Renault Kangoo 1.5 dCi Expression

By Dominic Fraser

May 2003

• Latest deal price: from £9,985 to £16,352

The design team at Renault has been hard at work to give the Kangoo the new family look, and the facelifted version has bigger headlights, a fresh grille and bonnet, colour-coded bumpers and revised tail-lights. But there is no getting away from the fact that it still looks like a van with windows.

The revisions didn't stop at the outside, however, and the seats now have extra bolstering, which not only helps improve comfort on longer journeys, but also means they offer more lateral support when the roads get twisty. In an effort to distance the Kangoo from its more commercial siblings, Renault has increased the sound deadening under the bonnet and also in the dashboard. The result is a definite improvement, and although you could never say that the diesel we drove was a quiet car, the engine isn't too intrusive, even at motorway speeds.

Off the motorways and on to the B-roads, the Kangoo is surprisingly entertaining to drive. With the 1.5-litre dCi powerplant under the bonnet, it's no rocketship, but its 185Nm of torque and 80bhp make for brisk progress. That doesn't come at the expense of fuel economy, though, with the official average being 53.3mpg. The steering provides an unexpectedly high degree of feedback and the suspension soaks up all but the severest of bumps. The only downside is the gearbox - the ratios are well spaced enough, but the change itself seems slow and heavy, belying the car's workhorse origins.

Driving the Kangoo is only half of the package, though. All of the usual benefits are still there, from the sliding rear doors on both sides and the enormous amount of headroom and boot space to the clever overhead lockers and the easy-to-clean cabin. The interior finish is far from perfect and the plastics used are brittle, but they are also hard-wearing, which gives the impression that this car would put up with a fair amount of abuse. Being a Renault, safety has not been forgotten, either - the company stakes its reputation on its cars' crash performance, and this model is no exception. Twin front airbags are included as standard, as are steering column-mounted radio controls. The front end has also been redesigned to crumple more effectively in the event of an accident, while ABS and side airbags are now options.

Renault has made some useful revisions to what was already a very good package. If you can get past the utilitarian styling, then this car offers a superb mix of fun driving dynamics, economy, practicality and usability. And with prices for the 1.5-litre dCi starting at ΂£9,800, the new Kangoo seems like something of a bargain.

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