Renault Kangoo vs Volkswagen Transporter

What's the difference?

The latest petrol-powered Kangoo has the pricing, practicality and performance to win friends in Australia’s small commercial van class. If you can afford an option pack or two, like those fitted to our test vehicle, it's even better.

The Transporter boasts a level of mechanical refinement, engine performance, ride quality, heavy load-carrying ability and general driver comfort that sets a high benchmark in this category. If not for its lack of an ANCAP rating and unacceptably high internal noise levels at highway speeds, it would be hard to fault.

Our test vehicle is less than 4.5 metres long (4488mm) and well under 2.0 metres in width (1859mm) and height (1830mm), making it ideal for those with either limited parking space and/or needing to access space-restricted areas in their working roles.

Its compact 2716 wheelbase results in an 11.3-metre turning circle. This is larger than you might expect, given it’s no tighter than Toyota’s shortest HiAce mid-sized van.

However, it’s also line-ball with its small van rivals, which highlights the restrictions in steering lock shared by front-wheel drive vehicles compared to rear-wheel drivers like the HiAce.

The Kangoo features MacPherson strut front suspension and its rear suspension uses torsion bar primary springing supplemented by a pair of secondary coil springs for carrying heavy loads. There’s also rack and pinion steering and a quartet of disc brakes.

Bodywork and wheels confirm its no-frills work focus, with unpainted dark grey plastic prominent on the hubcaps, front/rear bumpers and along the sides where bumps and scrapes usually occur.

It has tidy styling for a commercial van, including the sharp cabin design that combines a tasteful blend of grey and satin chrome hard surfaces with the practicality of wipe-clean fabric upholstery and vinyl floors.

Our test vehicle’s 3400mm wheelbase is 400mm longer than the standard model, resulting in a corresponding increase in overall vehicle length to 5304mm and a 300mm increase in turning circle to 13.2 metres.

Its 1904mm width is an easy fit in most loading zones and the standard roof’s 1990mm height means it can access most underground and multi-storey carparks which typically cap vehicle heights under 2.2 metres. It comes standard with a kerbside cargo bay sliding door and single-lift tailgate.

The well-developed front wheel-drive chassis is simple and robust with MacPherson strut front suspension and semi-trailing arm coil-spring rear suspension, the latter equipped with stout rubber cones inside the spring coils to provide a second stage of support under heavy loads. Optional heavy-duty and rough road suspension packages are also available. Brakes are four-wheel discs.

You can always pick a van designed for hard work by the amount of black plastic in body areas prone to high wear and/or scrapes, chips and dents and the Transporter has most of those covered, including the front and rear bumpers, lower rear pillars, hubcaps, door handles and mirrors.

The cabin has a back-to-basics look and feel as highlighted by numerous plastic caps blanking dashboard slots where switches are fitted to higher-equipped models. However, it has most of what you need and none of what you don’t for this working role. Even so, the lack of fold-down inboard armrests and a driver’s left footrest are notable omissions and both would be welcome for long stints behind the wheel.

Our test vehicle’s 1447kg kerb weight and 2010kg GVM results in a useful 563kg payload rating.

It’s also rated to tow up to 1500kg of braked trailer and with its 3510kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) it can carry its maximum payload while towing its maximum trailer weight for optimum versatility.

Cargo bay access is through asymmetric rear barn-doors which can be opened to 180 degrees for forklift and loading dock access, or sliding doors on each side with (according to our tape measure) 625mm openings. The walls and doors are lined to mid-height and there’s internal lighting.

The cargo bay’s load volume is a competitive 3.3 cubic metres and with more than 1.8 metres in length, almost 1.6 metres in width and more than 1.2 metres between the rear-wheel housings, it can easily swallow one standard Aussie pallet or two Euro pallets.

The load floor, which does not include a protective liner as standard equipment, offers a choice of six load-anchorage points.

The solid bulkhead doubles as a sturdy cargo barrier and insulates the cabin from cargo bay noise, most of which comes from the tyres emanating through the rear-wheel housings.

Given its compact dimensions, the cabin is surprisingly spacious and accommodating even for someone my height (186cm), thanks to front doors that open to a full 90 degrees, generous leg and elbow room plus a high roof relative to the seating position that adds to the airy feel.

Storage includes a large-bottle holder and bin in the base of each door, single glove box, full-width overhead shelf, large open tray in the centre of the dash-pad and (in standard form at least) a centre console with two cupholders and trays for small items.

However, given our test vehicle is equipped with the optional Business Pack, the standard console is replaced with a more elaborate version, which in addition to a pair of cupholders has a wireless phone-charging dock up front and a box with hinged lid at the back.

There’s also a sizeable clamshell-lid compartment set into the dash-pad ahead of the driver, which includes a smartphone holder on a stalk that can be easily moved to either side of the compartment depending on driver preference.

Our only criticism is the lid on the optional console box. Although it’s been thoughtfully angled downwards at the front to provide the driver with comfortable elbow support, there’s no mechanism on the hinge to hold it in the open position.

This makes it awkward to access the box, as the angled lid naturally wants to keep closing on your hand, so a detent in the hinge would be useful.

And, in a similar context, we’d also like to see hinge detents (or struts) to firmly hold the rear barn-doors open in their 180-degree positions, given their propensity to slam shut if hit by wind gusts during loading/unloading.

This can potentially injure the operator, so these devices should be standard issue, not only for Kangoos but all barn-door vans.

With its 1865kg tare weight and 3000kg GVM, our test vehicle has a genuine one-tonne-plus payload rating of 1135kg and up to150kg of that can be carried on the roof. It’s also rated to tow up to 2500kg of braked trailer but that would require a sizeable 583kg reduction in payload to avoid exceeding the 4917kg GCM or Gross Combination Mass, which is how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time. Or you could keep the full payload and reduce the towing limit instead, from 2500kg to 1917kg, which may be a more useful compromise depending on work requirements.

The cargo bay, which offers 5.0 cubic metres of load volume, is 2975mm long, 1700mm wide and 1410mm high with 1244mm between the rear wheel housings. That means it can carry two 1165mm-square standard Aussie pallets, or up to three 1200 x 800mm Euro pallets, secured by a choice of eight load-anchorage points. However, the single-lift tailgate could make rear forklift access tricky, depending on forklift design and reach. The sliding door has a generous 1017mm opening for kerbside loading.

Although the load floor is bare and there’s no standard cargo protection for driver and passenger (optional rubber load floor mats and cargo barriers are available), the cargo bay walls and doors are lined to mid-height and the roof is also lined, with two roof lights providing ample illumination.

Cabin storage includes a large-bottle holder and huge storage bin in each front door, with a narrower second-tier storage shelf above which is ideal for holding smaller items like wallets, keys etc.

The dash provides another small-items cubby to the right of the steering wheel and the top dash-pad has small-bottle/cup holders at each end plus a steeply-angled open tray on the driver’s side which is ideal for storing clipboards, paperwork etc.

There’s no overhead sun-glasses holder but the passenger side of the dash offers two tiers of open storage and a large glovebox, plus another small-bottle/cup holder to the left of the gearshift console. An overhead storage shelf would be handy, given that there’s no centre console.

Our test vehicle is the long wheelbase variant with standard roof height, TDI340 turbo-diesel engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission for RRP $47,990. This compares to higher-selling mid-sized turbo-diesel rivals like the Ford Transit Custom LWB 340L with six-speed auto ($47,590), Hyundai iLoad with six-speed auto ($42,710) and segment-leading Toyota HiAce LWB with six-speed auto ($45,240).

It's basic and work-focused as you’d expect, from its 16-inch steel wheels and 205/65R 16C tyres with full-size spare to its cloth seats and tough rubber floor covering in the cabin. However, that doesn’t mean you miss out on some useful and welcome creature comforts, like a leather-covered steering wheel with height/reach adjustment and infotainment controls, driver’s seat adjustable lumbar support, halogen daytime running lights (DRL), rain-sensing wipers, heated tailgate window with washer/wiper, multi-function driver’s display, four-speaker infotainment system with 6.5-inch touchscreen and multiple connectivity including Apple CarPlay/Android Auto plus lots of standard safety tech.

There’s also heaps of factory options available to help tailor a Transporter to suit an owner’s specific requirements including different cargo bay door and window configurations (including twin rear barn-doors), front passenger bench seat with under-seat storage, higher-spec infotainment systems and lots more.

The Euro 6 emissions-compliant 1.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine produces 96kW at 5000rpm and 240Nm at 1600rpm.

Its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic provides the option of sequential manual-shifting plus three drive modes comprising 'Normal', 'Eco' and 'Performance', which alter the shift calibrations to optimise engine efficiency in each setting. They are selected using a button on the dash.

This engine and transmission combination is the jewel in the Transporter crown with its energetic, flexible and efficient performance. The 2.0 litre, four-cylinder, direct-injection TDI340 turbo-diesel meets Euro 6 emissions using AdBlue and produces 110kW between 3250-3750rpm and 340Nm of torque across a 1500rpm-wide torque band between 1500-3000rpm.

The closely-spaced ratios in the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic are tailored to get the most out of this willing engine, with crisp and virtually seamless shifting. It also offers the choice of manual sequential-shifting, when hauling heavy loads in hilly terrain or simply for those wanting a more ‘sporting’ driving experience, but the seven-speeder usually does its best work when left to its own devices.

Renault claims average combined consumption of 6.4L/100km and the dash display was showing 7.8 when we stopped to refuel at the completion of our 254km test, of which about one third of that distance was hauling more than half a tonne of payload. We also had the annoying engine auto stop/start function switched off for the duration.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was higher again at 8.6 which was still within the usual 2.0-3.0L/100km discrepancy between official and ‘real world’ figures.

So, based on our consumption number, you could expect a ‘real world’ driving range of around 630km from its 54-litre tank which should only be filled with premium petrol (min 95 RON).

We covered 283km (with auto start/stop disabled) which included about one third of that distance with a maximum payload. The dash display was claiming an average combined consumption of 8.1L/100km when we stopped to top-up the 80-litre tank. Our own figure calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings came in even lower at 7.7 and both undercut VW’s official combined figure of 8.3L/100km. Needless to say, that’s outstanding real-world economy, which based on our figures should deliver a huge driving range of 900-1000km from its sizeable 80-litre tank. Possibly even further with auto start/stop enabled.

Apart from the huge and unavoidable solid-walled blind-spot over the driver’s left shoulder, the Kangoo feels more like a nippy small car than a commercial van.

The driver’s seat has no adjustments for lumbar support or base-cushion rake and the backrest angle is restricted by the bulkhead close behind it, but there’s still enough room even for tall people to find a comfortable driving position.

Its leather-rimmed wheel feels nice in your hands and the unladen ride quality is excellent, with nicely weighted and responsive steering feel, reassuringly strong braking and suspension settings that combine good handling response with supple bump absorption.

The turbocharged 1.3-litre four is a refined and willing performer, albeit with softer response below its peak torque band which is tapped at 1600rpm.

From there it happily spins its way to maximum power at 5000rpm, with the dual-clutch auto getting the best out of this engine in all drive modes, when either unladen or hauling a heavy load.

Its diminutive size and agility are well suited to zipping through heavy city traffic, squeezing into tight loading zones or negotiating narrow and crowded city lanes for delivery work.

Manual sequential-shifting allows more direct control if preferred when hauling heavy loads, or for those simply wanting a more engaging drive experience (particularly in Performance mode).

It's impressively quiet up to 80km/h in city and suburban use, but at highway speeds tyre noise becomes more intrusive (particularly on coarse bitumen surfaces) and some wind noise is evident.

The engine requires only 2000rpm to maintain 110km/h cruising speeds and the (optional) adaptive cruise control is resolute in maintaining its speed settings, even on long and steep descents.

To test its GVM rating, we forklifted 415kg into the cargo bay which with driver equalled a payload of just over half a tonne, or about 50kg under its legal limit.

The rear suspension compressed 55mm, which engaged the long cone-shaped jounce rubbers positioned inside the rear coil springs to provide a second stage of load support.

The Kangoo coped commendably with this payload, floating smoothly over bumps and with minimal effect on handling, braking and engine performance.

It also made light work of our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, quickly self-shifting down to fourth gear to easily reach the summit.

Engine-braking on the way down was not as robust, as you’d expect from such a small engine with more than half a tonne on its back, but still within expectations for small vans.

Our only gripes are the absence of a full-width driver’s left footrest and that the thick panel separating the bulkhead windows almost completely blocks the central mirror’s view through the LHS barn-door. You can option a smart digital mirror with rear-facing camera to resolve this issue, but that’s another $800.

Four-coil suspension provides a noticeably supple unladen ride quality, which is impressive for a commercial vehicle with a one-tonne payload rating. It also feels sure-footed and well planted on the road, particular on the many wet roads we encountered during a rain-affected week of testing.

With its upright steering wheel angle and nicely-weighted steering feel, it offers a comfortable almost car-like driving experience. The driver’s seat has height, backrest rake and lumbar adjustment; there’s no rake adjustment for the base cushion but it doesn’t really need it. There are also clear eyelines to all mirrors, a nicely-positioned gearshift and an uncluttered dashboard/instrument layout that’s easy to read and operate.

The 2.0 litre turbo-diesel has energetic response in its peak torque band between 1500-3000rpm, where most city and suburban driving occurs. Snappy, seamless up-shifting occurs between 1500-2000rpm, providing brisk acceleration with excellent fuel economy. At highway speeds, good gearing ensures the engine needs only 1800rpm to maintain 100km/h and 1900rpm at 110km/h.

We only have two criticisms. One is the size and limited wide-angle effect of the left-side mirror, given the huge blind-spot that a solid-walled long wheelbase van like this creates over the driver’s left shoulder. Although the Transporter is (thankfully) equipped with blind-spot monitoring, a larger kerbside mirror with a more convex shape to increase its angle of view would be welcome.

The other is high internal noise levels at highway speeds emanating from the rear wheel housings. On some grades of coarse bitumen it can sound like the roar of a jet engine, which is too loud for sustained periods and could be a deal-breaker if you do a lot of highway work. We have recently tested rival vans without cabin bulkheads which have appreciably lower cargo bay noise levels at similar speeds (most notably a Chinese brand), so it can be done.

The Kangoo petrol is backed by a five year/200,000km warranty, whichever occurs first. There's also complimentary roadside assist for up to four years/120,000km, with annual renewals available after that.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/30,000km with capped-pricing for the first five scheduled services totalling $2385, or an average of $477 per year.

Five years/unlimited km warranty with 12 months complimentary roadside assist. Scheduled servicing every 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first. Capped-price servicing for first five scheduled services up to five years/75,000km of $3082.