Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E.
When did Renault start to produce Kangoo?
In 1997
Renault launched the first model of Kangoo. This model had to replace the old
one Renault Express which was based on Renault 5. In 2003 Renault launched a
facelift model of Kangoo. In 2008 the producing of the presented model was initiated.
Renault Kangoo Z.E. was launched in 2011.
What does Z.E. means?
This means
Zero Emission because this van has full electrical drive. There isn't an
internal combustion engine, only electrical motor with 44 kW (60 hp). The
producer gives - max speed of 130 km/h (approx.
80.77 miles/h). Renault Kangoo can be driven for 170 km (approx. 105
miles) with fully charged batteries. These are official parameters. But in fact
these parameters can't be accurate because they are dependent of style of
driving, use of climate control, number of passengers and the luggage or
cargo.
Cargo, luggage and passengers or all together?!
When we talk
about the transport opportunities of Kangoo I can say that this car can
transport everything – from passengers to cargo or both. There is a lot of space
on the front seats which is very good, even comfortable. The driver seat is
placed high for more visibility. The side mirrors are huge for clear view. The
rear seats couldn't be distinguished with so much comfort but there is enough
space for three people. The cargo space is very large. The official information
is from 4 up to 4.6 cubic meters. There are side slide doors and two big back
doors. I think it’s no problem loading large objects.
What about test drive?
I did a test
drive and my opinion of it is good. I can't believe that this van can be so
powerful. The point is that there is only 60 hp. Unfortunately, I didn’t have opportunity
to drive this van fully loaded but the van is fast enough and able to maneuver,
considering its length (4660 mm).
With that
type of engines, when you push the acceleration pedal, you have the full power.
With the internal combustion engines, you have to reach given rpm (rotations
per minute) for max power. However, I’ll make a comparison between electrical
and internal combustion engine in some of my following articles.
The disadvantage is...
The
disadvantage is that there is limit for driving, only 170 km. This is a too
short distance for commercial car. If the car is fully loaded I'm not sure that
you can reach the millage of 170 km. The batteries are Li-ion with 22kW/h
capacity which should be good. But the charge of batteries takes a lot of time
from 6 to 9 hours.
What about systems...
For me it is
interesting that the socket for charging the batteries is behind the front
logo. It's very clever. Renault has made a noise system 'Z.E. Voice' which is
activated from 1 km/h to 30 km/h to warn the pedestrians. Also it can be equipped
with R-Link multimedia system. This system includes GPS navigation TOM-TOM,
Bluetooth - connectivity for audio streaming. Also, 'R-Link' can synchronize
with you phone and can display the phone book, call history and more.
Conventional engines and transmissions...
Renault
Kangoo also offers internal combustion engines. There are dCi 75, 90 and 110,
which means diesel engine with relevant horse power. The petrol engines are
1600 ccm, 16 valves with 105 and 115 hp. There are three transmissions: 4-speed
automatic, 5- and 6-speed manual transmissions for all engines.
Dimensions are:
Wheel-base: 3 081mm
Length: 4 666 mm
Front
wheel-base: 1 521 mm
Rear
wheel-base: 1 533 mm
Wide (with
mirrors): 2 138 mm
High: 1 826
mm
That's all,
for this week. You can follow us on facebook.com/dro4cars ...Bye!
