Painfully aware of the intense competition from rivals such as Ford’s all-conquering Transit Custom and Volkswagen’s rock-solid Transporter, Renault has been determined to keep the Trafic looking fresh and attractive.
Last year saw another update, with both an external and internal makeover aimed at ensuring it remains a contender in a hard-fought sector of the market.
Long-gone is the old 1.6l diesel, supplanted by a 2.0l Blue dCi lump at 110hp, 130hp, 150hp and 170hp; shame there is not yet a battery-electric model. A six-speed manual transmission is the standard offering, with the two most-powerful engines up for grabs with an automated six-speed dual-clutch transmission as an extra-cost alternative.
The front-wheel-drive Trafic van comes with the choice of two lengths and two heights, delivering load volumes ranging from 5.8m3 to 8.9m3. Gross payload capacities range from 935kg to 1,251kg.
Specification levels start with entry-level Business, step up to Business+, go on to Sport and finish with top-of-the-range Sport+. Also available is a long-wheelbase crew van.
We got to grips with a short-wheelbase SL28 dCi 150 van in Sport trim. Here’s how we fared.
Load bay
Access to the (optionally) timbered-out 5.8m3 cargo area with its (optional) reinforced resin-coated ply floor is by means of a sliding nearside door or through twin rear doors, which can be swung through 90º. You can push them through 180º if you release the user-friendly stays.
No less than 16 load tie-down points are provided. If they are not used, and unsecured cargo hurtles forwards under heavy braking, then all may not be lost. A stout-looking full-height steel bulkhead should ensure that it doesn’t finish up in the cab.
Opening a hatch in the bulkhead enables you to slide extra-long items such as ladders, planks and pipes into a compartment beneath the passenger seats. It’s far better than having them stick out of the rear doors.
Somewhat surprisingly, all the load area doors were secured with bulky supplementary deadlocks. Renault has been trialling them in the UK, but has decided not to introduce them for the present.
Interior and equipment
There is no denying that the Trafic Sport comes well-equipped.
For your money you benefit from front fog-lights, sat-nav (with a rather slow 8in EASY LINK touch-screen in our case), a DAB radio with remote controls on a steering column stalk, and Bluetooth. Smartphone integration with Android Auto and Apple Carplay are included in the deal and we were grateful for our demonstrator’s extra-cost wireless smartphone charger.
The sat-nav package comes with connected navigation services for three years, and includes Google search for places of interest, live traffic information and weather forecasts.
Other features include cruise control with a speed limiter, a driver’s airbag, electric windows, and heated, power-adjustable and power-folding exterior mirrors complete with a wide-angle section. The heating and ventilation system is controlled by chunky, easy-
to-use controls, and includes air-conditioning.
Mention should also be made of the instrument panel’s 4.2in TFT (Thin Film Transistor) colour display.
Storage facilities include a pair of bins in each of the three-seater cab’s doors, a lidded but not lockable glove-box, a cubby hole below and to the right of the steering wheel, a lidded compartment above the instrument panel and a big shelf in the middle of the fascia with two USB points.
Another USB point sits close to the touch-screen and a 12v power socket isn’t far away. There is an additional one in the load area.
A further shelf sits next to a moulding that projects from the front of the dashboard and plays host to the gearlever. Unfortunately it robs the middle passenger of sufficient legroom in their seat, with knee-room in particular at a premium.
Pull the passenger seat cushions forwards and you can gain access tothe compartment underneath them. Flip down the back of the middle seat and it turns into a handy desk with a detachable A4 clipboard.
The dashboard features a cup-holder at each extremity with a novel flexible grip, which holds the cup firmly; a sensible idea. Rather less sensible is the failure to provide grab handles either above the doors or on the A-pillars; an annoying omission.
Both the steering wheel, which is trimmed in faux leather, and the driver’s seat are height-adjustable, and the latter comes with an armrest and lumbar adjustment.
An array of buttons can be used to switch the Stop & Start, Traction Control and Lane Departure Warning systems on and off. The last-named is an optional extra, and should be standard.
Disc brakes are fitted to all four wheels. Standard safety features include ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution, electronic stability control with hill start assist and AEBS; active emergency braking system.
The windscreen wipers start working automatically when it begins to rain and the headlights dip automatically as and when required at night.
Sensors all around the vehicle plus a reversing camera included in the optional parking pack should minimise the risk of damage during low-speed manoeuvring. Rear parking sensors come as standard anyway.
Side rubbing strips help protect the optional metallic paint finish, and the front bumper and mirror casings are finished in the same colour as the body.
So far as safety is concerned, however, the cleverest feature on the vehicle is one of the simplest.
Renault has positioned a wide-angle mirror on the inside of the passenger sun visor. Fold the visor down, and the driver can see if there is anything in the van’s nearside blind spot; a vulnerable cyclist, for example.
On our van it was complemented by an optional blind spot warning device.
Our test van’s 17in alloy wheels were shod with Goodyear Efficient Grip Cargo 215/60 R17 tyres. Power-assisted steering delivers a 12.8m turning circle between walls shrinking
to 12.4m between kerbs.
Turning to the suspension, MacPherson struts with an anti-roll bar are fitted at the front. A twist-beam suspension set-up, with hydraulic dampers and a Panhard rod to aid lateral location of the axle, helps to support the rear.
Powertrain
Maximum power of 150hp is delivered at 3,500rpm by Trafic’s four-cylinder in-line 16-valve common-rail direct-injection diesel. Top torque of 350Nm bites at 1,500rpm. AdBlue held in a 24.7l reservoir is required to ensure compliance with the Euro 6 exhaust emission regulations.
Driving
The Trafic’s strongest on-the-road suit is its sharp handling. Instantly responding to steering input, it has a taut, confident feel to it, enabling you to corner briskly without worrying that you might start lurching off in an unwanted direction. With 150hp on tap this model accelerates strongly thorough the gears, which makes it all the more the pity that the quality of the gear change is adequate rather than outstanding.
However, there is no denying that today’s Trafic is much better built than its predecessors.
The writer vividly remembers the first Trafic that was introduced some 40 years ago. If you took it up to anywhere near motorway speeds it shook and flexed so much that a gap appeared between the top of the door and the door frame that you could put your index finger through if you were brave (or foolish) enough to do so.
The current model is far more capable of tackling high-speed intercity runs than its predecessor of four decades back – though it would be surprising if it wasn’t.
Unfortunately it has two drawbacks, which it shares with most panel vans. It rides poorly when lightly-laden and the cab interior suffers from excessively-high levels of noise.
Operating
The Trafic is protected by a three-year/100,000-mile warranty with no mileage limit in the first two years, and roadside assistance for the full duration. Service intervals are set at two years/24,000 miles.
LED headlights, daytime running lights, fog-lights and cab interior lights all help reduce running costs given how long LEDs last. They are used to illuminate the load area too, but as an option.
At a steady 40mpg, our fuel consumption was in line with the 40.4mpg WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) figure.
We achieved it without making too much use of the ECO button. Press it and you alter the Trafic’s rate of acceleration and torque settings among other functions, reducing its on-highway performance but hopefully cutting fuel usage by up to 10%.
If you are lightly-laden then its use makes little difference to your van’s on-highway performance. If you are running at maximum gross weight however then be warned; it will slow you down.
A full-size spare wheel is provided and secured in a theft-resistant cradle.
Renault uses the PRO+ branding to identify its van activities these days, and its car and light commercial dealers will soon need to redouble their efforts.
Renault’s sister brand Nissan already offers the Trafic under the Primastar banner, and Renault Trucks dealers will start marketing Trafic later this year. They already sell Master.
Truck dealer workshops regularly stay open round-the-clock, which may appeal to van owners looking for out-of-hours servicing. Renault Trucks is a completely separate business from Renault, and is owned by truck manufacturer Volvo Group.
Renault Trafic SL28 dCi 150 Sport
Price (ex VAT) £30,350
Price range (ex VAT) £26,450-£37,900
Gross payload 1,017kg
Load length 2,537mm
Load width (min/max) 1,268mm/1,662mm
Load bay height 1,387mm
Load volume 5.8m3
Loading height 552mm
Rear door aperture 1,320mm x 1,391mm
Side door aperture 1,284mm x 1,030mm
Gross vehicle weight 2,800kg
Braked trailer towing weight 2,500kg
Residual value 24.72%
Cost per mile 63.66p
Engine size/power 1,997cc/150hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Gearbox 6sp
Fuel economy 40.4mpg (combined WLTP)
Fuel tank 80l
CO2 184g/km (WLTP)
Warranty 3yrs/100,000 mls
Service intervals 2yrs/24,000 mls
Insurance group 41E
Price as tested £33,325
(Running costs after 48 months/20,000 miles p.a – source – KWIKcarcost)
Options
Metallic paint £500
Parking pack £525
Automatically-dipping headlight main beam £120
Blind spot warning system £100
Plywood load area side panels £455
Reinforced resin-coated plywood floor £275
Lane Departure Warning £500
Over-speed prevention £150
Wireless smartphone charger £100
LED loadspace lighting £250
Rivals
Ford Transit Custom
Price (ex VAT) £26,145-£55,955
Load volume 6.0-8.3m3
Gross payload 686-1459kg
Engines 105hp, 130hp, 170hp, 185hp 2.0 diesel, 92.9kW PHEV
Verdict: Ford’s successful Transit Custom continues to carry all before it, and it is not hard to see why. Its handling, ride and overall performance match and often exceed what is on offer from most of its rivals, secondhand values are invariably strong, and there are Ford dealers everywhere. It used to be said that no fleet manager ever got shot for buying a Transit. The same can now be said of the Transit Custom – although we’re still waiting on the arrival of the battery electric model.
Vauxhall Vivaro
Price (ex VAT) £26,013-£47,481
Load volume 5.3-6.1m3
Gross payload 975-1,458kg
Engines 100hp, 120hp 1.5 diesel, 145hp 2.0 diesel, 100kW electric motor
Verdict: Vauxhall is laying great stress on the availability of a battery-electric Vivaro as we all head towards a zero-emission future. The diesel models should not be dismissed yet awhile however and offer perfectly-acceptable fuel economy. Bear in mind that Vauxhall’s Vivaro is also sold by Citroen as the Dispatch, Peugeot as the Expert and Fiat Professional as the Scudo. What is more, the same model is marketed by Toyota as the Proace; so your choice of who to go with is ample.
Volkswagen Transporter
Price (ex VAT) £25,805-£49,525
Load volume 5.8-9.3m3
Gross payload 747-1,278kg
Engines 110hp, 150hp, 204hp diesel
Verdict: If you are after a van that seems to be built to last forever and boasts rock-solid residual values, then you’ve come to the right place. While innovative interior and exterior styling cannot be viewed as its strong suit, it is a drawback that is more than counterbalanced by a praiseworthy stress on safety, strong engines and a slick gearchange. Worth checking out is the Transporter 4Motion 4×4 variant if you need to stay mobile in all weathers.
The Final Verdict
Design 8/10 – No shortage of clever ideas, with the wide-angle blind-spot mirror one of them
Cabin 7/10 – One or two omissions – why no grab-handles? – and middle seat legroom is lacking
Ride 6/10 – It rides poorly when lightly-laden, although fine when you pile into the load area
Refinement 7/10 – Renault build quality has improved stratospherically since the launch of the original
Load area 9/10 – Accessible with a low loading height, a beefy bulkhead with a load-through facility,
Handling/performance 9/10 – Sharp and dependable, the former is the Trafic’s strongest on-the-road suit
Engine/transmission 7/10 – The impressive engine is alas let down by a mediocre manual gear-change.
Standard equipment 8/10 – Most of the basics and quite a few goodies are there, but not everything
Operating costs 8/10 – We’d prefer to see warranty extended to four or five years from three
What Van? subjective rating 7/10 – A worthy-enough package that seems unlikely to disappoint
Overall Rating = 76/100
