The new Renault Kangoo deserves an engine worthy of the name. It finds it perfectly with the 4-cylinder 1.3 turbo petrol of 130 hp.
For yours truly, born in the 1990's, a Kangoo is white, has two seats, two windows, runs on diesel and only on weekdays. In other words, the right definition of a utility vehicle. Renault may have marketed a passenger car version early in the career of the one that replaced the Express, but the clichés are still there... This new Kangoo, with its flashy body colors and sexier lines, is the perfect way to dispel all these preconceptions. Starting from scratch, this third generation is not so much of a lightly made-up SUV anymore. If it weren't for the vertical windshield that "breaks" the line, you'd almost think it was a minivan. This impression is confirmed when you get on board, where the revolution is total.
Always practical, now pleasant
After having benefited from a practical 90° door opening, the new seat and steering wheel adjustments help you quickly find your bearings in a space that seems immense. A good driving position, controls that are easy to reach, the essential is there. Sure, the plastics are hard and the layout of the multimedia screen is not the most refined, but the whole thing is seriously put together. Especially since there's now a choice of colors for the wood-like trim.
The Kangoo's interior is more attractive than before, but it's also practical, with plenty of storage space at the top and bottom of the dashboard. Add to that a welcoming rear seat, a giant trunk - between 430 and 2,000 dm3 measured by us - with a low loading threshold and you're in possession of a great tool for going on vacation with your wife, children, cat and in-laws. As for the trunk, beware of the amplitude of the tailgate when opening.
More homogeneous than ever
If the new Kangoo is even better at entertaining than before, it also knows how to drive. Comfortable with its original 16-inch wheels and supple, if somewhat noisy, suspension, the Frenchman behaves reassuringly well if the track suddenly becomes tricky. It doesn't have the dynamism or refinement of an SUV, but Renault's SUV is still a good daily companion. As long as you give it the right engine! At the time of our first contact, the small - and unique! - diesel of 95 hp had left us on our hunger for performance. We are now satisfied with this TCe 130 version, the most powerful on the market.
For once, it's the same 1.3 turbo as the TCe 100, as Renault judged the 3-cylinder 1.0 to be too small for the Kangoo's large body. Good thing, because the 4-cylinder engine is still as pleasant to drive. In the city, you'll appreciate its quiet acceleration and smooth operation. The same cannot be said for the "6" manual gearbox, which is too hard to forget. Fortunately, the flexibility and torque of the 1.3 (240 Nm at 1,500 rpm) means that you don't have to downshift most of the time.
On the fast lane, the 6th gear pulls a long time - 2,500 rpm at 110 km/h and 2,800 rpm at 130 km/h -, so it's better to enter one or two gears to overtake calmly, but the acceleration remains solid: 80 to 120 km/h in 9 seconds in 4th gear. The TCe 130 is a good performer, but not necessarily a gluttonous one, as it claims an average of 7.7 l/100 km. Only on the freeway does the consumption increase (8.3 l/100km), which is not surprising given the aerodynamics of the Kangoo. The latter also penalizes the sound volume with air noises that are very noticeable as soon as you exceed 100 km/h. But nothing that forces us to sulk about this third generation, which is more homogeneous than ever.