AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Premium class

1st May 2008, Page 18
1st May 2008
Page 18
Page 19
Page 18, 1st May 2008 — Premium class
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords : Renault, Cabin, Truck

The arrival of the Premium Lander eight-legger completes Renault Truck's UK multi-wheeler line-up. We're the first to drive it.

Words! Images: Brian Weatherley FOLLOWING THE debut of the Premium Lander 8x4 at last month's CV Show. Renault has finally got an eight-legger for the vast majority of 11K multi-wheeler buyers. Yes. the French truckmaker has long had a right-handdrive 8x4 — the Kerax — in its product range, but the bulletproof bruiser is very much a heavy-weight muck-away machine for those constantly up to their diffs in 'muck and bullets'.

The Premium Lander, though, is the 'on-road' four-axle chassis for those bulk operators hauling aggregates, asphalt and ready-mixed concrete and, being 500kg lighter, it's infinitely more attractive where payload counts.

To describe Renault's Construction Range as comprehensive is to undersell it. There are more Kerax and Lander models than you can shake a stick at. but for the sake of brevity, we'll stick with the latest Lander 8x4, which comes with the 10.8-litre. DXil 1 engine underneath a choice of day or sleeper cabs with a three-step layout.

If there's one thing the French have got 100% right with the Premium it's cab access. Similar to the tractor, the Lander eight-legger has one of the best staircases around, thanks to properly layered steps with deep tread plates, decent hand grips and a good, wide door aperture. From the outside. the Lander sits somewhat lower than a Kerax — the result of having drop-beam, as opposed to straight-beam, front axles. Its frame also sits slightly lower, and it sports a mixed steel and plastic front bumper unlike the Kerax's all-steel unit.

Once inside, it's easy to see the recent advances Renault has made in build quality. As with the use of 'group powertrains', it's another positive influence from the Swedes. The rubber floor covering, heavy-duty plastic facia and robust seat trim all look tough enough to go the distance on tipper work. But what we really like about the Lander interior is its extremely compact dash layout (Volvo and Scania take note), which puts everything well within reach, plus, its tightly-arranged central instrument cluster, based around the big rev counter and digital speedo. All controls are positioned well, with the obvious exception of the hand-brake, which needs to move up to the dash. The other thing Renault does need to do is increase the storage space inside the day cab. It's currently limited to door pockets, a modest centre overhead cupboard, a dash pocket and a small tray-comecentral-cup-holder. If you want a larger box on the engine hump, that's extra. Tipper and mixer drivers have a fair amount of safety kit, and there aren't too many places to put it in the Lander, We've long been big fans of the deeper Global cab option on the Kerax. which has terrific storage space including the twin, removable bins behind the seats and hefty 'meat rack clothes rail on the back wall., only you can't get a Global cab on the Lander, just the day or sleeper with a standard or high-roof. Renault needs to rethink that strategy — and quickly.

To see how Lander performs on the road. CM took an exclusive drive in the 410hp 8x4, complete with a Thompsons Sandmaster body on the back. The pre-full production model was being readied for the forthcoming SED show, but we managed to grab it for a couple of hours and complete a decent circuit that included urban running, dual carriageways and a quick hop back to Dunstable on the motorway.

With the optional Optidriyer-F auto (nee Volvo 1-Shift), we think Renault is on to a winner. Yes, it's got a hefty 14,135 price tag, but that's just the starting point for haggling, and it includes the OptiBrake engine brake. Matched to the DXill, it's one of the smoothest shifting auto gearboxes around, and it thinks quick. A control lever on the steering column allows you to select the driving mode and make manual shifts if you need them. while a separate switch on the dash selects off-road mode, which prompts the two-pedal box to take gears one at a time (rather than block-shifting) and hold the revs a little longer.

At 50mph on dual carriageways, we were impressed by the low noise levels inside the cabin, and the cruise control buttons on the steering are intuitive and simple to use. The Lander's steering was light but precise, while the ride was also pretty good, too, not least unladen.

Renault has resisted fitting massive mirror clusters — consequently, lateral vision for the driver is easier, especially at roundabouts. Last, but by no means least, the all-disc braking set-up has good stopping power. Equally important is the fact its got a positive and progressive pedal feel. And OptiB rake is great for washing off speed without touching the service brakes, •

Tags


comments powered by Disqus