Despite Renault having decades of experience in building light, medium and heavy commercial vans the brand is not yet well known in New Zealand.
The Kangoo light van made a fleeting appearance under the previous ownership regime but the current management team behind Renault New Zealand has decided to bring all three of its nameplates to market, so the medium-sized Trafic, and large-sized Master vans are now also available to Kiwi buyers.
Renault first introduced the Master to global markets in 1980, the first generation was built at the Batilly plant in France until 1997, the second generation Master followed until 2010, and now the current generation has been in production there since May 2010.
The Master is an interesting vehicle line because it offers one power-train being a 2.3-litre inline four-cylinder turbo diesel and front-wheel-drive, but the cab/chassis versions are offered in rear-wheel-drive, as is the extra-long wheelbase high roof delivery van.
The medium wheel base mid roof van (L2H2), and the long 
wheelbase mid roof van (L3H2) as pictured here are both front-wheel-drive. These are the two models which Renault New Zealand will hold stock of, while the short wheelbase low roof Master van, the Master single cab/chassis, and the Master extra-long wheelbase high roof van will be indent order vehicles.
At quite short notice Renault New Zealand very kindly loaned me an L3H2 long wheelbase mid-roof van with the six-speed AMT transmission, so that I could retrieve some large items of furniture and personal effects out of a storage unit as household renovations had finally been completed.
The L3H2 is just over 6 metres in length and has a capacity of 13 cubic metres, so it was more than capable of handling a tall Rimu wall unit, book case, kitchen table and four chairs, and numerous boxes of personal effects and kitchen ware.
A number of tie down points in the rear cargo area made easy work of securing the load, so that furniture and contents remained in situ and undamaged in the unlikely event of the driver having to brake suddenly while laden.
This version of the Master will fit three New Zealand sized pallets in the cargo space, while the shorter medium wheelbase version will only fit two.
Our test vehicle was priced at $63,990 which was inclusive of a $3000 premium pack that included integrated TomTom satellite navigation, a reversing camera, a storage compartment under the passenger seat, additional door storage bins, storage for spectacle, an A4 sized storage compartment in the dashboard, and an additional 12V power outlet in the rear cargo area.
Another unique feature inside the Master’s cabin is the fold-down middle seat that has a pivoting table built into the back of the seat, which can be used for taking notes, using a laptop, or even having lunch on the run!
Because the Master is as much a mobile office as a delivery vehicle, the cabin also features a refrigerated glovebox, twin 
overhead shelves, the dash top A4 storage bin, numerous cup holders, a mobile phone and coin holder, and dual under seat storage compartments which are very handy for hiding personal items such as laptop and camera bags.
Of all the vans I’ve driven in the past few years, I would have to say that none of them can beat the Master’s cabin for the ability to store bottles, gym and camera bags, take away coffee cups, cellphone, and documentation. I’m a bit of an OCD neat freak and being able to secure such items in the cabin and still have the ability to be able to walk through from one side to the other was impressive.
Further specification includes traction control, cruise control, Bluetooth telephony, a CD player, central locking, electrically operated windows and door mirrors, and most importantly an immobiliser.
The driver’s seat is fully adjustable for height, reach, and rake. It also provides a left hand armrest and it was comfortable place to be seated for long periods thanks to the lumbar adjustment.
The cabin is also equipped with a full steel bulkhead with rear view window, which not only provides protection for occupants from miscreant cargo, it also provides a quieter cabin and more efficient heating and cooling from the air-conditioning system.
Uniquely the screen for the reversing camera is found in the driver’s sun visor rather than being integrated into the TomTom navigation screen which sits above the rear view mirror inside the cabin. Renault passenger cars seem to manage this integration, but it obviously hasn’t yet filtered across to the commercials as yet.
The TomTom system was also easily used, and despite my best efforts to ignore its instruction it managed to deliver us to our destination quickly and efficiently. The infotainment system is also easy to drive once you have acclimatised to its remote operating system
While keyless entry is a wonderful thing, the Masters system requires you to open the rear cargo compartment separately from the cabin, the logic of which I cannot fault, but it became a chore when making multiple trips to the vehicle when loading and unloading at a storage facility.
I’ve driven a number of commercial vehicles with an automated single clutch transmission, and without a doubt the Masters unit is so far the best that I have driven, the shifts were smooth and well timed, and the gearbox seemed to be quite intuitive to my driving style and the road conditions.
It would happily change down a gear or two when braking on a downhill gradient, or vice versa when climbing uphill. The 2.3-litre turbo-diesel engine proved to be quiet and economical, our average fuel consumption was 9.7L/100km in mainly urban running with one long motorway trip thrown in for good measure.
Apart from the quirks of the keyless entry and the placement of the reversing camera screen, the Master proved to be a useful and practical workhorse, as well as a comfortable and quiet vehicle on a longer run.
I have no doubt that once buyers of other large Euro Vans put the Renault on their shopping list, we will see more of these stylish looking load carriers on the road in New Zealand.
Specifications: Renault Master L3H2 AMT
Price as tested: $63,990 plus on road costs
Engine type: Inline four-cylinder turbo diesel
Engine capacity: 2299cc
Max power: 110kW/3500rpm
Max torque: 350Nm/1500rpm
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
C02 emissions: 217g/km
Fuel tank capacity: 105L
Cargo bay length: 3733mm
Cargo bay width: 1765mm
Width between wheel arches: 1380mm
Cargo bay height: 1984mm
Width of sliding door: 1270mm
Height of sliding door: 1780mm
Rear door width: 1580mm
Rear door height: 1820mm
Load volume: 13 cubic metres
Front overhang: 842mm
Rear overhang: 1024mm
Turning circle: 15.7m
Braked towing weight: 2500kg
Words and Pictures: Robert Barry
