- Doors and Seats
NA
- Engine
NA
- Engine Power
103kW, 340Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 6.2L/100KM
- Transmission
NA
- Warranty
NA
- Ancap Safety
NA
2017 Renault Trafic LWB: owner review
NOTE: Library image used as none provided by the owner
- Stylish , Economical
- Clutch pedal no resting footwell, Cramped drivers position , No grab handles, Hand brake to low to reach, Reverse camera too small
Having driven this van for two years (at the time of writing this) I can honestly say it has been very reliable.
But for Renault to take a stance in this country they really need to talk to their customers on some of the design issues. Such as there being no room for you to stretch your left leg as you cannot move your foot between the clutch pedal and console. Also the gear stick cramps up the centre seat and restricts leg room if you're a big driver. Turning circle is the worst; I can get a 3-tonne truck to turn better. Don’t attempt to make a U-turn if the road is not at least five metres wide. As for reversing, especially if you're on a steep incline, forget it. You could burn out the clutch over a period of time, and I dare say that is because most of the weight is up the front.
I could go on from a driver's point of view but for an everyday van it’s still one of the better ones compared to its rivals.
Probably the biggest let down was that you could not buy it in an automatic. This is sad in this day and age, especially if you are always driving around Melbourne.
It has plenty of power for overtaking, and when going up hills you might get away in sixth gear as it has plenty of torque. There is lag in second gear so be careful when dropping gears at very low speeds.
The driver's seat can be too hard if you're doing a few hours of driving.
There are no grab handles to help people get inside, which is a problem for me, as sometimes I have to be a gentleman and help the wife to climb in. She does complain that you cannot adjust the passenger seat but she loves the storage under the seat.
Exterior styling looks good and the paint job is thick, well-finished and glossy.
Around town you can expect up to 950-1000km out of the 80-litre tank and on the open road expect 1150km. Service is every 30,000km and servicing costs can vary between $349 to $509. Cost of ownership is very good and so far it hasn’t let us down. The gearbox is smooth to change and there is a symbol on the dash that shows you when to change gears so you can achieve maximum economy. There is an economy switch beside the gear lever, but don’t waste your time using it as it drops the power.
If I had to buy another one I probably would but only if they fix all of the above. For now we will wait and see.