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The new Premium will go head to head with the
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best that Oaf, Volvo, Mercedes, Scania and MAN can offerand it outclasses them in many key areas.
For starters Renault is laying claim to offering the lightest tractor on the market. The new Premium has shed 60kg compared with the outgoing model, which had established its own reputation as a lightweight. At 6,791kg with a full 445-litre tank of fuel, this 4x2's tare will take some beating.
Renault is making some bold statements about fuel economy, claiming the new Premium is 5% thriftier than its predecessor. OK, so that was hardly the most frugal truck on the market, but the 11-litre DXl 11 should see the Premium become more than a back marker in the fuel-efficiency stakes. Whether it can match the formidable MAN D20 on fuel, a future roadtest will reveal.
All the makes we've mentioned are now equipped with automated transmissions -Volvo uses the same hardware as the Premium, while Oaf and MAN rely on the same ZFAS-Tronic basic box. Only Mercedes has gone it alone on gearboxes.
On the evidence of our test drives, and admittedly we haven't yet had much experience with the Premium, Renault's installation is one of the best. The shifts are faster than the Merc or Scania; it's more "intelligent" than the ZF, and nicer to use. Not surprisingly we can't split Renault's incarnation from Volvo's.
The cab layout will appeal to many drivers: the Premium's layout is more attractive than that offered by Mercedes, MAN or Volvo while its living space scoops Scania, and the Renault bunk is best in class. Mind you, the interior colour scheme is a major weak point in our opinion it looks good new, but will attract the grimeand all the competitors have better solutions.
To get us talking about the Premium as a major contender to the established UK fleet trucks is a major achievement in itself and the new Renault has to rank highly as a potential fleet purchase.
Our fleet tractor league has been reshaped by this launch; we'd put the new Premium in joint third. Reliability, aftersales service and, of course, price will be the key to whether Renault can muscle its way further up the rankings.