New Renault Kangoo lauded

The all-new Renault Kangoo has received a warm welcome in Europe, with the third-generation LCV recently lauded as joint winner of International Van of the Year 2022.

The compact French LCV is sharing the accolade with the Mercedes-Benz Citan, which isn’t currently offered by the German brand in Australia.

The next-gen Kangoo won’t reach Australian shores until some time in late 2022, but the platform has come out swinging in Europe, where it swayed a jury of 24 transport journalists to share the top step in the 30th year of the prestigious European awards, the Kangoo and Citan emerging triumphant from a field of 14 light commercials released over the past year.

Built in Renault’s Maubeuge factory, the overhauled load lugger wraps a new exterior around step changes in both technology and load-carrying ability.

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Available in both commercial and passenger versions, among many notable new features is model’s ‘Open Sesame by Renault’ side door, which dispenses with the B pillar to give a generous side aperture width of 1450mm.

There’s also an Easy Inside Rack to store items higher up in the load bay, maximising use of the main storage space, and a total capacity of up to 3.9 cubic metres, along with a maximum payload limit of 600kg (which can be optionally increased to 800kg) and a towing limit of 1500kg.

The refined cockpit is said to offer better thermal and acoustic insulation, and features wireless smartphone charging, Renault’s EASY LINK multimedia system with 8-inch display, and seating for up to three.

Safety has taken a stride forward with a suite of recent advances, including autonomous braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, trailer sway control and more.

In Europe the new platform is powered by a range of 1.3-litre petrol or 1.5-litre diesel engines, mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual clutch auto transmission. Renault says fuel consumption dips as low as 4.8L/100km.

The award was presented recently at the Solutrans trade fair in Lyon, France.

"I would like to thank the entire European jury for having elected the all-new Renault Kangoo van as ‘International Van of the Year 2022’,” said Mark Sutcliffe, SVP, LCV Business Unit, Renault Group.

“This award, which Renault holds in high regard, is a great source of pride for our teams. It rewards their efforts in designing and manufacturing a van to the highest quality standards and whose innovations, unique on the market, have been designed to enhance the daily life of our professional customers. “This prestigious award is the latest recognition of Renault's 120 years of innovation and know-how in the Light Commercial Vehicle segment.”

A total of 579 Renault Kangoo vans were registered in Australia in 2021 to the end of October, giving the brand a 40.9 per cent market share (VFACTS data). That means the Kangoo is nipping at the heels of the Volkswagen Caddy, with its leading 42.0 per cent share. Kangoo sales have surged by 45.1 per cent so far this year.

Australian Renault importer and distributor Ateco Automotive says it's hoping to see the new Kangoo reach our shores in the final quarter of 2022, with pricing and full details to be announced closer to its local release.