Renault MASTER VAN RANGE
Looming Down From Its Lofty Position Atop The
Renault Commercial Vehicle Range, The Master Has Proved Consistently Popular With This Countrys Van Operators. Steve Walker Examines The Current Line-Up
The Renault Master: an agreeable, well-built panel van, sophisticated diesel engines, mammoth, sprawling model range and pragmatic, efficient design. These are all good things, qualities that van buyers like, but pick any of the top-selling large panel vans currently available and you could sum them up in similarly glowing terms. The Masters problem is getting itself noticed in a market characterised by competence and proficiency.
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For the reasons already mentioned, when a buyer finally settles on a
Renault Master at the expense of the other mainstream panel van options, he or she is rarely disappointed. This genre of commercial vehicle is all about substance over style and rightfully so. In order to lower list prices, cut running costs, maximise payloads, expand loadspace and instil ease of use, the top manufacturers have gradually been boxed into a corner. Theres no room left to indulge the designers engineering flair or to utilise a little artistic licence and most of the products follow similar themes.
This is no bad thing, of course, as anyone who has used a Renault Master van or one of its contemporaries will tell you - they do the job.
"From door handles to dashboard, it feels robust enough to stay the course and the diesel engines are similarly dependable"
The resemblances that many of the modern panel van contingent evidently share are not solely down to the manufacturers hitting on a formula that works and sticking to it. Its a more often a case of them hitting on a formula that works and then liberally sharing it around.
Citroen,
Fiat and
Peugeot grouped together to produce their respective Relay, Ducato and Boxer models, while the Master van, at which we look here, is the fruit of a union between Renault,
Nissan and
Vauxhall, which has also yielded the Interstar and Movano. All three vehicles received a thorough facelift for the 2004 model year.
With essentially identical, albeit differently badged, models available from other manufacturers, even more emphasis is placed on the ability of Renault dealers to attract buyers by means of special offers and/or higher quality aftersales provision. The Masters sales success can be partially taken as evidence that they have adapted to this task well. Having made a brief explanation of the ins and outs of the wider market, its on to the Renault Master in more detail. The key to all good panel van ranges is variety, there should be a product suited to the needs of every potential panel van customer, whether they prioritise low costs, big loads, high equipment levels, pretty colours or a healthy combination of all the above.
The Master line-up is a mix and match affair. In deciding on your preferred bodystyle you pick from short, medium and long wheelbase, matching that to either a low, medium or high roof. The maximum load volume achievable will, therefore, be the gaping 13.9 cubic meters in the long-wheelbase/high-roof (LH) models you can almost hear the echo.
The smallest load volume afforded by the Master range is the 8 cubic meters of the short-wheelbase/low roof (SL) what it looses in capacity it gains in manoeuvrability. The next egg in your own personalised Master van omelette is the engine, Renault have laid down a 4-unit line-up from which you can choose, so lets get cracking. These are four accomplished pieces of kit. Modern and incorporating the revolutionary common-rail direct injection diesel configuration, the powerplants are clean, fuel-efficient and powerful a far cry from the dirty, smoke-belching units of yesteryear.
Theres an 80bhp 1.9dCi, a 100bhp 2.5dCi, a 115bhp 2.5dCi and a 136bhp 3.
0-litre dCi. The two more powerful engines come with a six-speed gearbox and theres the option of Quickshift semi-automatic transmission if you so desire. As a heavy duty sideline to the conventional Master range, there are also rear wheel drive models suited to operators who need to tow trailers or traverse difficult terrain. They are powered by one of two 3.
0-litre dCi engines rated at 115bhp or 156bhp and they feature twin rear wheels. The majority of these vehicles will be sold as chassis cabs for specialist conversion. With your preferred engine and bodystyle in place, you can start to comprehend the initially incomprehensible model names in the Master range. The different derivatives are christened via a combination of their bodystyle, gross vehicle weight and engine in that order.
For instance, the entry-level SWB/low roof model with the 80bhp engine is memorably titled, the SL28 dCi 80. This model will carry a maximum of 1,101kg on the back, knock on the door of 80mph, when unladen, and return 35.3mpg on the combined cycle. At the other end of the scale, the huge, hulking LH35 dCi 140 (LWB/high-roof with 3.
5-ton gross vehicle weight and the 136bhp 3.0dCi engine) has the potential to accommodate 1,596kg, reach a terminal velocity of 90mph and deliver an average of 31.7mpg though, again, not all at the same time. Incidentally, the ranges most impressive load-lugger is the SM35 dCi 90 with a substantial 1,743kg max payload and there are further choices in the shape of chassis cab and minibus versions to supplement the panel vans.
Getting the experience of driving and using the Master day to day right, is a task to which Renault have obviously applied themselves. In the back, the sills are low and the apertures are wide so weighty items can be hoisted on and slid in more easily. The cab is tidily assembled and thought has been given to storage, although a lot of the more ingenious solutions in this area are confined to the options list. The latest facelift has seen improvements throughout the interior but the biggest boon is the dash-mounted gearstick for swifter shifting and better cross-cab access.
The ride is comfortable for a big vehicle designed to cope with big loads and theres decent refinement along with a tight turning circle. Standard equipment includes ABS, drivers airbag, power steering, interior loading lights, a 3-way adjustable drivers
seat and remote central locking. In comparison to its adversaries at the top of the UK panel van market, the Master has set-out an eye-catching stall with a-view to attracting your business. From door handles to dashboard, it feels robust enough to stay the course and the diesel engines are similarly dependable - then theres that varied model range to consider.
Whether it has the gumption to supplant the class-leaders is open to debate, theres not much to split the field on price or performance and buying decisions will be swayed either way on personal taste and the kind of package you can extract from your Renault dealership. Good luck
FACTS AT A GLANCE
VAN: Renault Master van range ENGINES: 80bhp 1.9dCi, 100bhp 2.5dCi, 115bhp 2.5dCi and 136bhp 3.
0dCi (115 or 156bhp 3.0dCi in RWD models) LOAD VOLUMES: 8.0-13.9 cubic metres MGVW: 2.8, 3.3 or 3.5 tonnes BODY OPTIONS: panel van, chassis cab, chassis double-cab, platform cab, minibus
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