With a lot of « Génie Français », Renault has built up a formidable know how in making these roomy cars, which are uniquely versatile and are offering sheer endless practical possibilities.

The latest version of this breed, a car line which the factory has aptly named « Kangoo », sets new standards again in comfort, practicality and last but not least performance.

We thoroughly enjoyed driving a 105 hp Diesel version of the latest Kangoo on the scenic roads of the French Provence, visiting vineyards, monasteries and « brocantes »… On our top picture you see the car in the Vercors mountain range above Valence.

But here follows our story...

Hans Knol ten Bensel

The Kangoo is parked here in front of the restaurant "Lo Podello" in the characteristic village of Antraigues...

Creature comfort

When getting behind the wheel one is already pervaded by a pleasant feel of airy roominess, aided by the two glass roof apertures for at the front and a glass panoramic sunroof in the middle. The dashboard and instrument layout is practical and businesslike, in the good tradition of "la maison" Renault, as are the commands, with are virtually identical to the other models with which we have grown so familiar with. Everything falls pleasantly at hand. The cruise control, radio commands, and also the climate control and air conditioning is (literally) a breeze to use.

The centrally placed gear lever is also very convenient. The door rests are also set at an ideal height as is The Kangoo provides lots of space for furniture and other treasures when visiting the "brocantes" in the French Provence...

The central armrest, and all this provides impressive creature comfort on these long leasurely drives along the winding and ondulating Départementales. It shows that this is definitely a car to travel in, notwithstanding its practical "utilitarian" possibilities.

The seating position and steering wheel distance and its angle towards the driver are also virtually ideal and will please even the most difficult.

The know-how of Renault also translates itself in the setup of the suspension. It provides in our eyes one of the best compromises between road holding and comfort, given the type of car, and even when up with two persons and no luggage, the suspension remains utterly comfortable. Even the worst potholed and frost ridden "routes locales" are ironed out impressively. Insulation from rolling noise on various road surfaces is also very good, and the booming noises so typical for small "camionettes" are all but totally absent. Remains the predictabitility of the cars’ road behaviour even on rain soaked Autoroutes and winding country roads, its precise steering and delightful responsiveness.

Visiting the vineyards of Vacqueras at the wheel of the Kangoo...

At higher motorway speeds, between 130 and 140 kph, some wind noise is noticeable stemming from the roof racks, but thanks to the high sixth gear, engine noise is very subdued indeed. On motorway cruising the sensitive cruise control is a true delight, as we said, and we cannot stress its usefulness enough on long quiet stretches of the Autoroutes. The gradual response of the control and the smoothness of speed changes leaves nothing to be desired.

Well mannered frugality …

The 1.5 four cylinder Diesel is powerful, well mannered and last but not least quite frugal.

Even when starting from cold, the engine is very smooth and vibrationless, and is hardly any noisier than an efficient petrol engine.

It pulls very well from 1600 rpm onwards, with a typical turbo delay at lower revs, forcing one to use bottom gear in slow hairpin curves. This first gear is also pleasantly low, allowing one to "creep" through medieval city roads.

The unit is not afraid of higher revs, and indeed likes to be taken to 4000 rpm and more to deliver its full performance. This is very adequate indeed, with 0 to 100 kph reached in 13 seconds, and a top speed of 170 kph. Of course, the somewhat larger frontal area of the Kangoo will penalise fuel economy at higher speeds.

But in normal use, one hardly takes the engine above 3000 rpm, and when driven with some moderation, the Kangoo is frugal indeed, as the average consumption of our test of a mere 5,6 litres per 100 km amply shows.

The 6-speed gearbox proved well adapted to the engine’s power characteristics, with sixth gear being ideally suited for higher motorway speeds, and fifth gear being used mostly for cruising on non-motorway routes. Despite the higher ratio of sixth gear, it is hardly necessary to change down on long motorway hills, even when laden, which says a lot about the excellent torque characteristics of this efficient unit. The engine develops its impressive maximum torque of 240 Nm at 2000 rpm.

Versatility abounds…

The Kangoo is very practical. There are numerous possibilities to stow away those small things you need on daily trips and holiday voyages: the glove box is of decent size and can contain a lot more than the usual instruction documentation and car papers. You can also store up to a 1,5 litre bottle in the storage space under the central armrest, and the front doors have not only bottle storage bins but also large "vide poche" areas. Of course you can also empty your pockets in storage spaces in the rear doors, and both sun visors are equipped with practical clips where you can put the "péage" tickets of the Autoroutes…

Fit for a picnic...

When you still feel hungry after having taken all the liquids reserved for you in all the storage bins, you can fold the little tables in the back of both front seats and have a truly Gallic "pique nique". Above the sun visors and central rear mirror you will also find a large storage bin, when it is not taken by two glass roof openings, as was the case in our test car. Last but not least there are storage bins in the floor space behind the front seats…

You don’t need to be shy when loading some wine or taking home that unique small antique table you fell in love with. The boot space is truly cavernous, and of course the backrests of the rear seat can be folded back, forming a completely level loading platform, which is some 1,80 metres long. For those long antique iron curtain bars, the backrest of the passenger front seat can further be folded too…

The luggage cover plate can also be stowed flush with the backrest of the rear seats, and this provides an enormous boot space even when the back seat is in use, which is 60 centimetres deep and more than 1 metre high.

Last but not least we want to mention the excellent finish of dashboard and controls, and the tasteful combination and quality of the materials, translating down to the last detail the experience of the "marque" has achieved in building these cars. The Kangoo is solidly built, and this does not make it a very light car: it puts 1430 kg on the scales when empty, and can take an additional load of some 500 kg. But, as the performance figures show, the 105 hp version is well suited to the weight.

Travel companion

The Kangoo proved to be an ideal holiday travel companion, which we loved to take out for a mountain trip, a long fast ride on the Autoroutes or the trip to the Hostellerie or Restaurant. The smooth engine and transmission, the comfortable ride and interior space, the practical amenities and pleasant Gallic cheerfulness of the car made us very regretfully part with it…

The Kangoo proved an ideal holiday companion for driving through the historic villages in the French Drôme and Ardèche...

The audio controls in the Kangoo are laid out in the excellent manner which we have become used to from "la Maison" Renault...

The electronic cruise control is masterfully gradual and the speed changes are very smooth indeed...