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

Representing Mercedes-Benz's first foray into the light van market, the arrival of Mercedes-Benz's Citan has directed the spotlight away from the vehicle on which it is based: Renault's humble Kangoo. Yet although it may be humble, Kangoo is a best-seller across Europe, with over 400,000 finding homes with customers since the launch of the current model in 2008.

That model has just been face-lifted under the Phase 2 banner, with styling changes to its front end, new exterior mirrors and headlights, alterations to the dashboard, a new steering wheel and the introduction of some new equipment.

Two basic models are offered in the UK - Kangoo Van and the longer-wheelbase Kangoo Maxi - and both of them are produced in electric (Z.E) as well as diesel guise. Maxi is additionally marketed as a five-seater with a rear seat that can be tipped forward to accommodate extra-long loads.

Diesel power comes courtesy of a 1.5-litre at 75hp, 90hp or 110hp and a 105hp 1.6-litre petrol automatic is also available.

So will the changes be enough to tempt buyers away from the more glamorous Citan - that three-pointed star is a powerful selling tool - and from rivals such as Citroen's Berlingo, Vauxhall's Combo and Volkswagen's Caddy?

We opted to sample the 90hp diesel in a standard wheelbase van in top-of-the-range Sport specifications - Core and the entry-level and logically-named Debut are the other trim choices - in order to investigate.

Cab

The latest Kangoo's cab interior features a decent amount of shoulder, head and leg room for both the driver and passenger, as did its predecessor. One feature that has not been done away with alas is the ridiculous L-shaped handbrake lever.

Representing the triumph of design for design's sake over common sense, when released it obscures an otherwise-handy 12v power point and makes it harder to get at the cup holder at the bottom of the dashboard. In effect it renders the receptacle useless while the van is being driven.

Fortunately there is another cup holder in the centre console that runs between the two seats that can be pressed into service. One can only hope that the driver and co-driver do not want a drink at the same time.

Also between the front seats is a deep, lidded box for which you pay an extra £50: all prices quoted here exclude VAT. The lidded glove box is quite deep too, and you will find a bin in each door divided into two.

Good to see that the steering column is height-adjustable although the driver's seat is not. Good too to see that the cab interior is well put together with quality materials, and to a higher standard than was seen in Renaults years past, with nice chunky switches for the heating and ventilation system

Could the drive towards better quality be the result of Mercedes-Benz's influence? Renault is certainly emphasising the improvements it has made to the way the vehicle is built, encompassing everything from better spot weld finishes to greater precision in the application of body sealants. One cannot help but think that Mercedes engineers have had a hand in this somewhere.

Load area

Access to the 3.0cu/m cargo area, which had been timbered out in our case, is by means of a sliding nearside door and twin, unglazed, asymmetric rear doors, with the narrower of the two on the offside. They can be pushed through 90 degrees, and through 180 degrees if you undo the easy-to-release stays.

The doors open to reveal a perfectly ordinary-looking cargo area with half-a-dozen load tie-down points that on the face of it seems unlikely to harbour any surprises. Look more closely however and you will realise that it does.

That at least was the case with our demonstrator, which featured a cleverly-designed full-height mesh bulkhead. The section behind the passenger seat could be swivelled through 90 degrees and latched into position once the seat had been folded completely flat. Result? An extension to the load bed so that extra-long items could be accommodated.

Furthermore, the act of swivelling the bulkhead to one side created a partition between the cargo floor extension and the driver so that items placed on it did not end up tumbling into the latter's lap. The whole arrangement costs £225 and creates an extra 0.5cu m of cargo space.

Our Kangoo featured another way of carrying over-length cargo: a rear roof flap referred to as a girafon through which various bits and pieces can be poked. It costs an extra £220 and could come in handy if you want to carry something long but need to transport a passenger too.

Maximum load length is 1476mm and deploying the swivelling bulkhead and folding seat increases it to 1731mm. Maximum height is 1251mm while maximum width is 1464mm narrowing to 1218mm between the wheel boxes. Rear loading height is 609mm.

The rear door aperture is 1219mm wide and 1119mm high while the dimensions for the side door aperture are 638mm and 1128mm respectively.

Gross weight is 1950kg, gross payload is 650kg and a braked trailer grossing at up to 1050kg can be towed.

Powertrain

The 90 horses referred to earlier kick in at 4,000rpm while top torque of 200Nm bites at 1,750rpm. Drive is through the front wheels via a five-speed gear box and a particulate filter is fitted.

Our Renault 's four-cylinder eight-valve common rail direct injection turbo diesel power plant was classed as an ENERGY engine thanks to the use of optional Energy Smart Management. It is a regenerative braking system that helps to charge the battery when the vehicle decelerates, thereby recovering energy that would otherwise be lost. The package includes Stop & Start as standard.

Chassis and steering

MacPherson struts are at the heart of the van's front suspension system while a torsion beam helps to support the rear. The test vehicle's standard 15ins alloy wheels were  shod with 195/65 R15 Michelin Energy Saver tyres. Electric power steering offers a 10.7m turning circle between kerbs with 3.2 turns lock-to-lock

Performance

While Citan has a firm ride the Kangoo's is far more undulating - though not quite to the point of making the driver feel seasick - and its gear change, though acceptable, is not as crisp. It handles well though, offering flat cornering with little if any body roll and plenty of feedback through the steering.

While the same diesel engine felt a touch sluggish in Citan, in the latest Kangoo it offered more than sufficient performance, allowing the van to nip smartly away from rest, accelerate strongly through the gears and maintain the legal motorway cruising speed without breaking sweat.

The cab interior was alas a little too noisy - the improved sound proofing said to have been introduced doesn't appear to have worked too well - and the creaking from the mesh bulkhead began to prove a real irritation after a while. Renault's build quality is still not perfect.

Equipment

A sophisticated Bluetooth-enabled R-Link multimedia system was fitted to our vehicle as standard complete with a touch screen, TomTom LIVE satellite navigation - a three-month subscription is included in the van's price -  a USB port, and an Eco Driving coach that helps you cut fuel usage. Various pre-loaded apps are available, including access to weather information, and the package includes a radio/CD player.

The Bluetooth set-up allows you to call a phone number using voice commands: the ultimate in hands-free.

Electric windows and electrically-operated and folding exterior mirrors - without a wide-angle section, alas - are included in Sport's in-cab fixtures and fittings. So are manual air conditioning, a multi-functional trip computer and a driver's airbag: the passenger airbag costs an extra £185.

Buying and running