Renault's diesel spring
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• The long-awaited new diesel engines for the Renault Trafic and Master panel vans will be available by late spring.
The smaller Trafic vans get the naturally-aspirated, 2.5-litre IDI Sofim diesel that is currently used in the Renault Master range. The Master vans get the blown DI version of the Sofim that gives around 68kW (91hp), and 216Nm (1591bft).
The turbocharged diesel engine in the Master will be the most powerful diesel engine among the best-selling vehicles in its class. The market leading Ford Transit still offers only a naturally-aspirated version of the 2.5-litre DI diesel, developing 52kW (70hp). Freight Rover's 300-series Sherpa uses the venerable Land Rover 2.5-litre ID1 unit, which gives 54kW (72hp).
Both Ford and Freight Rover have plans to offer alternatives to increase the power, but the Renault Master offers PSV operators and parcels delivery companies the diesel performance that many of them have been calling for.
The blown Sofim unit is already used in the Fiat Ducat° range and the Iveco Ford turbo Daily vans. It has a reputation for high power and excellent fuel economy, but Fiat has found supplies of the unit a little hard to come by.
Renault's problems with get ting supplies of diesel-engined Masters will not be helped if it cannot secure a reliable supply of Sofim diesel engines, although the company is confident that it will he able to.
The Trafic's naturallyaspirated 2.5-Sofim engine will replace the 2.1-litre wet-liner IDI diesel which has been criticised for its low power and relatively poor fuel economy.
The larger Sofim unit delivers 52kW (70hp), and 147Nm (1081bft), which will put the Tratic's power output into line with the Ford Transit's diesel
engine, or the Freight Rover Sherpa's Perkins Prima diesel, which delivers 44kW (59hp) and 118Nm (871bft).
The engines are expected in May, but it is not known when the petrol units in the CVs will get a revamp. Renault, however, is considering whether to fit the new 1.9-litre diesel engine from the Renault 19 passenger car to the 1,600cc Renault Extra diesel.
E Changes to the interior decor and seats of the Renault Master are scheduled for the end of March.