1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186 
This Renault tractor might look like an ordinary Premium but
Page 47
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
this is the latest Lander variant of the popular French workhorse. Developed to meet demand for maximum payload, the Premium Lander mixes reasonable off-road ability with a relatively low unladen weight.
Many of the Landers components are shared with the road-going Premium, from the 10.8-litre DXi 11 engine and ZF 16-speed 'Super HI manual box to the high-roof cab. But its running gear is more missionmatched, with C-section chassis flitching, improved ground clearance and a parabolic sprung double-drive bogie. Alloy wheels and air tanks save 165kg, keeping a fully fuelled Lander 6x4 down to 8,920kg.
We have to credit the Premium Lander with a very enjoyable drive. From our f irst moments on the road it had a balanced feel, boasting excellent handling and ride qualities on asphalt yet tackling rough quarry tracks with the same easy poise.
Pulling a well used SDC bulker, the Lander felt at ease in even the narrowest of country lanes thanks to its precise steering and nicely proportioned cab. This might not be as wide as the Actros, but it offers better clearance for motoring through rural roads.
The 450hp motor has bags of torque and will happily lug away from just over 1,000 revs without complaint. Although manual transmissions are becoming less common, we couldn't find fault with Renault's installation of the hardy Ecosplit box, including Servoshift assistance as standard. Its rapid-shift trigger range change helped us maintain a decent pace over every gradient. Regulating downhill speed was no problem either, thanks to the powerful Optibrake+ and a fine set of anchors.
If you are spending any time at all away from home and the extra height fits within your operating conditions then we'd advise speccing the high-roof option every time— at under £700 it's good value and gives a lot more living space.
On a negative point, the Lander's engine noise is a little more intrusive than in most contemporary tractor units, although it could never be described at noisy.
Tipper-optimised features include grippy entrance steps which allow mud to fall through, rubber flooring for easier cleaning, and darker seat trim which should prove more dirt-resistant than the standard Premium's material. The big digital speedo is a smart idea; it's located within the rev counter for easy monitoring of both.