MASTERFUL TIPPER What a refreshing change the new Master van
Page 37
Page 38
Page 39
Page 40
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
makes from Renault's previous tin shed on wheels. At last its chassis-cab salesmen have the ammunition with which to penetrate Ford, LDV and Mercedes sales territory. The front-wheel-drive arrangement might not be everyone's idea of what's best in a small tipper, but the stylish new cab will appeal to fleet users— no matter what body type they use.
Price as tested: £17,400 (ex-VAT), includes £15,400 for the basic chassis cab and £2,300 for the Tipmaster tipping body package.
Engine: 2.5 litres, 78hp (59kW).
GVW: 3,500kg.
Payload: 1,433kg.
Fuel consumption (laden): 20.8mpg (13.61it/100km). Should you be unlucky enough to need a jobbing tradesmen to replace a retaining wall or renew your damp course, you can stake your shirt on the builder's crew arriving in a fully freighted Trannie tipper. And why not? After all, the Ford Transit is the best selling 3.5-tonner on the market, accounting for nearly half of all sales in its class, year after year.
Glaziers, however, would probably turn up in an old Renault Master, principally because of the low floor and immense headroom that its tall, oddly formed body provide. But before long general builders may well follow the glaziers' lead, because Renault's new generation Master is a huge improvement over its "ugly duckling" forerunner. The chassis-cab version stands comparison with its rivals from most popular marques, including any of the Sevel triplets (from Citroen, Fiat and Peugeot), LDV, Volkswagen or the Japanese pretenders.
Like Mercedes-Benz with its Vito, Sprinter and Vario models, Renault has really stepped up the quality of its vans and chassis-cabs, reminding class leader Ford that the pack is gathering to tear lumps out of its 41% market share.
• PRODUCT PROFILE Renault offers its Master range in familiar chassis-cab guise with a choice of low or medium-height cabs on a 3.6m or 4.1m wheelbase. Platform-cab and chassis-cowl variants are ■ available for more specialist applications (all with an aluminium ladder platform on the options list) and a double-cabbed chassis is due to join them later this year.
Unlike the Transit or the Sprinter, the Master has front-wheel drive. This helps keep the rear frame height down to a reasonable 675mm, so when Tipmaster adds the tipping body the loading deck is just 810nun from the ground. The London-based bodybuilder produces more than 800 vehicles a year: it's a conversion that appeals to small tradesmen who need to carry just over a tonne of materials and equipment around housing estates and industrial parks.
When it comes to the Master's driveline it's a straightforward choice between a 2.5-litre 80hp (60kVV) naturally aspirated indirectignition engine, or a 2.8-litre 125hp (84kW) charge-cooled direct-injection turbo-diesel. Both have catalytic converters and are sourced from Sofim (Iveco). Our test tipper, a prototype, had the lower powered version and came with an alloy-cased PF1 five-speed synchromesh gearbox driving the front wheels.
The front suspension boasts independently sprung double wishbones with coil springs and an anti-roll bar, suggesting a sporty pedigree: at the rear there's a tubular "dead" beam axle with single composite leaf-springs. The same leaf-spring goes into 3.3-tonne models, but at 2.8 tonnes GVW the Renault rides on steel and at 3.5 tonnes anti-roll bars are added.
Braking on all Master models is handled by 280mm-diameter discs at the front with 280mm drums bringing up the rear.
The tipper's best feature is probably the new Renault cab which is spacious, easy to enter and comfortable. Self-respecting thieves would scarcely have bothered with the old Master, but the newcomer will surely merit a second look—which might account for the engine immobiliser linked to Renault's "remote" central-locking system.
• PRODUCTIVITY Renault will be disappointed by the Master tipper's uninspiring performance around our Kent light van route, but to be fair the chassis was a prototype and combined the lower powered engine with a much deeper-geared driveline than we encountered in our Master van roadtest (CM 2-8April).
While 21mpg is a pretty poor return from a modern engine, in mitigation the 3.5-tonner had far fewer miles on the clock than we would have liked, and such engines do take a while to bed themselves in and reach optimum fuel consumption.
Consolation comes in the form of a handsome 1,433kg payload, including a full 701it fuel tank and a 75kg Mr Average driver. Naturally this figure depends on the type of body supplied: this compact steel Tipmaster body is about as light and easy to operate as they come.
In the longer term, Renault's parts look reasonably priced and, with 12,000 and 36,000 miles between minor and major services, maintenance costs should compare favourably with its rivals.
• ON THE ROAD It may have only 78hp on tap and a gearbox with large gaps between the middle ratios, but the Master tipper drives extremely well. You'll have to wind up the revs to move smoothly through the gears, but the clutch is reasonably light and the gears select easily.
Unfortunately none of this disguises its mediocre acceleration, which left it trailing the turbocharged Master van's 0-80km/h time by ten seconds with slower hillclimbs to match.
However, there's a nicely weighted feel to the 3.5-tonne tipper's steering and it handles the worst of our crumbling road system with consummate ease, particularly if you take advantage of the loading tolerance across the axles. Naturally, 3.5-tonne tippers deliver bulk products which are not always dropped in with any precision: too much weight over the rear can affect traction, steering and braking.
Our test load came courtesy of Hall & Co in Redhill and comprised bags of gravel, all carefully spread across the body; a factor that contributed significantly towards the tipper's excellent ride behaviour. When it comes to anchoring quickly, at speeds up to 40mph the Master's disc/drum layout is creditably efficient, even without the ABS option.
Unusually, the tipper only just managed a restart on the 20% (1-in-5) test hill and and was hard pushed to hold steady on the park brake. Many similar test tippers have managed steeper grades, and their handbrakes usually hold them facing up or downhill—but a driver could have problems trying to tip a load on such slopes with the Master.
• CAB COMFORT Renault's stylish new cab has a much better external shape and is genuinely an enormous advance over the old guard. There's a wide, low-step entry to the roomy interior with a comfortable, fully adjustable seat on the driver's side and a bench seat for two passengers. Tools and other gear can be stowed under both seats.
Integral seat-belts promote safety, and there is a grab-handle in the roof for the middleman.
Visibility through the deep windscreen and scooped door windows is excellent; doublelens door mirrors help extend the rear views. Interior noise levels are slightly higher than those of the 115hp van we tested in April but they remain well within acceptable limits.
We were unable to use the radio (we failed to crack the secret code) so we cannot vouch for the effectiveness of the control switch on the steering wheel, but it works well enough in models like the Espace.
The front fascia looks rather neat, with few reflections coming from the blue control panel with its contrasting markings: all the Master's switches and controls are well placed, especially the tipping control.
• SUMMARY The new Renault Master is clearly going to succeed, but without the more powerful engine this tipping version will never realise its potential. A small tipper is an extremely useful tool for jobbing tradesmen, although many prefer the comfort of having the weight over a driven, twin-wheeled rear axle. If Renault is hoping to overcome such reserve it really needs a bit more poke—and that means fitting the more economical 115hp DI engine at the very least as standard. In its new guise this tipper is among the best for carrying capacity; the cabin is bang up to date; and its £15,400 price will make customers and competitors alike sit up and take notice.
With better fuel efficiency the Master chassis-cab is certain to give its rivals a run for their money: so Ford had better be sure it gets its next generation Transit right too.
O by Bryan Jarvis