Renault KANGOO TREKKA 4X4 RANGE
First We Had Vans That Masqueraded As MPVS, Now We Have One That Thinks Its An SUV. Andy Enright Reports
This is getting way out of hand. How we chuckled when
Citroen and
Renault started selling plusher versions of their vans as
mini-MPVs. Eagerly anticipating this bizarre idea to fall flat on its face, we had to wipe the egg from ours as you went out and bought them in their thousands. With the revised Kangoo Trekka featured here, Renault is hoping to pull a similar trick, offering a van that thinks its an MPV that has in turn decided to be a compact 4x4 SUV.
The van-based supercar must be just around the corner.
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In all seriousness, the latest
Renault Kangoo Trekka might just be able to make a go of it. Forget the dismal sales showing of the unlamented Scenic RX4: Renault have patently decided that a halfway sensible basis for a 4x4 wont really work with the British public so they have launched one thats slightly barking and proud of it. Whilst it would be simple to imagine the Kangoo Trekka bouncing merrily through a Burgundy vineyard, how will such a vehicle cut it on the mean streets of Cheam? Createurs dautomobile? Renault may just have createured themselves a curates egg good in parts but just too weird to work in others. The basic van-based MPV thing we understand. Time was when the family man looking for budget wheels carted the family around in a low-end family hatchback.
Those who were good at procreation or ran a five-a-side football team opted for an MPV. That was before MPVs got smaller and smaller. The Kangoo proved that even when your youngsters are diverting all the money that would have gone on Sky digital, the new stereo and that holiday to the States into nappies, shoes, the coffers of Mr Whippy and the evil leeching genius behind Bob the Builder, you can still enjoy a bit of fun behind the wheel.
"Technological overkill is always a nice thing to have under your belt, and the Trekka doesnt disappoint."
With the Kangoo Trekka, the only limits are your imagination. Break loose from the traffic-choked road! Blitz forth across country! Blaze a new trail, bounded only by impenetrable local green laning regulations and the prospect of having your Trekka punctuated by the 3/8-gauge buckshot of an incandescent smallholder. Like most 4x4s purchased in this country, the Trekka may well only see the odd damp lawn or muddy drive, but technological overkill is always a nice thing to have under your belt, and the Trekka doesnt disappoint. The Kangoo Trekkas all-wheel drive system is markedly different from the Scenic RX4 in that it is equipped with a hydraulic coupling sourced from
Nissan.
Despite sounding like an inadvertent move in a mixed synchronised swimming competition, this piece of equipment actually takes care of diverting drive to all wheels should the front wheels start to spin. This allows the Trekka to run in front wheel drive most of the time, thus saving fuel. In addition to this ingenious piece of hardware, Renault also wire in an electronically controlled ASR traction control system which dips power to the front wheels to avoid traction loss in the first place. There is also an ATC (Automatic Torque Coupling) but at this point the technology became so bafflingly opaque that the enthusiastic talking head from Renault could just as well have lapsed into Serbo-Croat.
It sounded jolly clever though. Normal service resumed when the suspension man arrived. He explained that the suspension was the same as the Kangoo only bigger, stronger and raised up a bit. This was a man you could do business with.
The way he illustrated the Kangoo Trekkas impressive approach and departure angles, its 400mm fording depth and 28-degree hill-climbing ability let you know in no uncertain terms that the Trekka could do the business too. The Kangoo Trekka gets a choice of two engines, a 1.6-litre 16v petrol engine developing 95bhp (on offer at £12,595) or an uprated 1.9-litre dCi common-rail turbodiesel (priced at £13,595).
The diesel engines power has been capped at 80bhp although the big torque figure of 133lb/ft means that this is a car that will turn itself inside out with sheer twisting force should you depart with the handbrake on. Okay, so that was a slight exaggeration, but it illustrates the point. It will also return over 40mpg on the combined cycle. It's fairly utilitarian inside - though that's intentional: you can clean the interior with a hose if you really want to. If necessary, the rear bench pivots forward to convert the Kangoo from people carrier to a 2500-litre estate. Moreover, thanks to those sliding side doors, it's a lot easier to access the space. Versatility is helped by the airline-style overhead bins that can be used to crown any undesirable passengers with a bottle of duty-free Smirnoff. Otherwise youll find side bins with a total volume of 60-litres (comfortably more blood than exists in the human body in case of profuse bleeding) and the usual exterior plastic protection that makes a sideswipe of a farmers prized heifer that little bit more insurance-friendly. The styling of the latest version fits in with the most recently updated Kangoo look but the 4x4 design cues have been beefed up considerably.
The tear-drop shape headlamps dominate the front end but the under bumper area is also worthy of note. Renault have introduced a two-tome plastic moulding with integrated fog lamps and an under body protector to shield the Kangoos from offroad grounding incidents. Its difficult to see wholl sign up for a Kangoo Trekka. Its a bit basic for that majority who buy a 4x4 for its metropolitan Marlboro Man image and its too plush for those looking for a dual-purpose van/MPV.
As such itll probably sell like hot cakes.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Renault Kangoo Trekka
PRICE: £12,595 (petrol) £13,595 (diesel) on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 5
CO2 EMISSIONS: 196-205g/km
PERFORMANCE: (petrol) 0-60mph 14.3s / Max Speed 95mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (petrol)(urban) 25.9mpg/ (extra urban) 35.8mpg/ (combined) 31.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, ABS with EBD WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE: length/width/heightmm 3995/2030/1895
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