After almost 1,600 miles I have now parted company with our long-term test Renault Master. Had I been driving it last year the mileage would have been far higher, but the restrictions on travel imposed at the height of this year’s Covid-19 pandemic meant that it was limited to short journeys on local highways for several weeks.
The time I spent in it allowed me to draw a number of conclusions about the vehicle and its advantages and drawbacks, however. So here goes.
On the plus side it handles remarkably well for a van of its size. Nimble and sure-footed, it tackles tight bends with confidence, always feeling firmly planted on the highway.
The Master rode well and performance was seldom an issue even with the eco button depressed. It alters the van’s torque settings and rate of acceleration among other functions, and should cut diesel usage by around 10%, says Renault.
Fuel consumption was respectable even without the eco button’s help.
By the time I returned the vehicle to Renault I was still averaging around 45.0mpg over a mixture of A, B, C and narrow, twisting unclassified rural roads – the height of the driving position and the deep windscreen made it relatively easy to spot tractors coming the other way – with more and more motorway work possible as the pandemic rules gradually relaxed.
I had 450kg in the back for much of the time. Front-wheel drive equals a low cargo bed, which made the Master easy to load, especially given that the cargo space was accessible through a sliding door on each side as well as through twin rear doors.
The Master’s gear change cannot be classed as the smoothest in the world and Renault needs to tighten up on build quality. There were far too many creaks, squeaks and rattles for comfort.
I could see little point in the optional permanent rear-view camera given that it did not operate when reverse was engaged, and the satellite navigation system was so confusing and counter-intuitive that I eventually gave up on it. I blew the dust off my trusty old Garmin and stuck that to the windscreen instead.
On the other hand, the air-conditioning system was marvellously effective in blazing-hot summer weather, and whoever invented the intelligently conceived wide-angle mirror that is set into the passenger-side sun visor deserves a major road safety award.
With the coronavirus making the use of public transport less attractive than it used to be, more and more people are taking up cycling instead. That means more and more riders who might be tempted to sneak up on the inside of a light commercial vehicle halted at a junction, ignoring the risk that it might be about to turn left – with potentially calamitous consequences for them.
The mirror allows the driver to spot them and take steps to ensure they are not hurt. The presence of optional electronic blind spot monitoring plus an optional advanced emergency braking system made the Master even safer – but it is the simple yet effective wide-angle mirror that sticks in the memory.
End-of-term report
Safety = 4/5
Love the wide-angle blind-spot mirror to bits, but the optional permanent rear-view camera is a novelty that is not worth the expense.
Options list = 4/5
Comprehensive, but one or two of
the items listed (cruise control for instance) could stand to be included in the basic specification.
Driving = 3/5
Handling is exemplary and both the ride and the performance are acceptable, but a smoother gear-change would have been appreciated.
Load bay = 4/5
Low loading height is to be welcome when you are heaving heavy items on and off the cargo bed, and access from three sides was a real advantage.
Cabin = 4/5
Roomy with comfortable seats and plenty of places to put oddments. Grab-handles were poorly sited, however.
Build quality = 3/5
There are too many squeaks and creaks, which means that there is definite room for improvement.
Overall score = 73%
Renault Master LM35 dCi 150 Business+
Mileage 1,585
Official combined fuel economy 47.1mpg
Our average consumption 45.0mpg (est.)
Price range £26,350-£37,020
Price (ex VAT) £33,000
Warranty 3yrs/100,000mls
Service intervals 2yrs/25,000mls
Load length 3,733mm
Load width (min/max) 1,380/1,765mm
Load bay height 1,894mm
Load volume 13.0m3
Gross payload 1,359kg
Engine size/power 2,298cc/150hp
Gearbox 6-spd
CO2 159g/km
Not all van drivers and drivers’ mates are as young, slim and spry as they once were. In some cases they need a wee bit of help from a handily placed grab handle when they are hauling themselves up into the cab for another hard day’s graft.
Ideally, the handle should be large, easy to grasp and mounted on the A pillar, the pillar that divides the door aperture from the windscreen. Unfortunately, our long-term test Master is bereft of such aids, leading to a good deal of puffing and dark mutterings from one of the cab’s regular occupants.
The only handle fitted is one that sits above the passenger door aperture – fine if you desperately need something to cling on to when the driver is thundering down the M5, but not so great if you want to use it as a cab-access tool.
Try to employ it in that role, and you will quickly discover that it is difficult to reach. What is more, it is invisible if you are standing on the pavement, and you have to grope around in order to find it.
Once you are safely aboard, however, you soon realise how good the all-round vision from the cab is thanks to a deep windscreen and deep door windows, large exterior mirrors with a lower wide-angle section, and the cleverly conceived wide-angle mirror set into the passenger-side sun visor. It covers the blind spot on the van’s nearside and is becoming an increasingly important safety aid.
The Covid-19 pandemic plus some hot summer weather appear to have combined to trigger an outbreak of cycling mania.
Every time the Master stops at the traffic lights you can guarantee that a couple of Lycra-clad pushbike riders will try to sneak up on the inside, oblivious to the fact that the driver has signalled that he is turning left and that they risk getting crushed. The wide-angle mirror means that whoever is behind the wheel can see them, and is proving to be a potential lifesaver.
It is of far more use than the permanent rear-view camera, which annoyingly switches itself off whenever you engage reverse, which is when you actually need it. The camera is of limited use, and frankly not worth the money.
Returning to regular motorway driving post-lockdown, one characteristic of the Master that immediately stands out is its stability at speed. It feels firmly planted on the highway, which breeds confidence if you are having to tackle an extended intercity trek.
Worthy of mention too is the effective air conditioning system, which cools the cab down quickly. The light that tells you whether it is on or off could stand to be brighter though – a minor point, agreed, but minor criticisms can loom large if you are sitting in the same cab day after day.
Happily there have been no further unexplained triggerings of the Master’s alarm – a relief to the van’s regular custodian, and to his neighbours.
Fuel consumption has remained at the same level, and I’m going to try to improve it by making more regular use of the Eco button on the dashboard. Doing so alters the van’s torque settings and rate of acceleration among other functions, and should hopefully cut diesel usage by up to 10%.
I cannot help but wonder why Renault doesn’t make Eco the standard setting, and provide the driver with a Power button instead if a bit more performance is required, if you are tackling a steep hill with a full load on board, for instance. The problem with the Eco button is that people can forget to press it, and burn more diesel and emit more CO2 as a consequence.
Report card: Equipment = 4/5
One or two omissions, but most of what you need is there.
Renault Master LM35 dCi 150 Business+
Mileage 1,127
Official combined fuel economy 47.1mpg
Our average consumption 43.0mpg
Price range £26,350-£37,020
Price (ex VAT) £33,000
Warranty 3yrs/100,000mls
Service intervals 2yrs/25,000mls
Load length 3,733mm
Load width (min/max) 1,380/1,765mm
Load bay height 1,894mm
Load volume 13.0m3
Gross payload 1,359kg
Engine size/power 2,298cc/150hp
Gearbox 6-spd
CO2 159g/km
Now that Renault’s revamped Master is well established on What Van?’s long-term fleet I’ve grown fond of its restyled front-end, which gives the big van a pugnacious appearance, and come to more fully appreciate its reworked 2.3-litre dCi diesel engine.
Changes to the drivetrain include a new cooling system and a bit more power on offer. The engine is fitted with a pair of fixed-geometry turbochargers and is available at 130hp/330Nm, 135hp/360Nm, 145hp/360Nm, 150hp/385Nm or 180hp/400Nm.
Our front-wheel drive long-wheelbase medium-height 3.5t van in Business+ trim has 150hp on tap, which is channelled through the six-speed manual gearbox. Customers working on frequent stop/start deliveries may prefer to opt for the six-speed auto.
As temperatures have risen heading into summer, I’ve been glad of the manual air conditioning, while rear parking sensors have taken the strain out of awkward reversing manoeuvres.
For a large panel van the handling is remarkably precise, with ample feedback through the steering giving you the confidence to tackle tight bends without fearing you are going to come unstuck.
With next to zero weight in the back, and with 150 horses to play with, performance is never going to be a problem. Getting the best out of those horses can be a struggle, however, because the gear change is not always that smooth.
The Master rides comparatively well and is not seriously upset by the umpteen defects in Britain’s pockmarked road surfaces.
In-cab noise levels are a little on the high side, but cannot be described as an issue, aside from the near-constant creaking emanating from somewhere near the base of the driver’s seat.
Rather than boasting the more usual three-seater configuration, our Master is a two-seater. Both the driver’s seat and the passenger seat are height-adjustable.
Fuel economy? I’m usually getting around 45mpg – around 4mpg short of the official figure.
With a sliding door on each side – the right-hand door is optional – and twin rear doors that can be swung through 270°, accessing the cargo area could scarcely be easier. Front-wheel drive means a low loading height, which has come in handy during lockdown when utilising the load bay as a space to store stuff that could not otherwise be readily disposed of.
A total of 10 load tie-down points are fitted along with a full-height steel bulkhead. It looks tough enough to prevent any loose items from hurtling forwards into the cab.
Report card: Handling = 4/5
Surprisingly sharp.
Renault Master LM35 dCi 150 Business+
Mileage 749
Official combined fuel economy 47.1mpg
Our average consumption 43.0mpg (est)
Price range £26,350-£37,020
Price (ex VAT) £33,000
Warranty 3yrs/100,000mls
Service intervals 2yrs/25,000mls
Load length 3,733mm
Load width (min/max) 1,380/1,765mm
Load cube 13,0m3
Gross payload 1,359kg
Engine size/power 2,298cc/150hp
Gearbox 6-spd
CO2 159g/km
If you desperately need to clear out an attic or a domestic garage, and the local council tip is shut thanks to the coronavirus, then where do you put all the stuff you want to get rid of? You can always dump it in the back of your van while you wait for the lockdown to be relaxed and the tip to reopen.
That, of course, presupposes that there is enough room for the accumulated junk as well as all the items you need to carry around with you during the course of your daily working life (assuming that Covid-19 has not obliged you to cease trading temporarily). Happily, our long-term test Renault has a 13.0m3 cargo area, so space isn’t that much of an issue.
Nor is gaining access to it. Our Master comes with a big rear door aperture with full-height doors that can be swung through 270° – an option – along with an optional offside sliding load bay door as well as a nearside door.
What is more, it happens to be front-wheel drive, which means a low loading height – not that cardboard packaging or an elderly outdoor vacuum cleaner used for sucking up leaves are all that heavy.
A schematic on the dashboard lets you know if you’ve left any of the Master’s doors open, and tells you which ones you have failed to close. If you remember to look at it then you won’t drive a couple of miles without shutting the back doors before realising your mistake – which is precisely what I did.
Happily, none of the aforementioned load was shed.
When I park the van and leave it I do, of course, ensure all the doors are closed, the windows are wound up and the vehicle is locked. I even check that the bonnet is shut.
Unfortunately, all this care has not prevented the alarm from triggering twice for no readily apparent reason.
On neither occasion was a gale blowing, there was no indication that anybody had tried to break in, and there was nothing moving around inside the van that might have set it off. A mystery.
The Covid-19 onslaught has meant that the Master has covered fewer miles than usual in recent weeks. Most of them have been on Herefordshire’s patched and pot-holed B-roads.
While the ride over them is by no means poor, they provoke a lot of squeaking, creaking and rattling, more so with the Master than with some of its rivals. As a consequence, I’m periodically seized by an overwhelming, and probably irrational, urge to grab a screwdriver and go round and tighten everything up.
I hate to say it, Renault, but I seem to recall driving Volkswagen Crafters and Mercedes-Benz Sprinters down the same highways and I’m sure they didn’t complain half as much.
While the rattling remains an irritation for the van’s regular driver and co-driver, they are soothed by the Master’s comfortable seats. The driver’s seat and the single passenger seat can both be adjusted for height as well as reach
and rake, and boast lumbar adjustment as well.
Returning to what to do with domestic rubbish if your council tip is likely to remain locked for the duration of the Covid-19 outbreak, I’m sure that What Van? readers would never for one moment consider driving out into the countryside and dumping it somewhere. Bear in mind that fly-tipping is a criminal offence and that perpetrators face hefty fines and even a prison sentence on conviction. And their van can be seized.
Not a great outcome if you’re looking to restart your business post-lockdown.
Report card: Build quality = 3/5
Too many squeaks.
Renault Master LM35 dCi 150 Business+
Mileage 526
Official combined fuel economy 47.1mpg
Our average consumption 43.0mpg (est)
Price range £26,350-£37,020
Price (ex VAT) £33,000
Warranty 3yrs/100,000mls
Service intervals 2yrs/25,000mls
Load length 3,733mm
Load width (min/max) 1,380/1,765mm
Load cube 13,0m3
Gross payload 1,359kg
Engine size/power 2,298cc/150hp
Gearbox 6-spd
CO2 159g/km
On the face of it specifying a camera that gives you a full, real-time view of everything that is behind you when the van is in motion makes sense.
Admittedly, it’s a pricey £800 option on our Master, but from the safety viewpoint opting for it must be a wise step…
Sorry Renault, but I’m not convinced that it is.
The image it delivers appears on a display near the top of the windscreen. During daylight hours it is clear enough, but promptly vanishes whenever you engage reverse gear; in other words, when you need it the most.
I cannot for the life of me understand why the manufacturer hasn’t combined the permanent rear-view camera with a reversing camera. It is a bizarre omission that surely needs rectifying.
While being able to see who is following along directly behind you is useful given that our Master is fitted with opaque rear doors, it is not essential. After all, the van comes with a pair of large, adjustable, exterior rear-view mirrors with a lower wide-angle section, not to mention one of the cleverest and most cost-effective safety devices I have ever encountered.
I’m referring to the wide-angle mirror housed in the passenger-side sun visor that allows the driver to see if there is anything hidden in the van’s nearside blind spot. It should help ensure that a cyclist sitting there isn’t flattened if the driver turns left at a junction. Our Master is also fitted with an optional electronic blind spot monitoring system, which does seem like money well spent.
A permanent rear-view camera can certainly give you early warning of a vehicle approaching you at speed. However, there is always the danger that you will become so fascinated by what is happening on the highway behind you that you won’t be keeping an eye on the highway ahead; yet another example of distracted driving.
Happily, our Master boasts optional AEBS – advanced emergency braking system – which should help ensure you don’t come to grief. Again, money well spent, but its presence certainly does not mean that you can stop watching where you are going.
Looking around the cab, I’m impressed by the amount of storage space it provides for all the bits and bobs drivers carry around with them, and I quite like the two-seater set-up.
Admittedly, it means you cannot avail yourself of the concealed under-seat storage you get with a three-seater cab, which you can use to hide valuable power tools or a tablet. Nor can you make use of the fold-down table offered by the three-seat configuration.
However, there is enough space between the seats to accommodate a large tool box plus an anorak and a pair of boots, and the distance between the driver’s seat and the single passenger seat means you can achieve a bit of (if we’re honest, not terribly effective) social isolation.
Report Card: Cab = 4/5
The Master’s cabin is roomy and well thought out.
Renault Master LM35 dCi 150 Business+
Mileage 526
Official combined fuel economy 47.1mpg
Our average consumption 43.0mpg (est)
Price range £26,350-£37,020
Price (ex VAT) £33,000
Warranty 3yrs/100,000mls
Service intervals 2yrs/25,000mls
Load length 3,733mm
Load width (min/max) 1,380/1,765mm
Load cube 13,0m3
Gross payload 1,359kg
Engine size/power 2,298cc/150hp
Gearbox 6-spd
CO2 159g/km
Options
Passenger seat height & lumbar adjustment £60
LED loadspace lighting £100
Blind Spot Monitoring £250
Cruise control with speed limiter £250
Rear doors, unglazed, 270° £250
Right side loading door £300
Rear step £350
MediaNav multimedia system £360
Metallic paint £450
Advanced emergency braking £490
Permanent rear-view camera £800
Load area lining £900
