Renault Master Bus: Review

Name: Renault Master Bus: Review
Brand: Renault

Renault is hoping to capture a larger piece of the small-bus pie in a market dominated by Toyota

Renault is a new player in the small-bus market but is gearing up for a stoush with market heavyweight Toyota.

The French manufacturer’s offering is the Master Bus which is based on the popular Master L3H2 long-wheelbase van.

The front-wheel drive Master Bus uses the same 2.3-litre 110kW/350Nm Euro 5-compliant engine teamed with six-speed automated manual transmission that has been available in the van versions since 2012.

With a rated 3.9-tonne GVM, the 12-seater bus has ample comfort, space and payload (1252kg) for passengers and their luggage, while the 2.5-tonne towing capacity is identical to that of commercial versions.

The Master Bus offers loads of interior space with an impressive 1880mm of headroom, which means that an Australian-sized person can stand up without hitting his or her head on the roof. It also means not having to duck when entering or leaving the side sliding door. In spite of this, the overall vehicle height is only 2475mm, thanks to the front wheel-drive layout.

Wide seats combine with plenty of legroom for a spacious passenger environment. The seating layout is 3 / 2 / 2-1 / 4 with a centre aisle.

There are seatbelts at each position as well as two seats with ISOFIX connections and child seat top tether straps. There are also six USB ports in the rear compartment as well as one up front.

Over the back, the Bus has a huge amount of luggage space. In fact, a standard pallet can fit between the wheel arches. The luggage area is 3.5 cubic metres, giving the Master Bus more load space than that of a standard Renault Kangoo van.

According to V-Facts, the year-to-date figure to the end of February for the light bus (less than 20 passengers) segment is 348 units.

Toyota has about 90 per cent of the market with Renault coming second with just 5.2 per cent of the market or 18 sales.

Other players in the market include Mercedes-Benz with the Sprinter and Ford with the Transit.

But according Lyndon Healey, Model Line Manager for Renault Australia LCV, Renault is going to have a red-hot go at claiming some of the market-leader’s numbers.

“The product is there, we have better spec than the Toyota and we are both at the same price point,” he told trucksales.com.au.

Both the Toyota product and Renault have MRRPs of $59,990.

Mr Healey also said that the company has got its pricing right.

“We are at the same price point as the Toyota,” he said. “And we offer better service intervals meaning there is less down-time and the vehicle will cost less to own.”

Mr Healey added that if the European market is anything to go by, the Master Bus will be a hit.

“Renault has been the number-one vehicle in its market in Europe for the past 18 years, That means that there must be multiple repeat buyers, and they’re only going to come back if the product is good.”

Currently Renault has 53 dealers around the country and Healey says that by 2020 the company wants to almost double that number.

ON THE ROAD

Trucksales.com.au was invited to take a drive of the Master Bus for a good half-day in and around Melbourne, but primarily on freeways and secondary roads.

Climbing up in to the driver’s seat we found an upright yet comfortable driving position made all the more so by the inclusion of the optional suspension seat.

It’s worth noting here that the Master range is fitted with a full complement of safety gear including ABS, Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Electronic stability control (ESC), hill-start assist, rear parking sensors, rear camera (in the screen if you have navigation or in the mirror if you don’t), three-point seatbelt to all seats with pre-tensioners on the front, cruise control and speed limiter, Brake pad wear indicator and more.

The Master is fitted with Renault’s six-speed automated manual gearbox for which the stick pokes out of the dash and falls easily to hand.

Ergonomically I found the Bus quite satisfactory except for the right-hand stalk which was masked by the wheel spoke and was quite short so it’s hard to see and not really intuitive. Drivers would probably get used to it over time but for someone jumping in to the Bus for the first time, it’s a bit hard to figure out.

The handbrake is floor mounted and easy to use, The wing mirrors are substantial and give a great view whether you’re on the road or parking.

It’s a bit of a reach over to the air-conditioning controls which are a bit fiddly as there is separate air for the front and rear, but it works a treat.

For our test we had three blokes on board and Renault had loaded 350kg of ballast in the rear to simulate a few more passengers. For this load, at least, the Master Bus felt like it handled it well. The power figure of 110kW doesn’t sound like a lot but the torque figure of 350Nm at a low 1500rpm makes for good lugging power.

In auto mode, the Bus was great with a bit of lag through the gears which is common on automated manuals, but it accelerated nicely through the gears and got up to cruising speed with a minimum of fuss.

At freeway speed of 100km/h we were ticking over at just over 2000rpm and sipping 8-9 litres per 100km. We’re told by Healey that the figure for around-town driving is closer to 10.5l/100km, which is still not bad for a decent-sized bus on half load.

Handling was good with cornering tending to understeer a bit which is common with these kinds of vehicles and the ride was generally very pleasant with a bit of fore-and-aft pitching which is again typical of a forward-control vehicle, but partially taken care of by the suspension seat.

It’s not a noisy vehicle which was no doubt helped by the carpet but overall the noise insulation was good. We could have a conversation with a passenger in the back with no trouble.

Overall, the Master Bus is a great package that would be well suited to many applications including clubs, schools, care facilities, tourism, rental fleets and the like. The price is right and the upgrade packs are well priced. The service intervals and capped-price servicing mean the cost of ownership should be should be easy on the budget.

The bus is easy to drive and can be driven on a standard car licence which will appeal to usage with multiple drivers, It's quiet and civilised with a good ride and excellent safety.

It’ll be interesting to watch its progress on the sales front as the year goes on...

SPECIFICATIONS
Engine:

Type: 2.3-litre diesel

Capacity: 2299cc

Number of cylinders/valves: 4 / 16

Bore x stroke (mm): 85 x 101.3

Maximum power: 110kW @ 3500rpm

Maximum torque: 350Nm @ 1500rpm

Fuel injection type: Turbocharged and intercooled direct injection diesel

Fuel tank: 100 litres

Dimensions:

Front track: 1750mm