The best policy
The Kangoo doesn’t pretend to be anything but a van, and is happy to be one. Utterly unpretentious and refreshingly honest.
Space and lots of it, sunny disposition, good steering, sharp gearbox 
Odd foot-pedal ergonomics, high driving position, it's a van The all-new Renault Kangoo combines car-like dynamics and ergonomics with enough load-hauling ability to transport a baby elephant
By Daryl Lee
IF YOU COULD liken cars to women, the second generation Renault Kangoo would be the plain, but not altogether unattractive, small town girl with a heart of gold.
The all-new Kangoo is around four percent longer and ten percent wider, making it look better proportioned compared to its predecessor and less prone, visually at least, to falling over.
The Kangoo also sports a completely redesigned face, and bears little resemblance to its forebear save for its name. It’s still not that handsome but it does possess a certain sort of honest charm, as if to say, “I’m a van and I’m proud of it”.
This honesty is repeated in the interior with hard, textured plastics, a nod to its commercial roots for durability and easy-cleaning characteristics.
The cabin also features an incredibly useful central storage console for placing A4-sized folders with a separate nook for pens.
We were told the Kangoo is now more car-like than ever. And it shows, with its steering wheel-mounted audio controls and the excellent fit and finish of all switchgear.
What we didn’t like was the vertigo-inducing driving position and the resulting strange foot pedal ergonomics, although it feels less like a van now. You modulate the pedals by pushing downwards instead of forwards, necessitating a minor driving paradigm shift.
Aside from that, we had to constantly remind ourselves we were driving a van, no small wonder when you realise it shares a platform with the Scenic MPV.
Refinement while on the move is remarkably high, putting it on par with most cars and equally surprising was the engine, which emits a throaty growl when revved hard. Even its shifting its manual gearbox was pleasant.
The only things betraying its commercial vehicle roots are the skinny, durability-biased tyres providing scant grip.
The new Kangoo is certainly a very worthy car substitute with its ‘un-van-like’ driving experience and its rough-and-ready personality.
But its disconcertingly high centre of gravity remains an issue as it makes its presence felt each time you approach bends at anything faster than a crawl.
We loved the new Kangoo’s un-van-like driving experience and its rough-and-ready personality. This speaks volumes considering some cars out there don’t even feel as cheerful as the Kangoo does.
Give this plain Jane a whirl, she just might charm you too.
NEED TO KNOW
Renault Kangoo 1.5dCi
ENGINE TYPE 1,461cc, direct injection turbodiesel
MAX POWER 70bhp at 4,000rpm
MAX TORQUE 160Nm at 1,700rpm
GEARBOX 5-speed manual
TOP SPEED 146km/h
0-100KM/H 20.3 seconds
PRICE $52,000 with COE
WARRANTY 3 years/100,000km
CONTACT Wearnes Automotive
TELEPHONE 6471-3313
