2026 Renault Trafic Reviews

We often see Renault Trafics hard at work in a variety of trade and delivery roles, even though they represent a relatively small slice of Australia's booming mid-sized van market. So, is this capable French van worthy of luring more buyers away from the dominant Toyota HiAce?

You might not be able to tell the difference if you spot one in traffic, but the 2023 Renault Trafic facelifted van has plenty of changes inside and out. Safety, a bigger engine, new interior materials and technology have all been added, but prices are up by as much asn nine grand. Is it worth it? Matt Campbell attended the new model launch to find out.

The growing popularity of mid-sized (2.5-3.5 tonne GVM) commercial vans that can carry up to six people, generically known as crew vans, has seen an increasing number of rivals from mainstream manufacturers with a second row of seats. These include Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, Renault, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz.There’s no argument that 4x4 dual cab utes are by far Australia’s most popular and versatile light commercial vehicles. However, not everyone needs high-riding off-road ability and some would happily trade that for more spacious rear seating and a huge fully-enclosed cargo bay to carry their crew and all their gear – be it for work or play.It's those two key attributes which present a compelling argument for crew vans – but which one would you choose? We’ve combined our most recent road test activity of three of Australia’s best examples from Toyota, Ford and Renault to see how they measure up in a side-by-side comparison.

There are currently 10 models competing for customers in the medium-sized 2.5-3.5 tonne GVM commercial van segment, which is dominated by Toyota's HiAce with Hyundai's iLoad and Ford's Transit Custom in an increasingly close fight for second and third place.

The current generation Renault Trafic has become an increasingly strong contender in Australia's competitive mid-sized commercial van market since its debut in 2015.

With sharp launch pricing of $29,990 driveaway for ABN holders, the Life's low-cost specification certainly hits a sweet spot.

There's a trend in the medium van segment that's offering an alternative to the large SUV or dual cab ute – the Crew van. Renault has joined the battle with its own Crew based on the Trafic van.

Mark Oastler road tests and reviews the 2016 Renault Trafic short wheelbase twin turbo van, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

June 30 is D-Day. The end of the financial year is the best time to buy a new car because there are always special deals in showrooms. As carmakers and dealers aim to clear their outdated stock, Toyota uses a June push to cement its showroom leadership. Some of the special deals are on cars that have done demonstrator duty, or were built in 2012, or are just not selling as well as expected. So they're not the tastiest fruit in the bowl.But there is great buying across the board as demand for new cars fuels one of the longest growth periods in motoring. The bottom line is that you can save money -- and lots of it. So here's a look at the June sales, with Carsguide's assessment of the best deals on wheels.CITROENThe new importer is pushing hard so the Aircross SUV starts at $31,990 drive-away front-wheel drive or $33,990 with AWD, a saving of $3800. There's $5000 off the C4 Seduction turbo diesel auto hatch at $25,990. Carsguide says: The Aircross isn't great, but the C4 discount is tasty.FORDThe death notice for the Falcon and Territory has not helped buyer confidence but a 2.9 per cent finance push on Fiesta and Focus still looks good. The superseded Kuga SUV from $31,990 drive-away is a $10,000 saving. You can save about $3000 on a 2012 Escape SUV from $27,990 drive-away.The Territory gets a $6500 tickle, the TX seven-seater at $38,490 drive-away (third-row seat usually costs $2500). The impressive Mondeo liftback starts at $29,990. Good buying on Falcons, thanks to the arrival of the VF Commodore, from $33,990 and better if you haggle.HOLDENAs the VF Commodore creates queues, the outgoing Z-Series starts at $34,990 with five years' warranty and roadside assist. That also applies to the SV6 at $35,990 and the Cruze SRi and SRi-V at $23,490 and $26,990. Last year's Barina CD hatches are $15,990 drive-away with a sunroof. The Colorado is $39,990. Hard to see past the excellent Cruze SRi.HONDAClipped prices and free on-roads. The City VTi sedan is $17,990 and the (slightly) more lavish VTi-L automatic version starts at $21,990. The bigger Civic sedan is being cleared from $21,990. Free auto on the Jazz VTi at $19,990. The Civic is worth a look at $2500 off.KIAFree on-roads, discounts and $1000 gift vouchers on many models. A five-door Rio S is about $3K off at $15,990 drive-away with a $500 gift card; the three-door Rio is $14,990 and the five-door Si is $18,990. Runout Cerato TD sedans start at $17,990 for the S, saving about $5000, the Si sedan is $23,990 and hatch at $17,990. All get a $1000 gift card. Cerato SLi and SLS have drive-away pricing but miss the gift card. All Optimas have free on-roads. A 2012-build Optima Platinum is $37,990, saving about $4000 with a $1000 gift card. Most Sportage SUVs include on-roads and a $1000 gift card. Carnival and superseded Rondo pricing is drive-away. The Sportage diesel and Optima are top-notch.MITSUBISHIThe manual Lancer gets an old-school value pack on the Special Action Model for $19,990 drive-away. The Mirage is $12,990 drive-away for the ES manual, with a $500 cash-back that also applies to the auto.Driveaway prices also for the compact ASX at $24,990 for the 2WD manual, the Outlander LS 2WD auto at $29,990, Pajero GLX-R auto at $54,990 or $59,990 for VRX. Both come plus $3000 cash-back, saving about $6000.The Triton ute is now tackling Great Wall from China at $19,990 drive-away for a GL single-cab 2WD with alloy tray, or add luxury for a GLX dual-cab 4WD diesel at $31,990 drive-away with $2000 cash-back, saving about $14,000. The utes look good at those prices.NISSANA 2.9 per cent finance package, with agreed value after three years, makes the Pulsar ST sedan look good at $49 a week or $19,990 drive-away. The X-Trail ST 2WD petrol manual cops a $4000 reduction to $25,990 drive-away, while the Navara RX 4WD dual-cab manual is cheaper than ever with a $9500 cut to $30,990 drive-away. The Pulsar sedan deal is attractive.OPELThere are drive-away deals across the range. The basic Corsa is down by about $2500 to $16,990 drive-away, the Astra is from $22,990 drive-away for the 1.4-litre turbo petrol hatch with three years of free servicing, saving about $5500. The top-line Insignia sedan is from $39,990 drive-away with heated leather seats. The Astra is easily best of this breed.PEUGEOTFree on-roads at Peugeot on most models but not the cool new 208. The 4008 SUV cops a $1500 saving from $29,990 drive-away and there are deals on the outgoing 4007. Nothing to see here.RENAULTA Koleos from $26,990 drive-away looks even better with interest-free finance. The Megane hatch is from $22,990 drive-away with finance pegged at 1.9 per cent. The slow-selling Fluence and Latitude sedans are available with 2.9 per cent finance. The Megane CC convertible goes from $43,990 including on-roads. The sporty Clio RS is from $34,990 drive-away and the hotrod Megane RS has 2.9 per cent finance.Commercial deals start with the short-wheelbase Kangoo petrol manual with dual sliding doors from $20,990 drive-away, moving up to the Trafic short-wheelbase manual for $29,990 and the long-wheelbase manual for $32,990, while the Master large van starts from $46,990 drive-away. There's a five-year/200,000km warranty on all light commercials ordered in June. Hard to argue against a $3000 bonus on the Koleos but stocks are tight.SUBARUDrive-away pricing -- for savings of $3000 to $4000 -- is the bait, with Impreza pricing from $23,990 (excluding the WRX, of course). The Tribeca from $54,990 now includes on-roads but you need to visit a dealer to get the full story. Nothing outstanding.SUZUKIThe front-drive SX4 gets a Navigator pack with voice-controlled 6.6-inch satnav with Bluetooth for $19,990 drive-away for the manual and $21,990 auto. That also applies to the 2WD auto Grand Vitara at $29,990 drive-away, including reversing camera and satnav with Bluetooth. The Alto GL manual also gets satnav for $11,990 drive-away for the manual, with the Swift GL manual at $17,490 drive-away including cruise control and Bluetooth. The Grand Vitara is a polished piece.TOYOTAThere's 2.9 per cent finance on Aurion and Camry with the Camry Altise looking best at $29,990 drive-away. Other drive-away deals include $15,990 for the Yaris YR five-door, $21,490 for the Corolla Ascent automatic, $39,990 for the Kluger KX-R 2WD five-seater, $60,990 for the Prado GXL turbo diesel auto and $39,990 for the HiLux SR 4WD dual-cab ute. The right time for the cabbies' new favourite, the frugal hybrid Camry.VOLKSWAGENDrive-away pricing on passenger cars and zero finance on commercials. The Polo is $16,990 on-road, the Jetta is down to $25,990 and the Passat $36,690. The Polo is Carsguide's 2010 COTY.VOLVOFuel and servicing for three years or 60,000km plus roadside assistance. There are conditions -- with a pre-paid BP card based on 15,000km a year and $1.50 a-litre pricing -- and the latest V40 hatch is excluded. Clever twist on bargaining but a pity it doesn't apply to the V40.Paul Gover's 10 COMMANDMENTSYou must still do your homework. You must still check the fine print. You must still be prepared to haggle and compromise.But do it right, crunching the numbers and running right to the dealer's deadline, and you can drive away in something special at a special price.The starting point is all the deals, from sticker specials to cheap finance and steak knife-style free extras, being offered by most of the 60-plus brands in showrooms today.If something you want is on special, go for it. But check that the car was built in 2013, and is not a geriatric old-timer from 2012, and ensure your target is exactly what you want - not a stripped-out stocker, perhaps missing an automatic gearbox - that will cost thousands to get the way you want it.Once you lock down a target, don't think the advertised special is the end of the deal. You also need to negotiate for a better price on delivery and on-road costs, and avoid the trap of buying over-priced extras such as paint and upholstery protection, window tinting and extra-long warranties.No-one can expect to go into the ring with a showroom professional and expect to win, because buyers only get a new car occasionally and sales staff are dealing every day. But, by concentrating on the real bottom line - the changeover price - and being prepared to compromise, you can come out ahead.The best tips are the simplest. Run as close as you can to June 30 to sign the deal and get the car, because dealers are all aiming for targets that can mean tens of thousands in bonus money from headquarters. Also be prepared to take a car they have in stock, even if it's not your favourite colour, because dealers are aiming to clear everything they have on the lot.And have your finance in place before you arrive, especially if you're taking up a special deal, because that makes things quicker and you'll also be spared any hassle and potential extra costs.Watch out for 2012 cars because the warranty clock has already been running, don't forget that a big discount today will also mean less at changeover time, and remember that a demonstrator car could have had a hard life already. 

It might at first seem odd that a hard-working commercial vehicle such as the Renault Trafic van needs to look good, but it's not so hard to understand when it's realised that it also plays a role in promoting a business as well as carting its cargo.Rolling down the road, or parked in a suburban driveway, a van is a rolling billboard and good looks create a good impression with customers and those who might be thinking of doing business with you.Already a good looker, Renault recently revised the Trafic model range using the knowledge of what's sold well in the past couple of years and what hasn't sold so well. The result is that the range is now made up of two panel vans with a raft of options.The van choices consist of a short wheelbase 5m³ model and a long wheelbase 8m³ model like the one recently driven by Big Wheels.Both have the same low roof height for access to height-restricted sites, and the maximum payload is 1200kg.The Trafic recently underwent a makeover to freshen it for the new Euro 4 emission rules, and while the big changes were made to the engine, Renault also made some minor cosmetic changes to the interior, with a new dash, and exterior, with new headlights and tail lamps.Inside the Trafic's cabin is about as close as you'll get to a car. There isn't a huge step up into the cabin, and once you're aboard it feels much like a car with a comfortable driving position, stylish dash, neatly laid-out controls for the standard airconditioning and sound system including the CD player, soft-feel steering wheel, power windows and mirrors, and comfortable cloth-trimmed seats.There are also plenty of storage options spread about the cabin. Drivers have the protection of an airbag and a passenger airbag is an option.But it's under the bonnet where the significant changes have been made. A new 16-valve 2.0-litre common rail, four-cylinder, turbo diesel now provides the Trafic's get up and go.The new engine is Euro 4-compliant and puts out 85kW at 3500rpm and 290Nm at 1600rpm, which is processed through a six-speed manual gearbox as it makes it way to the front wheels.On the road the Trafic is a smooth performer rather than a tearaway. The combination of the 2.0-litre turbo diesel and six-speed manual gearbox is well balanced making the Trafic a pleasant van to drive.It has good flexibility through the mid-range with quite good pick-up when you need to go a little faster, but it won't pin your ears back at any time. In the time Big Wheels had the Trafic it consumed fuel at the rate of just 9.8 litres per 100km running around town.Smooth is a word that keeps coming back when describing the Trafic; it rides and drives smoothly, to the point it almost glides along the road.The steering is power-assisted and provides ample feedback, while being precise and responsive to driver input, and the turning circle is 13.17m.Braking is by discs with ABS, EBD brake force distribution and EBA brake assist standard. ESP stability control and traction control are both options.A one metre-wide glazed sliding door and rear barn doors that open to 180 degrees, provide access to the load zone, which measures 2800mm long by 1335mm high and 1268mm between the wheel arches.Inside it has eight anchorage points in the floor and four movable anchorages on each of the sidewalls.Wide bump strips and substantial front and rear bumpers protect the bodywork and lamps.The long wheelbase van is priced at $40,990, which includes a three-year/ 200,000km warranty and 24-hour roadside assistance.