Renault’s electric Kangoo has been around for 10 years & in that time, 75,000 have been sold. Renault have just introduced a new electric model & have called it the Kangoo E-TECH, complete with more tech & safety, an improved interior, better storage solutions & most importantly, a bigger battery range. We popped across the Channel recently, to give one a drive.
The all-new Renault Kangoo van has been built on a new platform & features a fresh exterior design, advanced technology & a brand-new interior, bringing it bang up to date in a very competitive sector.
Model choice
Two versions; Start or Advance, which are offered in both long & short-wheelbase formats.
Fitted with a 45kW battery, the new Kangoo E-TECH delivers up to 186 miles (WLTP). The battery can be recharged using a home 7.4kW charger in just over 6 hours, with rapid DC charging up to 75kWh gives users an 80% charge in 42 minutes. The battery size, 45kW, means that if you utilise a night time charging discount offered by the likes of Octopus Go, at 7.5p a kWh between 00.30 – 04.30 am, if your Kangoo E-TECH battery is a third full, you’ll be able to fully charge it up overnight at a cheaper rate.
New Kangoo E-Tech comes with ADAS, which includes optional Advanced Lane Keep Assist, Active Emergency Braking System (AEBS) & Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go.
Technology
The electric Kangoo is now available with wireless smartphone charging, an 8″ touchscreen, EASY-LINK display plus smartphone integration via Android Auto & Apple CarPlay.
The E-TECH boasts the same cargo carrying ability as it’s ICE counterpart, which is great news for operators. This means a load volume of up to 4.2m3, 615kg of payload & a 1,500kg towing capacity
It’s also offered with a choice of Easy Inside Rack retractable interior gallery & can be ordered with a range of door & glazing options to suit trades and businesses of all types.
The Kangoo comes with two driving modes, Eco or Normal plus three levels of regeneration, which are accessed via the gear lever.
The good news is that the cabin is much improved over the previous version, so you now get a touchscreen infotainment screen lifted straight out of the Renault passenger car range. Clever touches include twin USB’s & 12v socket neatly hidden in a dash top lidded box & a sliding glove box.
The latest Renault system works with both Apple Car Play & Android Auto. There’s cruise control which can be selected from the steering wheel, air-con, with the climate controls adjusted via three cylindrical dials, an electric handbrake & clear & concise twin speedo & power dials, which are located in front of the steering wheel. The stubby gear lever is easy to reach & by pushing it to the right you engage the regenerative braking.
Thinking about their van’s electric range, Renault have included a heat pump, employed by Renault to heat up the van without stealing power from the battery. UK models also come with a heated windscreen, seats & steering wheel. And you can pre-programme your Kangoo E-Tech to warm up via your smartphone & set up the charging time remotely as well.
Our French Kangoo featured a lovely sliding glove box, a dash top lidded box with the two USB’S & a 12v socket inside. The two door pockets are large enough for two drinks each, with room for two more in the cup holders sat between the front seats. There’s also a central armrest with storage space inside.
Out & about, the first thing you notice is just how quiet the electric Kangoo is. Noise does enter the cabin but it’s from the tyres not the engine. Our French Kangoo featured a half bulkhead & a moveable mesh cage located behind the passenger, so the noise was perhaps more noticeable than in a model fitted with a full bulkhead, as all UK models will be. UK customers can also specify a glazed bulkhead as well.
Renault had placed a pallet in the van, with a 750kg load, to reflect real load driving conditions. Despite this, the ride is somewhat jerky & we bounced around over some poorly maintained roads. Things improved when the tarmac got better, so a dual carriageway & the A1 motorway were far more comfortable & quieter.
On the motorway , the E-TECH Kangoo offers plenty of torque, so overtaking slow moving traffic is easy. The brakes are good & if you select brake regeneration ‘B’, even the strongest level isn’t too intrusive. Furthermore, Apple Car Play connected seamlessly & the touchscreen menu & response speed are all pretty good too.
Real world range
Driving for 2.5 hours on a warm June day, with two on board, we travelled 80 miles & used up nearly a half of the vans range. About par for Renault’s claimed battery range.
Car like interior. Excellent battery range. SWB or LWB versions. Heat pump is a real plus. The load space is clever, especially the under roof storage. Charging is quick thanks to the smallish 45kW battery & standard UK 22 AC + 80 DC charging. The same cargo space as the ICE Kangoo, means no compromise for operators choosing to go electric.
Over poor road surfaces, the ride’s a bit of a let down, probably not helped by the battery weight. The A pillars do obscure the drivers view a little.
A whistle stop drive, only failed to give us enough time to assess the Kangoo E-Techs battery range properly, although we’d surmise that a 150 -175 mile range is achievable with a load & two passengers & load on board in warmer weather.
Elsewhere, everything else about the new Kangoo electric is pretty damn good. From clever space saving load area options, such as an internal roof rack for a ladder to fit under the roof, to the closing lid-top box with twin USB’s which is located next to a smart phone holder. Renault have thought of pretty much everything. The only negative is an uneven ride on undulating roads, which to be fair to Renault, plagues all EV’s. Otherwise it’s big thumbs up from us.
4.25/5
POWERTRAIN
POWER (hp) 121
TORQUE (Nm) 245
RANGE (MILES WLTP) 230
ACCELERATION 0-62mph (secs) 11.6
TOP SPEED (mph) 81