2019 Renault Trafic Trader LIFE: Review

Renault Trafic Trader LIFE
Quick Spin

The Renault Trafic medium van range is an established played in the Aussie light commercial market. It’s well-equipped, frugal and well-built. It also offers plenty of equipment for the coin, especially considering its place at the lower end of the pricing spectrum.

Which makes the newly introduced Renault Trafic Trader LIFE an even better choice for owner-drivers or owner-operators on a budget… provided they don’t mind driving manual.
The short-wheelbase entry model is priced from $29,990 drive-away and includes seating for three, a nearside sliding door and top-hinged tailgate.

Power comes from a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel making 66kW/260Nm driving the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. Combined fuel economy is rated at just 6.2L/100km while payload capacity is slated at 1235kg.

The cargo area totals 5.2 cubic metres while the braked towing limit is 2000kg.

Related reading:
Renault Trafic offers more for less
New Renault LCVs launched in Europe
Renault EZ-FLEX: a taste of the future

The headline here is the Renault Trafic Trader LIFE’s drive-away price of $29,990. It’s a limited-time deal that reverts to $32,990 plus on-road costs once expired. Check renault.com.au for terms and conditions.

It’s a cracking deal when viewed against the Trafic’s rivals. The Ford Transit Custom begins at $39,690 and the Hyundai iLoad from $38,790. The new Peugeot Expert range starts at $36,490, the Toyota HiAce $34,470 and Volkswagen Transporter $36,890.
In fact the only entrant close to the Trafic is the LDV G10 which sells from $27,358 drive-away.

Renault offers a three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty on its commercial van range. Roadside assistance is included for up to four years as part of the capped-price servicing arrangement, which oddly only extends to three years or 90,000km.

Service intervals are set at 12 months or 30,000km (whichever comes first) and total $2351 – including additional service items – for the duration of the capped-price service period.

No factory options are available with the Trafic Trader LIFE, but a wide range of accessories are available via the Renault Pro+ dealer network.

The Trafic is one of the best vans in this segment for driver ergonomics and comfort. Excusing the fact there’s no grab handle on the A-pillar, the seating and steering column adjustment is top-notch once you’re in. All the primary controls fall easily to hand and are wonderfully modulated, though the small buttons of the single DIN audio head-unit can be fiddly to use on the go.

Despite the on-paper specifications, the Trafic’s small capacity turbo-diesel is well geared to provide acceptable performance. Fuel economy is likewise outstanding, the use of ECO mode and a low torque peak (1500rpm) screwing the highway average to a low 4.8L/100km. Our weekly average actually rated lower than the ADR Combined result (at 5.9L/100km) though we hasten to add the Trafic was empty most of the time.

With weight up back it’s still a solid performer. The wide door apertures and 16 tie-down points make the loading and securing of bulky loads quite easy, though it’s difficult to use a forklift at the rear of the Trafic owing to its top-hinged tailgate.

Road noise is surprisingly well contained in the base-model Trafic, while ride comfort is better than expected. This isn’t a ‘boomy’ commercial van, and it doesn’t feel harsh at the rear-end. If we could add one item to the kit list it would be a bulkhead or curtain between the driver and cargo compartment to improve the efficiency of the heating and cooling system, however you can have both barn doors and a bulkhead if you pay more and buy an 85kW model.

Sales of the Renault Trafic Trader LIFE began locally in January this year (2019). The variant joins the existing eight-model range which includes short and long-wheelbase chassis formats, 85kW single-turbo and 103kW twin-turbo diesel engines, and van and crew-van body-styles.

None are currently available with an automatic transmission, though one will be offered by the end of the year.

The third-generation (X82-series) Renault Trafic first entered the Australian market in 2015, so it’s now one of the longer-serving vans in the segment. Trafic Trader LIFE variants include electronic stability control and dual airbags as standard fare where other Trafic variants score five airbags as standard.

The Renault Trafic Trader LIFE might be pitched as something of a no frills entry into the Trafic range, but it is reasonably well-equipped.

Air-conditioning, cruise control (with speed limiter function) and Bluetooth connectivity are standard, so too anti-lock brakes, hill-start assist, seating for three and daytime running lights. You can have any colour you like, so long as it’s white.

It’s a variant Renault says is squarely aimed the owner-driver and owner-operator market, with small fleet and trade buyers the obvious target. Considering its capacity and value – especially when you can instantly claim $30,000 as a tax write-off – we think they’re probably right.

Renault’s Trafic Trader LIFE fits in the Medium Van (2500-3500kg GVM) segment in Australia. That sees it compete with the Citroen Dispatch, Ford Transit Custom, Hyundai iLoad, LDV G10 and V80, Mercedes-Benz Vito, Peugeot Expert, Toyota HiAce and Volkswagen Transporter.

It’s a segment the Toyota HiAce and Hyundai iLoad dominate with respective year-to-date market shares of 29.3 and 24.0 per cent. By contrast the Renault Trafic has an 11.0 per cent share of the space, ranking it fourth in the segment behind Ford’s Custom Transit (11.5 per cent).

In the ‘no frills’ van arena the Trafic Trader LIFE represents solid value for money.
Renault is a trusted brand with a solid dealership network and proven after-sales support. Moreover the drive-away price and decent equipment provisions show it understands the market in which it competes – the current drive-away deal certain to appeal to buyers on a budget.

If we were to nit-pick there’s the fact the Euro NCAP rating isn’t as good as it should be, while the emission of side airbags may break the deal for some. Renault is also limiting itself by not offering an automatic transmission, though as mentioned this will be rectified soon.

On the whole, however, and considering the price, we still believe the Renault Trafic Trader LIFE is a great option for cost-conscious owner-operators. This is a van that offers the capacity and economy to keep pace with its pricier rivals, while at the same time providing a comfortable ‘office’ from which to work. At this price, you could certainly do a lot worse.

How much does the 2019 Renault Trafic Trader LIFE cost?
Price: $29,990 drive-away*
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 66kW/260Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 6.2L/100km (ADR Combined); 5.9L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 164g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Three-star EuroNCAP (2015)
*Limited offer, see renault.com.au for terms and conditions.

What we liked:
>> Cabin comfort
>> Solid value for money
>> Capable, efficient engine

Not so much:
>> Manual-only transmission
>> No A-pillar grab handle