A Well Matured Magnum!
1990 may well have been a good year for French wine producers, but it was an even better year for their truck manufacturer. Yes Renault’s Magnum has now accrued an 18 year vintage, but John Henderson reports that after a run around our Scottish route, this iconic truck still has plenty of 21st century fizz! FIRST AND last were the best words to sum up the Renault Magnum 500 Euro 5 test run in October, as it was my inaugural time behind the wheel of this big French truck and the final time I’d run around our Scottish route in 2007. The big 6x2 tractor and a fully loaded Fruehauf box van trailer shone in its all over white livery and autumn sunshine with forecast warm temperatures offered the chance of best possible driving conditions. Care is required when climbing aboard or exiting the Magnum as the ‘up over and in’ entry via the steps mounted behind the front wheel, requires full concentration and both hands. The two doors are sensibly restricted to around 45° of opening which helps usher you in the right direction when coming or going. Once aboard though, the completely flat cab floor offers an interior height of 1.87 metres (over 6ft) and an exceptional feeling of general roominess. Having driven plenty of Renault Premiums before, the controls and switches seemed familiar and after a quick adjustment of the driver’s seat, I felt very much at home and more than ready to hit the road. My initial impressions on joining the motorway were of quicker than normal steering response, due to the front axle being virtually at the front of the chassis and superb visibility from the high cab with its large windscreen and side windows. Unfortunately what I was seeing through the panoramic front glass was not so encouraging, as a busy M74 would see us continually bunched in speed limited HGV traffic until the Baillieston interchange with the M8. The brakes were brought into play often during this congestion and the electronically managed all-round discs performed effortlessly, quickly bringing the rig into check with the slightest touch of the centre pedal. It’s easy to take the rotational retardation units for standard these days, with such reliable performance from the state-of-the-art systems and needless to say, the Renault anchors include ABS, ASR traction control and hill start assist amongst their extensive specification. Once clear of the metropolis and heading for rural Perthshire I finally got the chance to engage the cruise control and settle down into a good rhythm with the 500hp motor. It’s common knowledge that this power plant is of Swedish origin, but that’s no bad thing as the delivered performance is impressive and quiet too. Maximum power for the six in-line unit is produced between 1,400 to 1,800rpm and with a flat toque ‘curve’ delivering 2,450nm from 1,050 to 1,400rpm there’s few situations that will trouble this truck at 44 tonne operation. Mechanical slowing comes with compliments of Optibrake+, a useable combination of the exhaust brake retarder and valve braking delivering 382kw at 2,300rpm when coupled to the service units. High pressure fuel injection, 24 valves and an overhead camshaft all combine to deliver crisp acceleration and a responsiveness that’s difficult to equal in the 13 litre mainstream market. Tilting the cab for a visual inspection at our second stop, the power plant looked well installed and access for technicians is impressive with almost all the relative components being within easy reach. Back to the run and Perthshire’s brace of timed hill climbs passed easily without incident with the Magnum posting respectable times when compared against its peer group. The first stop at Kinross saw an average fuel consumption figure of 8.12mpg, which was impressive considering the conditions endured in the first 40 minutes of the day. Once mobile again on Fife’s A class roads, I began to appreciate some of the finer benefits offered by the big square cab. The flat vertical sides allow easy, precise positioning and although from the exterior the rear view mirrors look smallish, the operational truth is that they are more than up to the job and their neat mounting brackets offer a minimum in the way of blind spots. This was most noticeable on the approach to the Kingdom’s roundabouts with good sweeping advanced views helping to keep the stop/starts at a minimum and my fuel figures at the maximum. Renault reckon that only 5% manual driver intervention is required with their Optidriver+ automatic gear changing, but my experience would suggest that figure is perhaps a mite low. Leaving it in full auto in town and through junctions etc is recommended, but to prevent the occasional surprise change on the open road where the electrics can’t see ahead, fine tuning of the upper gears through manual intervention seemed right to me. The 12 forward and four reverse system is controlled by a stalk on the right side of the steering column which contains an inner radial switch for drive, neutral and backward functions. Pulling the paddle towards the driver changes from auto to manual and vice versa, whilst up and down ratio shifts are facilitated by radial, indicator style movements. A single reduction rear axle ratioed at 2.84:1 completed the transmission line up. Moving onto the chassis, the trio of cab steps are mounted behind the front axle which tightens up the frame space somewhat and dictates a certain tidiness in equipment mounting. Renault have excelled here and although the nearside rail is given over exclusively to the 530 litre aluminium diesel tank, there’s plenty room on the offside for a D shaped 60 litre AdBlue reservoir, battery box et al. The usual front steel, rear air set up was fitted with parabolic leafs and shocks at the front, working harmoniously with the air bags further back. A remote control, in cab unit can be used for manual ride height adjustment when loading and coupling etc. The Magnum’s big square cab has probably the smallest roof and side air deflectors in the business. Experts agree that the closer the unit and trailer can be coupled, the better the fuel saving and certainly to my eye the sliding VBG/Fontaine fifth wheel with its 13 positions in 37.5mm steps offers this optimum set up, which perchance may help to offset the ‘brick effect’ of this truck’s flat front. On the road the Renault handles well and despite the height, no adverse cab roll was noted, which says a lot about the unit’s four point air suspension mounts. The modular design of this workplace disconnects you slightly from the lumps and bumps of the tarmac, but there’s still an adequate feedback from the major components to allow ‘seat of the pants’ decision making whilst driving. It’s a positive thing that despite being a truck with a radically different design, the Magnum gets under your skin quite quickly and the driver becomes comfortable with its iconic design. That’s certainly what I was thinking as we cruised around Edinburgh on our final sector heading for Abington with good journey times so far and ‘game on’ regarding the fuel returns, with the magical 7mpg in my sights as the last measured figure. True to form sod’s law prevailed, as on leaving the city bypass we ground to a halt on the Fairmilehead over bridge, sitting stationary for a full 15 minutes as road crews repaired a collapsed drain culvert and set up emergency four way traffic control at the Damhead junction. A frustrating interruption yes, but at least it gave me the time to appreciate some of the in cab refinements as we sat motionless with the engine, first idling in neutral and then shutdown to preserve the consumption as best as possible. As described earlier the flat floor gives acres of foot space for the driver and passenger, with a factory fitted bar type rest for the latter’s plates of meat. Renault offer three levels of trim for this range topping truck, in the shape of the mainstream Privilege and Excellence, topped off with the rarer Vega, complete with its electric blue lit interior. Our model tested was the middle option and featured a brilliant standard of fitments which would suit any long distance driver. The substantial bottom bed measures 2,000x750mm and is extremely comfortable. The hammock style top bunk is slightly smaller and hinges cleverly to form useful extra storage in the fold of the base. The overall blue, black and grey finish colourings are pleasant and reflect plenty of natural light. Storage is good rather than voluminous, but where fitted it is logical and most practical. Typically for a Renault, clever touches abound onboard such as the foot operated steering column adjustment, electric windscreen interior blind and the slide out, under bunk fridge being well worth a mention. Instrumentation is clear and concise, with every switch well within reach and thoughtfully placed, and the central rev counter and its digital speedometer is one of the best in the business, allowing the required information to be retrieved in quick glances whilst on the move. Talking of moving we eventually did get going, enjoying quieter than usual conditions on the A702 once clear of the aforementioned hazard. The Magnum excelled in the free air here, taking the relentless corners, narrow village roads and undulating geography in its eager stride and offering a reassuring, enjoyable run on the last lap. On the day’s evaluation I’d spotted a few other Magnums from the Pollock and Bulmer fleets supplemented by a number of owner driven examples, but its hard to explain why they have never really caught on properly in the bigger transport concerns. Perhaps it’s a perception thing, with lack of familiarity being a factor in preventing a purchase. Certainly despite having held an LGV licence for 19 years, it’s the first time I’ve driven one, but it sure won’t be the last! In a short space of time I was taken with the big Renault and amazed at just how quickly it gets under your skin. This instant quirky likeability and acclimatisation no doubt explains all the repeat business this model seems to attract. The future looks bright still for the Renault Magnum, with a face lifted model due to debut at the CV Show in Birmingham. There’s also talk of a new engine variant for 2008, with the possibility of a new flagship Renault cab for the next again year, so in line with the country’s wine growers, there are vintage years ahead for this renowned French manufacturer.