Renault Trafic 2022 Review

New direction

Passenger vehicle comfort is hardly front of mind when you think commercial vans – but clearly, it ought to be.

Take the updated 2022 Renault Trafic. Already one of the more civilised mid-size commercial options, the MY23 Trafic has come in for a major facelift, and you could argue all the meaningful change is about improving passenger safety, amenity and comfort.

Renault’s rival to the Ford Transit Custom, Hyundai Staria Load, Mercedes-Benz Vito, Peugeot Expert, Toyota HiAce and Volkswagen Transporter is now nearing eight years old, yet in 2021 the Trafic achieved its highest annual sales to date.

Clearly, it delivers what a lot of trade and commercial businesses desire.

The latest changes keep the Renault Trafic feeling relatively fresh – and of equal importance, refreshingly relevant.

Prices up

Slotting between the smaller Renault Kangoo and the larger Renault Master, the 2022 Renault Trafic range now starts from $48,200 plus on-road costs for the Pro SWB manual, a sizeable $8610 increase on the predecessor entry model.

That’s despite the fact this is not an entirely new generation of van; rather, it is a facelift of the third-generation model that first launched in 2015.

The Trafic is available in three equipment grades, two wheelbase lengths and in Van or Crew body style.

Prices extend to $62,200 plus on-road costs (up $6110) for the flagship Lifestyle Crew Van LWB. See our separate pricing story for the full breakdown.

The pricing increase is countered by additional standard equipment, updated safety credentials, increased towing capabilities and improved fuel consumption, not to mention revised exterior and interior styling.

As before, eight variants are being offered Down Under, except this time around they’re all powered by the gruntier 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.

Standard equipment includes 16-inch wheels, LED headlights/daytime running lights, air-conditioning, glazed tailgate, reversing camera, remote central locking and rear parking sensors.

Interior changes are headlined by a redesigned dashboard and new gear lever, while an 8.0-inch infotainment interface offers smartphone mirroring, DAB+ digital radio and Bluetooth connectivity.

In the instrument cluster there’s a 4.2-inch display flanked by two traditional analogue gauges.

Safety gear in the new Trafic includes an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system – albeit without pedestrian, cyclist or junction detection – as well as lane departure warning and six airbags on all vans.

Premium and Lifestyle models add adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition and automatic high beam for the LED headlights.

No Renault Trafic model offers lane keeping assist or rear cross traffic alert. However, the range is expected to carry over with a five-star ANCAP rating awarded in 2015, when testing protocols were less rigorous.

Under a more recent separate ANCAP study of driver assist safety systems in commercial vans, the Trafic did not fare well. However, the addition of AEB with this update should improve its standing.

The optional extras list varies between Trafic model. The entry Pro offers rear barn doors (instead of tailgate) for $400, a secondary (driver’s side) sliding door for $600 and a steel bulkhead for $400.

Pro and Premium models are offered with a Trade Pack for $2000, which brings a wooden floor, full-height wood wall lining, LED cargo zone lighting, a heavy-duty battery and a spare wheel protection basket.

Premium models can separately add a Business Pack for $2200 that bundles in 17-inch alloy wheels, chrome front grille highlights, a colour-coded front bumper and door mirrors, tinted windows, climate control, heated driver’s seat, LED cabin lights and sat-nav.

As for aftersales, the Renault Trafic is offered with a five-year/200,000km warranty and capped-price servicing which equates to $3545 over five years/150,000km – based on sizeable 12-month/30,000km intervals.

Business end

The big mechanical news for the updated 2022 Renault Trafic is the deletion of the previous entry 1.6-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder.

Instead, a more powerful 125kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder is now standard fitment across the range, and can be had with either a six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Claimed combined-cycle fuel consumption for the manual versions is 7.2L/100km, while the DCT autos sip 6.5L/100km. Add in the Trafic’s 80-litre fuel tank and that equates to a theoretical fuel range of well over 1000km.

The Trafic goes without AdBlue but still boasts Euro 5 emissions compliance.

Payload ranges between 1053kg and 1279kg depending on the variant and transmission, while towing capacity ranges between 1630kg and 2500kg braked (again, depending on variant).

Pro versions offer a liftback rear door to access the 4.15m load bed (LWB), while Premium models score twin barn doors as standard. Both grades retain the obligatory sliding side doors.

LWB versions have a maximum cargo bay volume of 6.7 cubic metres – up from 6.0 cubic metres. As the name suggests, they score an additional 400mm worth of wheelbase.

The Trafic offers between 10 and 16 tie-down points depending on variant, offered at different heights and spaced evenly throughout the cargo space – all complemented by a rear-mounted 12V outlet.

There’s also the option of a pass-through window positioned at the lower left side of the bulkhead, effectively liberating an additional 1230mm in potential load length for long but narrow items.

First date

Our first foray with the updated 2022 Renault Trafic is more of a speed date than a thorough road test.

We covered a total driving distance of about 180km at the national launch, on different road surfaces and at different speeds.

However, the rather big caveat here is that the entire exercise was carried out in unladen vans, with Renault Australia deciding against loading up the vans with payload or towing mass.

In any case, the first impression of the Renault Trafic is strong, and if previous load-lugging experience is any guide (especially given the bones are carryover, save for the standardised engine), then Renault is surely onto a winner with its more car-like and more polished van, which also boasts improved towing capacity.

Stepping up into the driver’s seat offers a welcome new spread of technology and storage from the French-built Trafic.

The 8.0-inch centre touch-screen display in particular brings a huge step forward in functionality and presentation. It’s not the easiest to navigate, but with time becomes second-nature with its native menus and smartphone mirroring compatibility.

The Trafic likewise offers some traditional French quirks with some of its switchgear, including the absence of a volume knob (only a column-mounted stalk) and a dearth of cup holder storage.

That said, we like the fact the centre seat folds down to offer a clipboard holder, and there is ample odds-and-ends storage and USB ports.

Driver’s seat comfort is relatively good, with the exception of the seat base, which feels relatively short and could become unsupportive on longer journeys.

There’s no such problem with ingress and egress, with wide and open access for those regularly in and out of the Trafic all day.

Perhaps the biggest spatial compromise is with the front outboard position, where space is heavily encroached by the door card. The narrowness of the space is compounded when you fold down the centre seat, making the Trafic feel compromised in its layout.

On the road, the Trafic quickly settles in for a comfortable and refined drive experience.

The 2.0-litre turbo-diesel happily thrums around town and creates a nice alliance with the six-speed dual-clutch automatic available on test. Initially, the combination is beset with some turbo lag and hesitation, but once up and rolling provides clean and reliable conveyance.

Unlike the previous 1.6-litre, there are no significant torque holes with the larger 2.0-litre, which generally makes for a more pleasant and effortless driving experience (in our unladen vans on test).

Likewise, the Trafic offers light low-speed steering and a 12.4-metre turning circle, which translates to a nippy and manageable mover in tight situations.

Outward vision is strong and noise and vibration levels are par for the course in the commercial segment, helped on test by the installation of bulkheads between the passenger and cargo areas.

The Trafic offers faithful grip levels and composure during changes in direction, and does an admirable job of suppressing bumps in the road.

Its commercial underpinnings produce some occasional thudding over harsher road surfaces, yet the 1.8-tonne Trafic SWB tested recovers quickly from larger drawn-out undulations and bigger obstacles alike.

For that reason, the Trafic happily lopes along on rural backroads and in highway passage, the tacho needle sitting barely above idle.

We averaged 7.6L/100km consumption on test, in a mix of conditions but without a load on board.

Modest step

The 2022 Renault Trafic takes a modest step forward with the latest model year changes, but it’s worth noting the devil is in the detail in terms of both equipment and safety, which vary heavily depending on the variant.

That said, the French mid-size commercial van feels more refined and polished than before, and benefits greatly from the upsized engine specification.

Stay tuned as we put it to a proper loaded test in the coming weeks.

How much does the 2022 Renault Trafic SWB Premium cost?
Price: $53,200 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 125kW/380Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 171g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2015)

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