Rod Chapman•30 May 2014
NEWS
Crew variant completes Renault Kangoo update
Renault's five-seater Kangoo Maxi Crew has finalised the update of the French maker's compact LCV familyRenault Australia has unveiled its new Kangoo Maxi Crew to journalists in Melbourne, the addition completing the revitalisation of its smallest light commercial range.
Available in the same 3081mm long-wheelbase format as the two-seater Kangoo Maxi, the five-seater Kangoo Maxi Crew fits in a second row of seating, with a 60/40 split-fold arrangement to be joined by a straight three-seat bench version with sliding cargo barrier in September. The latter adds another $1490 to the Maxi Crew's $27,990 (plus on-roads) price.
The Kangoo Maxi is priced from $24,990, while the short-wheelbase (2697m) Kangoo is priced from $19,990 as a petrol five-speed manual and $22,990 as a petrol four-speed auto. Renault reduced the latter's price by $2000 late last year.
Both the Kangoo Maxi and the Kangoo Maxi Crew are powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel good for a claimed 81kW at 4000rpm and 240Nm at 1750rpm, while the SWB Kangoo's petrol powerplant produces a claimed 79kW at 6000rpm and 148Nm at 3750rpm.
Both the Kangoo Maxi and the Maxi Crew are only available with a six-speed manual transmission. Renault Australia says an automatic option is in the pipeline but is still 12 to 18 months away.
The 2014 Kangoo range benefits from a range of improvements, including a mild cosmetic revision, better soundproofing, an improved finish and a stronger bodyshell.
According to Renault, a number of the improvements are spin-off benefits related to Renault's collaboration with Mercedes-Benz – the latter's Citan people-carrier shares the Kangoo chassis.
Those benefits include tighter manufacturing tolerances, a revised automatic transmission, and some safety upgrades.
As it's categorised as a commercial vehicle the new Kangoo Maxi Crew has not been given an ANCAP or Euro NCAP safety rating, but it does benefit from front driver and passenger airbags, ABS, stability control, traction control, brake assist, and Extended Grip, the latter a further traction control feature for use in particularly slippery conditions.
The Model Line Manager for Renault LCV, Lyndon Healey, says the Kangoo Maxi Crew has broad appeal.
"This is targeted at small business owners who are looking for a bit of flexibility to carry people and goods, with a bit of dual-purpose work too – on the weekend you can throw in your mountain bike or dog," he says.
"It's fully FBT deductable and it's a good option for people who are looking for something that's well priced and quite capable, but at the same time who don't want to drive a pure LCV."
The Kangoo Maxi Crew gets a number of passenger-car niceties including alloy wheels, additional exterior trim, climate-control air-con, auto lights and wipers, foglights, and power mirrors.
With a 740kg payload, Kangoo Maxi Crew offers 1.3m³ of load space with the rear seats up, that cargo space increasing to 4.0m³ with the rear seats folded flat.
Kangoo Maxi Crew also benefits from 15,000km service intervals, Renault's Capped Price Service Program for the first 45,000km (or three years), and a three-year/200,000km warranty, with three years of roadside assistance.
"Kangoo has struggled a little bit in past years but with an optimised price, an optimised product and a wider product range, Kangoo will take its place as a significant contributor to our overall sales result," says Healey.
Tags
Renault
Kangoo
Car News
Tradie Cars
Written byRod Chapman
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalists
Related articles
Disclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Love every move.
Buy it. Sell it.Love it.
®Contact
Advertise with us
Local marketplaces
International marketplaces
Scan to download the carsales app
Want more info? Here’s our app landing page
App Store and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo
are trademarks of Google LLC.