasonable amount of poke up to 4000rpm – all delivered in a fairly linear and fuss-free manner.
It's not exactly an exciting vehicle to drive, but we are talking about an LCV here. It's built to do a job and to get that job done as easily and efficiently as possible, and after a few weeks' use we can say with some confidence the Kangoo Maxi Crew ticks both these boxes.
The six-speed manual (Renault says an auto version is 12 to 18 months away) shifts smoothly and cleanly, while the clutch is light and has a fairly wide take-up band.
The steering is on the heavier side, but it adds to a general feeling of surety on the road. The MacPherson strut/torsion beam suspension gives a quality ride. It's not excessively harsh unladen, as you might expect of an LCV, and there's only minimal vibration felt on rough roads.
In our small LCV review the Kangoo Maxi Crew recorded 71dBA at 80km/h – that's car territory, and the sort of sound suppression that adds greatly to the comfort level over the course of a day.
Over the next month we'll be using the Kangoo Maxi Crew day in, day out. We'll be using it to ferry people and camera gear in and around Melbourne as we tackle some large upcoming vehicle comparison reviews, giving us a good impression of what it's like to live with.
Stay tuned for our next 'warts-and-all' update…
2014 Renault Kangoo Maxi Crew pricing and specifications:
Price: $27,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 81kW/240Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 4.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 123g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A
What we liked: Not so much:
>> Passenger-car-like handling >> No auto option, yet
>> Frugal fuel consumption >> Hefty purchase price
>> Maximum flexibility >> Some step-off/turbo lag

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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
77/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
17/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
17/20
Safety & Technology
15/20
Behind the Wheel
16/20
X-Factor
12/20
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