Renault’s 3.5t Hat-Trick
With the arrival of Maxity, now rubbing shoulders with the Master and Mascott, Renault’s LCV division not only runs from 2.8 to 6.6 tonnes, but all three models crossover at 3.5t. Alistair Vallance reports from the Maxity launch pad at Sophia-Antipolis, Nice. AVILA, sited in central Spain, has had a chequered history. Once protected up to the early 19th century by robust stone walls, promptly blown to bits by Cary Grant in MGM’s movie The Pride and the Passion, the city is now a burgeoning metropolis housing among other industries, Nissan’s production plant for their new Cabstar that has recently taken on a dual French identity, under the badge of Maxity alongside the Renault diamond. In a similar vein to DAF’s LF cab emerging with its own styling from Renault’s Midlum cab plant, so the Maxity has the Renault touch applied to the cab and chassis on Nissan’s Avila production line. However, the big story here is surely Renault’s decision to squeeze apart their Master and Mascott light duty trucks to allow the Maxity centre stage, with all three designs crossing over at 3.5 tonnes. It is interesting that with the demise in popularity of the 7.5 tonner in the UK, the lightweight truck market this side of La Manche is arguably polarising towards heavy panel vans and chassis cabs at the light end, or going much heavier to double the payload at 15 tons and beyond. However this British phenomenon is now finding focus on the continent where Renault, with the arrival of the Maxity, have dramatically increased the activities of their light duty vehicle division with this trio of offerings ranging from 2.8 to 6.6 tonnes. It is surprising that although the Maxity will be offered from 2.8 to 4.5 tonnes on the continent, only the 3.5 tonner will come to Britain. I say surprising because, for the reasons stated above, the one ton extra gross weight coupled with the extra 20hp in engine size would surely find itself smack in the middle of a 3.5 to 6 tonne market which all the pundits predict will seriously strengthen in the UK over the next two to three years. Anyway, the Renault edict has been issued and I obviously moved for a 3.5 tonne version from the demo fleet for a comprehensive test drive and appraisal last month in the south of France. I grabbed the crewcab derivative and immediately took to the mini-truck style cab over engine set up. Cab entry was a breeze and in settling down to the controls I was amazed at the available vision thanks to the huge windscreen. It was also difficult to believe that the external width of the cab was only 1.87m since three seats across are available and in my case, a further three seats behind – six in all. Renault market the 3.5 tonner with the 130hp DXi 2.5 Euro 4 diesel engine with EGR. I suspected it might be a touch lightweight for the job, especially with a 150hp big brother available alongside the Avila production line. However, realising that Renault would never dream of putting a six speed box close to an engine that was an under performer, I promptly checked my route map for the second time and headed off for what was scheduled as a 60 minute trip. I should have checked the route map for a third time! Exiting from our base in Sophia-Antipolis I encountered a series of roundabouts – no problem for a journalist whose office is based in East Kilbride! And each roundabout was well enough sign posted with my destination, the hill-top city of Grasse. Getting to Grasse in reality proved uneventful and my entry to the city on time perhaps lulled me into a false sense of security. Grasse is the perfume capital of France. I know this because bill posters on every roundabout said so and I am sure I circuited every one in the place in my endeavours to relocate my return route. My immediate concern was getting back to base, but I have to say that in all the tight manoeuvring, fast cornering and ‘lively’ braking as I ducked and dived to exit three lane roundabouts, the Maxity’s manoeuvrability impressed me greatly. To cut a long story and a very long run back short, home base was duly reached. Oh, and I should have mentioned that all this time the heavens tipped it down giving me cause for a couple of superlatives in the dull and dreary conditions – the best wiper system I have come across in a while (perhaps down to the seemingly massive windscreen) and a first class headlight system which even in the ‘daylight’ helped external vision while picking up reflective signs. At the formal indoor launch of the new Maxity, Renault studiously avoided the words Nissan and Avila, but when pressed they acknowledged that the French involvement in Spain centred on a front of cab tweak on the Cabstar. But when the Maxity rolls off the production line, then it enters the total Renault loop where owners of the newcomer will deal 100% with Renault, whose distributors and back-up services are already geared for the arrival of the Maxity. Back to the conclusions of my interesting sojourn of the French Rivera, a number of bullet points emerged as highlights of the new Maxity range. Firstly the narrow cab which, when I ventured inside totally belies its 1.87m width with the capability of housing three seats. Then, thanks to this narrow cab, the outstanding 4.8m turning radius. Next, body mounting should be straightforward on a chassis which, complete with sidemembers, looks every inch that of a much bigger truck and no doubt this allows the fourth major point, the impressive 1,820kg payload which, Renault say, Maxity will take in its stride. The DXi 2.5 engine was installed in my crewcab test vehicle at 130hp, boasting a torque of 270Nm at 1,800rpm and when driving, you can almost imagine not a torque ‘curve’ but a torque ‘flat’ as the engine performs to its optimum in the ‘green band’. The six speed gearbox offers a unique short first gear designed to maintain mobility even when travelling slowly and particularly when crawling up to a cluster of foreign road signs! Two rear axle ratios are available on the 3.5t UK Maxity, ie 4.375 and 4.625. Maxity’s front axle has a load capacity of 1,750kg. It also benefits from independent suspension and is fitted with a well dimensioned 26mm anti-roll bar. The rigid rear axle has a capacity of 2,200kg at 3.5t with parabolic leaf suspension and a 25mm anti-roll bar. Renault’s Maxity is also fitted with an energy-absorbing reinforced front bumper and a rear underrun bar. All-disc braking features ABS and EBD (electronic brake distribution) as standard. Also fitted is EHS (easy hill start) which allows the vehicle to be started on gradients without rolling backwards or using the parking brake. As I found, it also eliminated the need to constantly apply pressure to the brake pedal when waiting at traffic lights or in traffic jams… or when lost! Both Nissan and Renault with their respective Cabstar and Maxity designs are unashamedly taking on Isuzu and the Mitsubishi Fuso in the market place but strangely, no semi automated gearbox has been planned for Avila built vehicles. That apart, the cabs have a more contemporary and perhaps European look than their intended opposition. Also there seems to be a resemblance between the Maxity and brother Volvo’s heavy range with a vertical headlamp assembly suggesting talks between Gothenburg, Lyon and Avila in the design chain. Ironically, in northern Europe where Volvo truck dealers will be flogging the Nissan Cabstar, neighbouring Renault dealers will be marketing the Maxity with the only differences being aesthetics and most probably price – but which one will be the dearer? Renault refused to say, but are convinced that the customer’s attention will be taken up by the unique possibility of having not one, not two, but three different trucks to provide a solution for 3.5 tonne operations and all with a diamond above the ‘smiling’ grille.