What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide

Renault has upgraded its Kangoo Van in a bid to enhance its appeal to operators in what remains a highly-competitive and increasingly-uncertain market.

Some of the changes relate to compliance with the Euro 6 exhaust emission regulations which come into force in September. Others involve re-visiting equipment levels and enhancing the package buyers get for their money.

All Kangoo Vans now come with a full-height steel bulkhead plus a DAB radio with Bluetooth, USB and Aux-in ports as standard and with or without a CD player depending on customer requirements. The line-up now includes Business and Business + trim levels thereby aligning Kangoo with Trafic and Master and making life a little easier for businesses that run all three models.

So far as Euro 6 is concerned Kangoo is achieving compliance without Selective Catalytic Reduction and the need for an AdBlue reservoir that requires periodic replenishment. Instead, it is dealing with NOx emissions by installing a NOx trap in the exhaust system.

Euro 5 models were still available at the time of writing.

Not having driven Kangoo for a little while we decided to get to grips with a 90hp 1.5-litre diesel ML19 Energy dCi 90 built to Business + specifications. The same engine is also available with 75hp and 110hp outputs.

Remember that Kangoo is also sold as the long-wheelbase Maxi with a 4.0cu/m load area. Maxi is marketed as a crew van too with a second row of seats and a load area at the back and both the standard Kangoo and the Kangoo Maxi can be ordered in electric Z.E guise

Load area

Access to our test van's 3.0cu/m cargo area was by means of a sliding door on each side of the body plus twin, glazed, asymmetric back doors that could be swung through 180 degrees if you released the stays. The narrower of the pair was on the offside - a quirk of right-hand-drive models - and a wash/wipe system was fitted.

The cargo bay could be extended by folding the passenger seat flat, swinging the section of bulkhead behind it through 90 degrees and latching it into place next to the driver's seat; an optional arrangement that does away with the standard bulkhead. All that folding and swinging boosts the load cube to 3.6cu/m and the maximum load bed length from 1731mm to 2502mm.

Also supplied was an optional girafon rear roof flap. The idea is that you use it to poke over-length items up into the air if the passenger seat is occupied and as a consequence cannot be folded down.

Great idea in theory but we've never seen a girafon used in practice; possibly because items carried in such a fashion could end up fouling overhead obstructions, possibly because leaving part of the roof open risks exposing the load to the elements, possibly because a thief might just be able to take advantage of such an arrangement.

The load floor was protected by a rubber cover and our demonstrator was fitted with eight load tie-down points, which is two more than the standard issue.

You pay extra for them, but the additional outlay may prove worthwhile. You can never have too many lashing rings.

Cab and equipment

Business + in-cab oddment stowage facilities include a full-width shelf above the windscreen, bins in each of the doors, a lidded, but not lockable, glove-box and a lidded box between the seats. You'll find somewhere to put your cup of coffee between the seats too.

The driver's seat is height-adjustable as is the steering column. A multi-functional trip computer is among the standard features along with a 12v power socket.

Optional climate control (manual air-conditioning is the standard offering) helped ensure we kept cool heads when surrounded by cyclists with no sense of self-preservation. Another useful extra fitted was Renault's R-Link multimedia and navigation system.

It can be controlled from the 7ins touch-screen in the centre of the dashboard although the way in which the screen is positioned makes it a bit of a stretch from the driving seat. Fortunately you can use controls on the steering wheel instead, download an R&GO app so you can turn your smartphone or tablet into a touch-screen or simply tell R-Link what you want it to do.

As well as navigation, R-Link features include an Eco Driving coach which gives you useful advice when it comes to improving your driving skills and cutting fuel consumption.

Fiddling about with it stopped us becoming too irritated by our Kangoo's peculiar and rather-annoying L-shaped handbrake lever.

A driver's airbag is included in the deal - our van had an optional passenger airbag too - as are electric windows, folding electric exterior mirrors and reversing sensors.

Our demonstrator was fitted with the usual selection of electronic safety devices including ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Electronic Stability Control and Hill Start Assist. Also installed was Grip Xtend, designed to keep you rolling if you encounter mud, snow or need to cross soft sand.

A useful and long-established Kangoo feature is RAID. The initials stand for Renault Anti Intruder Device and it ensures all the doors lock automatically once the van pulls away from the kerb and begins to gather speed.