ince the arrival of the Renault Premium in 1996 the
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4x2 tractor version has proved something of a revelation, snapping up a tenth of the heavy truck market. Major fleet operators have been buying them by the dozen and re-ordering even before they've clocked up serious mileage.
But now it's time to bring it to account: the trucks that went into the marketplace in a blaze of glory are coming home. Has the Premium lived up to the hype. and what of that all-important residual value? Commercial Motor has been out in a Renault Premium 385 tractor with more than 400,o0okm on the clock and 40 tonnes all up to see how it handled the pace.
Product profile
The 4x2 Premium 385 Long Distance model
uses the Renault IL MIDR 06.23.56 engine, rated at 381hp (28okW) at 2.000rpm. The sweet spot for peak torque of 1,75oNm (1,29flbft) falls at 1,200rpm. This version, introduced four years ago, was intended to save on weight; on a like-for-like basis the 4112 Premium ri.i-litre Long Distance tractor proved Gookg lighter than its 12-litre 385ti Major predecessor.
Our test vehicle is fitted with a double bunk finished in the striking yellow livery of Exxtor Group from South Humberside, which hauls containers and tilts out of the coastal city of Hull. Exxtor bought this Premium new in May 1997. It clocked up more than 42o,000km before the buy-back option matured; the vehicle was then returned to dealer Staffordshire CV at Stoke-on-Trent for the full Prestige treatment, including a 96point check, full service and valet.
To Doctor's credit little work was needed to return the Premium to its former glory; it's now part of the Renault Choice Used Truck programme and could be yours for £19,000 (ex-VAT), including a six-month driveline warranty. This programme also offers an Elite revamp on Premiums and Magnums which includes the 96-point check, full service and valet, cab and chassis repaint, engine tuning and a 12-month full vehicle warranty. There are 19 dealers offering these packages nationwide—Staffordshire CV covers South Cheshire and Shropshire as well as Staffordshire.
The Renault Choice Used Truck programme also offers finance, operating leases, contract hire, servicing contracts, repair and maintenance contracts and extended warranty packages. Find out more on the programme's web site, www.renaultvi.com/truckone/.
Productivity
The Premium 385 is the third attic we have taken around the Welsh route, following the Volvo FLIO 320 (CM 13-19 April), which achieved 7.9rmpg at 32 tonnes, and the F H 12 380 (CM 9-15 November), which returned 6.75mpg at 40 tonnes. The Premium came in under the FH T2 with 6.69mpg, faring better on the A-road section and matching the big Volvo on the motorway section. On the tough roads from Chester to Ross-on-Wye consumption deteriorated to 5.98mpg (47.21it/Iookm). but in the Premium's defence, the roads were in a dreadful state following the floods, there was a south-westerly wind with constant rain and we were hauling a 4.2m Boalloy triaxle trailer with no aerodynamic equipment.
It came as something of a surprise that the easy section of our test route produced 8.12mpg (34.8lit/tookm) on the A5 and M6, compared with the 7.33mpg (38.5Iit/iookm) on the motorway section from Ross-on-Wye to Nuneaton. This could be because the gearbox ratio is better suited to roundabout infested A-roads and motorways rather than the hills of the Anglo-Welsh border.
This truck is designed for trunking work and it performed this role superbly. The overall difference between the Premium and the Ritz is tiny; in two of the three categories— motorway and easy A-roads—the Renault
scored well enough to merit its Long Distance tag.
Our test vehicle is fitted with the B9 manual range-change synchromesh TBV gearbox, which is a well-documented beast (CM 9-15 Nov). Big operators have fallen over themselves to save money by installing it en Masse and plenty of these fleet machines. supplied on buy-back deals, will be back on the market looking for a new home in the near future.
Overall average speed was comfortable and there seemed to be plenty of power in reserve. Overall average speed was slower than the Volvo FH T 2; over the A-road section they were evenly matched. A splitter would have helped maintain speed and improve fuel efficiency over the tough section, but matching like-for-like through the hills, the Premium fell short of the F H rz.
On the road
The Premium handled the undulating rise and fall of the tough section well enough, although there was a little cab roll coming into and out of roundabouts and tight corners. This seems par for the course on older models and is not uncomfortable; in fact it's soon forgotten. However, driveability through the tough section was certainly affected by that lack of a splitter. If you're regularly working in back roads and hills a splitter is a must.
More than two-thirds of trucks going into fleet operations have a nine-speed gearbox rather than a splitter type. The B9 will not let you down, as the ratios are good, but Dinmore Hill would have been less of an obstacle in sixlow instead of waiting for the summit before changing up from fifth. Prolonged speed at high revs can only harm your fuel figures and average speed.
On the positive side, this box was certainly smooth once we got the hang of the range change. Fifth gear appears to be to the lef the range-change detent between first a third. If you don't let it come back you'll rn the gear. This process takes a split secc longer; once again you need to be slightly on the revs before the change is made.
Reverse is found where you'd expect to f the crawler, but once again this is no proble The brake pedal is situated right by I steering column and the exhauster is
inch-high block directly in front of the column. If you drive with your heel on the floor you'll need to turn your leg 300 to press the brake pedal. On the whole steering is sharp and responsive; there is also plenty of control when reversing with suitably low revs.
Cab comfort
With so many miles on the clock, no doubt a variety of drivers at the helm, and plenty of waiting (and more waiting) at the docks for another container to be loaded, the state of the cab is a credit to the previous owner—and to its functional design. The only damage we spotted is a single cigarette burn on the driver seat. The exterior has survived well too.
Travelling at 648okm/h road noise is audible but not intrusive; even at the governed speed on the flat the noise only rises marginally. The noise level inevitably rises when the engine is working hard on a climb, but it never got
• loud enough for us to resort to the radio volume control.
Birmingham
The forward view is panoramic but the storage units start at forehead height, which does restrict the skyline. This actually proved a blessing on this trip, when sun and rain combined into a blinding glare, but it would be a problem if a long-legged driver pumped up the air seat as the seat won't go back Far enough to compensate.
Storage around the driver is restricted to a shelf on the door and the flat engine cover. Even gentle right turns tend to send any paperwork, drink, food or (god forbid) cigarettes sliding into the passenger's footwell.
Nicotine addicts might well appreciate the cigarette lighter's location to the right of the steering wheel, but this does make it awkward for recharging the mobile phone or other accessories. The radio is out of the way up in the rafters but its controls are ideally placed on the Premium's steering column.
Summary
This is a truck that will not let you down: major fleets operators like City Transport and Securicor have endorsed the Premium as their core tractive unit. If you're going to tramp across the country on major routes this is the ideal vehicle for you. For winding, hilly back roads a splitter gearbox would be a definite advantage—but there's no question that this vehicle is ready and willing to earn its keep.
• by Kevin Swallow
CM's thanks to Dave Watts of Staffordshire CV for supplying and preparing this vehicle.