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Vir hen the Renault Midlum arrived at Amsterdam's RAT Show in
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2000, it was not before time. The outgoing Midliner had seen UK sales dry up almost completely, bar a few hardcore operators keeping it alive in the sales chart. The new Midlum represented the final gap to be filled in the significantly revised Renault Trucks line-up.
Commercial Motor was the first to put a new Midlum through its paces with a 148hp 7.5-tonne test vehicle in August 2000, fitted with a standard box body.
That truck, and the one prepared for this Used Truck Test, both have the same engine and gearbox bolted to the B-chassis.
We struggled to find anything to criticise about this truck then, but its ultimate success relies upon sales figures rather than our judgement. Since the Midlum range joined the Choice used trucks programme last September, more than 100 units have been retailed.
Product low-down
When the Midlum was initially launched in the UK it came with a choice of II versions on two chassis, fitted with a choice of three cabs: Day, Global and Night.
Engines included the 148hp 4.1-litre fourcylinder and the 6,2-litre 177hp six-cylinder turbo-diesels, for up to 12-tonnes GVW while, further up the scale, the 2o7hp unit was available for vehicles at 12, 14, and r6-tonne GVWs. Since then the range has been upped to 18 tonnes (CM 23-29 Jan).
Our test model, X 878 ARJ, is a 7.5-tonne Midlum 15o.o8 452 B-chassis with a dropside body. In its first life, it worked as a rental truck for TLS, and was registered on 3 November 2000.
Under the cab is the 148hp four-pot, which produces 48oNm of torque at 1,500rprn. Helping turn this power into motion is the ZF five-speed synchromesh overdrive gearbox with a 3.7:1 final drive in the single-reduction hypoid rear axle.
The day cab, fitted with the optional deluxe dual passenger seat and rear cab window, sits on a 4.45m wheelbase chassis. As is traditional with rental vehicles, the optional extras are in short supply here, with the special seating only joined by a 12V auxiliary power socket in the cab.
During its first life, X 878 ARJ knocked up 53,000km, which suggests it has done mostly local work rather than travel any great distance. The CAP Red Book for Used Commercial Values prices a rough version of X 878 ARJ at i10,900, with an average condition Midlum 150.08 with a dropside body fetching g5o more. At retail, CAP would expect £14,150 (all prices exVAT), which is the price quoted by Renault Trucks.
Bottom line
As we set off from Hinckley just before lunchtime, the weather for early March was surprisingly dry and sunny with a light south-westerly breeze.
We were held up by roadworks on the A5 towards Cannock, and around the A483 as we headed down through the Welsh borders, but always got through the lights first time rather than being held up for prolonged periods.
Overall the fuel figure is good, returning 17.6mpg for the 442km travelled over two days at an average speed of 43.7mph, but breaking the figure down is where the real gems lie. The A-road figure proved the backbone of the performance, producing 22.5mpg through what to date has been the 'make or break' section for a good fuel figure.
An average speed of 40.2mph might seem a little slow but that was sticking to the speed limits. On the motorway sections with the rpm count pushed further up the scale to achieve 70mph, the fuel drained a little quicker, with X 878 ARJ finally producing 14.6 mpg.
Both hill climbs proved quick, although we aborted the timing on Dollar Hill after meeting a tractor and trailer hell-bent on getting nowhere fast. Dinmore Hill was a success though, done with just one gear change, and taking 93 seconds to reach the top. Body and payload for X 878 ARJ according to the manufacturer's listed figure is 4,430kg, which, with an estimated body weight of 800kg, left 3,630kg for potential payload to be carried.
On the road
Before we set out, we decided what rpm on the torque band we would use for most of the driving. There are two main reasons for this. On the dash, the optimistic green band starts at t,400rprn and doesn't finish until 2,600rpm, but after checking out the torque band in the official literature we discovered that the peak 48oNm was generated between approx
imately 1,100 and 1,500rpm, and started to fall away quite sharply after 1,800rpm. Here, the old adage "keep in the green, son" would have meant generating power further up the box with less torque—far less effective and harder on the fuel.
With such a wide band to work with, we found that changing down between 1,500 and 1,800rpm, depending on terrain, dropped right into the bottom third of the torque band for the next gear. Only when taking the ship up to 60mph and beyond did the peak torque not become the central focus of the driving experience, which was the reason for the decent fuel result on the A-road section.
With just a five-speed overdrive gearbox at this weight, we would expect the possibility of the odd gap, however small, between ratios, and sure enough there was a bit too much of a step between third and fourth. The two hill climbs normally wheedle out any potential shortcomings, but that didn't happen on the slow drawn-out climb on Dolfor, or the short, sharp rise at Dinmore. In fact, on the latter we only dropped once to direct drive and this saw us up-and-over sitting at 1,500rpm.
With such a low mileage on the driveline after 30 months, and with some new test vehicles coming in with substantially more clocked up, the driveline is in the prime of its life. It felt smooth up the higher end of the torque band but had a tendency to judder a little when lugging in the bottom half on a hill climb. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, just a whispered suggestion that the engine was struggling a little. Nothing could have been
further from the truth, however, as in fact th engine was pulling well, and the fuel figur, supports this.
Also the handling was exquisite. It was smooth into and out of corners and steady on the straights. You should expect this from all new models, but it's rare to get as far as Dolfor Hill for the first timed climb before remembering that we were on test. The longer wheelbase makes turning circles wider, so tight spots are a little more awkward, but unless you're backing into a driveway off a single-track road, we believe proficient drivers should have no problem.
Cab quality
This is a day cab, not a sleeper, and the amount of room reflects this. Working on the theory that the driver will probably spend as much time out of the cab as in, travelling shorter distances, and getting home every night, it is more than sufficient.
First inspection of the easy-to-enter cab suggests TLS has made every effort to keep it in good shape. There is no obvious wear and tear on the dash or the seats, and neither footwell has any of the heavy scuff marks that denote regular use. The dash still maintains its black veneer and the seat is free of cigarette burns.
We have already mentioned the dual deluxe passenger seat, of which the middle seat pops down to reveal a centre tray for paperwork, drinks and pens. Three-up might prove a little tight if the inhabitants are all tall and large,
but generally there seems to be enough space, certainly for two, and also for any overnight bags.
The door pockets are a decent size for maps and more paperwork, and there is some space behind the seats for anything else that springs to mind. The driver gets a window on the rear wall to help space awareness when reversing or overtaking, and there is a small window in the bottom of the passenger's door as well, to help remove any potential blind spots.
The wing mirrors are quite narrow but out on fairly wide arms so the view down the side is OK, and forward vision from the side of the truck into roundabouts and junctions is not inhibited.
CM Verdict
Registered in late z000 and with such a low mileage, this truck is an outstanding representative of the Midlum range, and if you are in the market for a chassis day cab complete with dropside body, get in quick. The driveline is fresh, and if you avoid the green band maxim, it should return healthy fuel figures.
Large rental companies like TLS take pride in their vehicles' appearance, as smart trucks underpin their company reputation. So the chances are you'll get a cleaner, better caredfor truck from this source than from construction or multi-drop delivery companies, where getting the job done is the prime objective. But that's not to say it won't do those jobs just as well.
III by Kevin Swallow