Renault MODUS 1.6-LITRE 16v RANGE
With 1.6-Litre 16-Valve Petrol Power, Renaults Modus Supermini MPV Has More Pace To Go With Its Space. Steve Walker Reports
The tiny MPV has evolved quickly. It wasnt so long ago that buyers seeking small, cheap transport for a family either resigned themselves to one of those popemobile van-based products or made do with a 5-door supermini. Now most of the mainstream marques have a proper MPV based on their supermini platform, vehicles with the space and flexibility that had previously been the preserve of larger MPV products. Renaults variation on this theme is called Modus.
It features acrobatic rear seats, neat storage solutions, cute looks and theres a 1.6-litre petrol engine if you like to press on a bit. It represents the current state of supermini MPV evolution but is it the natural selection in this increasingly competitive sector?
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For most people who have the budget, the default engine choice in a small MPV would be a nice common-rail diesel. Capable of fuel consumption that would render you a stranger on your local filling station forecourt, these units also possess a useful slug of torque for launching the family around town. The 1.5-litre dCi diesel options found in Renaults Modus are perfect examples of this but here were considering the 1.
6-litre 16-valve petrol engine. Its a powerplant that some might think isnt particularly well-matched to a vehicle with the family remit of the Modus, but even supermini MPV buyers understand the value of a little something extra under their right foot. A 1.6-litre 16-valve Modus isnt a fast car by conventional standards but its the quickest Modus and if your search is limited to supermini MPVs, there arent many models around with more oomph.
Youll be able to breach the 60mph within 10.3 seconds of introducing throttle pedal to carpet and thats over a second quicker than the next fastest Modus model. The 113bhp maximum power output is available at 6,000rpm with the engine revving freely up to and beyond that marker. Torque of 151Nm is produced at 4,250rpm and the engine pulls strongly from considerably lower in the range than that.
Performance on a car like the Modus is never going to be much more than a sideshow but fuel economy will be of interest to prospective buyers. The Modus 1.6 fares well here, a combined average of 41.5mpg is commendable and even around town, owners should be able to return over 31mpg.
You should be able to average over 60mpg with the 1.5-litre diesel Modus but the fuel cost penalty that goes with the extra performance of the 1.6 is not as harsh as many people would have imagined. Whats more, the lower asking price of the petrol engined car will, for most customers at least, make it the wiser buy.
The driving position is upright but comfortable and engine noise is well suppressed inside the cabin. The Modus handles competently without too much of the cornering body-roll youd expect from a narrow high-sided vehicle. Its no hot hatch but with a capable chassis married to the 1.6-litre engine, fun is still on the agenda in this supermini MPV.
"Youll be able to breach the 60mph within 10.3 seconds of introducing throttle pedal to carpet"
Of all the supermini MPVs, the Modus is the one that looks most like it should have something more than a weedy 1.2-litre petrol engine under its bonnet. Its a shapelier proposition than its rivals from most angles with the pronounced wheelarches and the rearward plunging roofline creating a sturdy, purposeful stance that does much to hide the vehicles extra height. The
Renault styling themes that we were once unsure about now look modern and innovative.
Theres a hint of the Meganes rump below that vertical rear windscreen and pronounced shoulders run down the sides. The 1.6-litre models are available only in Dynamique or Privilege trim and that means body coloured bumpers, body-coloured mirrors, 15" alloy wheels and front fog lamps all feature to spice up the exterior. The Modus designers seem to have struck an impressive balance between function and form but its the function that buyers in this sector will be most keenly interested in. Theres only a finite amount of space you can engineer into any car and a supermini MPV will always have less than most but the key is how that space is made usable. The ingenuity of the Modus centres around its rear bench
seat.
With it positioned normally, theres plenty of rear passenger space for heads, shoulders, knees and toes plus a surprisingly large luggage area behind. From there, the whole seat back can be folded forward to increase the luggage space at the expense of the rear passengers and, should you need more, the whole of the rear bench can then flip forward into the rear footwell. The result is a large van-like load area but the bench will not flip into the rear footwell unless the front seats are slid quite a way forward and taller drivers may be hindered by this. Other noteworthy features on the Modus include the boot chute which opens from the tailgate much in the same way that the original Minis once did.
It allows the stowage of smaller items without the need to open the whole tailgate. Storage compartments are commonplace around the interior so that just when you think youve found them all, another will come to light. The centre console is neatly laid out in a style that will be familiar to Megane owners but one complaint is that the buttons are a little small and fiddly for operating while on the move. Equipment on all Modus models includes remote central locking, a trip computer and electric front windows but the Dynamique adds electric mirrors, a temperature gauge and a CD stereo.
The top spec Privilege has air-conditioning, electric rear windows, folding mirrors and Xenon headlamps. Being Renaults, all models score very highly on safety with the Modus being the first small car to achieve a 5-star NCAP rating. Prices for a 1.6-litre 16v Modus run from £10,900 for the Dynamique to £12,000 for the Privilege and the automatic gearbox option costs £1,000 more in each case.
Speed isnt a big issue with buyers of cars like this and so the 1.6-litre engine isnt likely to be the most popular in the Modus range. It is surprisingly effective, however, and will appeal to people who like a degree of feistiness in their small cars. It seems that with a modicum of performance, even a supermini MPV can put a smile on its drivers face.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Renault Modus 1.6-litre 16v range
PRICES: £10,900-£12,000 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 6E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 163g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 117mph / 0-60mph 10.3s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (Urban) 31mpg, (Extra Urban) 50.4mpg, (Combined) 47mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front/side airbags, ABS, brakeforce distribution, ESP WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ?: Length/Width/Height: 3792/1960/1589mm
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