02 Jul 2010 | Text and Photos by Benjamin G. Kline
Van man for a day
The Renault Kangoo proves that a van’s design can go beyond a box with wheels at each end. Since 1997, the Kangoo has brought a certain amount of civility to a utilitarian role. Launched in 2008, we take a look at the Kangoo’s latest incarnation.
I’m just gonna get this out of the way early. I hate vans. I always have since the first gurgling regurgitation I felt after my first ride in a van. Vans to me are bread boxes on wheels. Their design is usually as visually stimulating as a five year old’s drawing of a car. They ride funny and usually lean more than the tower of Pisa when you take them round the bends. Before you condemn me for being a pompous presumptuous *beep*, most of my observations are from personal experiences collected over the years.
For some strange reason, I get really sick riding in a van. The same way I get that hurling feeling when I’m a passenger in a tricked out WRX or Evo. God knows I love driving those things but I can barely keep my Big Mac down for more than a kilometre in one. The vans get me sick in a different way. Somehow a van always smells funny and what’s worse is that the cargo always seems to take precedence over driver and passenger comfort. So most of the time, the front seats are too cramped for me and the bile along with the gripping feeling of claustrophobia starts building ten minutes into the ride.
There are two vans that I hold especially dear to my heart (not in the best sentiments by the way). These are the only two vehicles that I know can make both the passenger and driver equally sick. First up, is the Toyota Lite Ace. My biggest issue is with the cramped passenger and driver compartment that exacerbates the feeling of claustrophobia.
Combined with the relentless jostling from transferring every road imperfection to the cabin, it gets the record for making me hurl in erm…record time. The second culprit that I have a serious problem with is the Suzuki Every van. I get sick driving it. Due to its small size, it rotates significantly on all axes as you’re driving over the many undulations in your commute.
Another great beef I have with it is its manual transmission. Unlike the numerous manual cars I’ve driven, the use of engine braking in the Every can be a risky venture. The bread van skids if you attempt to downshift too quickly in a bid to slow down. This was something I learned when the Every I drove made an unscheduled departure towards the guardrail.
I believe I’ve made my contempt for vans vividly obvious by now.
Renault probably isn’t too happy with how the first part of this review has gone so far. But before you pick up that phone to chew me out, you probably should finish reading the rest of this review. The reason being that the Kangoo has taken everything I hated about vans and turned it on its head.
Exterior
The first Kangoo along with most of its EU cousins introduced a fresh new perspective for utilitarian vehicle design with the vans that were appearing on the market. It was a subtle breakaway from the slew of box-like vans that dulled the urban landscape.
The first Kangoo was a fusion of car design with the mandatory box-like dimensions of its cargo area. Designers might not have had much options for the aft portion of the van’s design but boy did they refresh the van’s front fascia. Rather than having flat faced fascia like every other van, the first Kangoo took design cues from the Clio of its time. Which gave the Kangoo the impression of a funky city van. It was a much needed hiatus from the box-like vans where the only crumple zone was your face.
Walking up to the latest Kangoo, I half expected the yellow van to transform into an Autobot. It just looks like it would blend in perfectly with the Chevy Beat and Trax featured in Transformers 2′s Autobot crew. Though there’s very little canvas for designers to apply their expertise, they still did what they could with the front fascia. And it doesn’t look too bad with its stubby and expressive front end that’s jeweled on each side with large headlamp clusters. The front fascia is a little less protruded than in the first generation while the rounded nose has been replaced with a more angular front.
Moving on from the front fascia, the side is still pretty much standard panel van. But the side profile seems to have changed dramatically from the first with the cabin area looking larger than before due to the enlarged front passenger and side cargo doors. In the rear, little seems to have changed. The taillights though are now encased in grey plastics on both sides unlike in the previous model. Both doors in the rear can be opened fully to alleviate the handling of bulky cargo.
Interior
I believe ergonomics was the one thing that always escaped vans. Especially the ones from Japanese manufacturers that I’ve driven before. In the Kangoo (both old and new) however, there is a lot of civility present for a utility vehicle.
In the new Kangoo, the driving position is supremely comfortable. The great thing about the car-like front end is that it offers the van driver a car-like driving position. The lower height also cancels out the nauseating motion sickness that you get with other vans. This also contributes to driving comfort. Despite being a manual, I still found driving the Kangoo a very comfortable experience. The driving seat was supportive in the right places and I felt little to no fatigue after driving it for an entire day.
Beyond the reach and rake adjustable steering wheel lies the large instrument cluster. Here the designers made everything simple and functional with a multifunctional digital display backlit in amber dominating the lower portion of the speedometer.
The dashboard is also another example of simplicity but despite that, is pleasing to look at. Although the interior plastics are a little on the tacky side, I think it is of little consequence considering the van’s utilitarian existence. The attention on the centre console is focused on the three large dials that control the interior climate. The knobs arranged in a triangular fashion are simple and easy to use and is well within reach of the driver. Below that you find the simple factory fitted audio system.
Although the sound system isn’t impressive, it still belts out the tunes to a reasonable degree. Making sure that your van man’s commutes around the island won’t be a monotonous one. The simple system also comes with an AUX-in system for the tech wise van man. What I loved most about the system was the intuitive audio controls replicated on the steering column. Hidden just below the right spoke, the volume, station and source controls are all simple and intuitive to use. The stubby indicator and wiper stalks though might be hard to reach for drivers with smaller paws. Stubby as they are, they do feel well-made.
In the rear is the van’s sole purpose for existence. The cargo area is laid with non-slip mats and a simple pair of steel bars prevents any goods from landing on the driver in an emergency braking manoeuvre. The 500 litres of cargo space can be easily accessed from both sides using the sliding doors or from the rear cargo doors that can be opened fully for loading bulky cargo.
The Drive
The Kangoo has done the impossible. It has changed my perception of vans (at least for Euro vans). During the day spent with it, I enjoyed driving it around the island tremendously. It might be a 1.5-litre Euro IV diesel but the 160Nm of torque it produced gave plenty of robust acceleration. Coupled with the smooth changes from the 5-speed manual and you have yourself an enjoyable drive.
Even the ride in this van was compliant. It didn’t feel that much different from a properly made city car. It ironed out most of the road imperfections to a reasonable degree.
Although I didn’t conduct any formal tests, the Kangoo is very economical (as I’ve been told by an owner of the first generation Kangoo). Giving 18km/L on the economy scale. Which works out to an incredible range of 900 kilometres from its 50 litre tank. That revelation alone makes me want one instantly. Nevermind that the girlfriend doesn’t like the way it looks. Given that kind of range, I’ll take it over my Xiaohong (my 1.5M Suzuki Swift) any day.
Conclusion
So there. The Kangoo has changed my perception of vans in one day. If there wasn’t a nonsensical rule about private owners buying vans, I think us sensible folks will all be running around in our own Kangoos by now.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but if you’re not too concerned with the social stigma of driving a van and getting it registered to a company isn’t a problem, the Kangoo really makes a very sensible form of transport.
Even as a company goods vehicle, your van man will be spoiled with the civility found in the new Kangoo.
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