Euro 6 Renault Trucks Range review
Posted On: Tuesday 18 June 2013
Renault Truck Euro 6 Range review
Renault Trucks has used the switch to Euro 6 as an opportunity to revamp its entire range, thanks to an investment of over EU2 billion by the Volvo Group.
Quality and reliability is not something that just happens - it evolves over long hours of testing and research. Since 2008, this process has led to 300 vehicles covering 10 million km in quality tests, plus 5 million additional hours of bench tests - at temperatures ranging from -40degC to +60degC, the most stringent testing Renault Trucks has carried out in its history.
The Renault Trucks Long Distance Range
The Renault Trucks Range T has been designed to offer haulage companies the perfect balance between fuel savings and life on board. With its aerodynamic cab, developed and tested with the aid of a wind tunnel, the T combines the Premium Long Distance's efficiency and low fuel consumption with the Magnum's comfort and prestige - in a single new vehicle. It also offers an improved powertrain with new Euro 6 engines, and a totally new cab.
The T range achieves some of the lowest fuel-consumption figures on the market, thanks to a performance-improving design and new powertrain. These are down by up to 5% compared to the previous generation despite constraints imposed by the new Euro 6 standard.
The new Long Distance range offers numerous unprecedented benefits. At 2.5 metres wide, the Renault Trucks T cab is more spacious, more comfortable, and has an extendable bunk, as well as an upper bunk that can be used for extra storage if required. The engine tunnel is now just 200mm high and completely disappears in the flat floor version. The optimised driving position boasts new seats designed by RECARO® for Renault Trucks, an ergonomic dashboard with 7 inch central display (the largest on the market), and the option of rearranging the positions of the control buttons. The T also offers a storage compartment that can be accessed both from inside and outside the vehicle, plus a door opening angle of 85�. Drivers have the benefit of a number of driver safety aids, including cornering lights and a multi-function three-way adjustable driving wheel.
If the need arises, drivers can use the '24/7' button on their dashboard to instantly geolocate their vehicle and report all its technical data, making it even easier for one of Renault Trucks' 1,600 sales and service outlets worldwide to take charge of the vehicle. The T is also configured to integrate Optifleet, the Renault Trucks fleet management solution that increases operational profitability. In addition, Renault Trucks is maintaining its proven fuel saving solutions, including Optifuel Infomax, which analyses performance, monitors fuel consumption, and, when combined with Renault Trucks instruction in fuel-efficient driving, (already used to train over 25,000 drivers to date), can reduce overall fuel consumption by up to 15% for an entire fleet.
The Renault Trucks Construction and Heavy Construction Ranges
For its new Construction vehicles, Renault Trucks offers two distinct ranges - the Range C Construction range and the Range K Heavy Construction range - in order to meet customers' needs as efficiently as possible. The Renault Trucks C range, available in two cab widths, predominantly focuses on high payloads, low consumption, and comfort comparable to that of a long-distance vehicle. Furthermore, its excellent pulling power and obstacle clearance capacity will make it highly attractive to customers in the earthmoving sector. Meanwhile, the Renault Trucks K range sets new standards in terms of ruggedness, obstacle clearance and also offers the best approach angle on the market. The new vehicles benefit from an improved powertrain, with the new Euro 6 engines and also a highly distinctive cab.
Among the many features offered by the vehicles in these new construction ranges, the most outstanding include the more spacious, more comfortable and more ergonomic cab, with its rotating buttons. A step on the side of the vehicle has also been incorporated to enable drivers to more easily check their load. The vehicles demonstrate ruggedness capable of withstanding the toughest conditions by offering impact protection for the most exposed parts and all steel bumpers, available on both the K and C ranges. Finally, they boast outstanding technical characteristics, with excellent ground clearance, a GCW (Gross Combined Weight) up to 120 tonnes and the best approach angle on the market (32�) for the K range.
Optitrack, the hydrostatic traction system on the front axle, which provides temporary extra pulling power, is available on the C range. In contrast, the K range includes conventional all wheel drive versions.
Furthermore, thanks to the Renault Trucks new Construction ranges' technical qualities, customers will be able to benefit from greater cost efficiency. The new Euro 6 engines deliver a hitherto unrivalled level of performance and fuel consumption lower than their Euro 5 predecessors. In addition, with its optimised curb weight, the C range offers an outstanding payload which can be as much as 22.8 tonnes for a 8x4. The K offers a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of up to 50 tonnes and a Gross Combination Weight (GCW) up to 120 tonnes. These vehicles also have several options of provisions for simplifying body mounting operations, allowing them to be carried out up to 20% quicker, making vehicle delivery times shorter.
With its Optifuel Programme, Renault Trucks offers its Construction sector customers' instructors or fleet managers a comprehensive instruction module for implementing personalised improvement plans with long-term follow-up. These are provided by Optifuel Infomax and Optifuel Training, a 'home-made' instruction program in economic driving. In addition Optifuel Training offers a specific module for driving on construction sites. This programme makes our customers independent and can result in them reducing fuel consumption by as much as 15%.
The Renault Trucks Distribution Range
When designing its new Distribution Range D, Renault Trucks drew upon its expertise, its familiarity with the sector's activities and the environment as well as the known and acknowledged advantages of the current range. However, although the new Renault Trucks Distribution range is based on preceding models, it has evolved into a much clearer offering which consists of a single range and three models capable of meeting all its customers' needs. Renault Trucks now offers three models in its D range: the Renault Trucks D, a model from 10 t to 18 t; the Renault Trucks D Wide, a model from 16 t to 26 t and the Renault Trucks D Access, a model with a low entry cab from 18 t to 26 t. This offering will soon be completed by an additional vehicle designed to meet the needs of customers needing solutions from 3.5 to 7.5 tonnes.
The new DTI 5 and DTI 8 engines have been based on tried and tested technologies, adapted to urban applications. They comply with the Euro 6 standard, while improving their levels of performance and reliability. The low consumption of the previous generation has been passed onto this new range. The possibility of reaching maximum torque from 900 rpm means drivers do not have to push the engine to its limits and therefore consume less fuel. Similarly, the generous power rating of the new four cylinder engine, equivalent to that of a six cylinder engine, will make it possible to further extend the vehicles' load capacity
For customers wishing to further reduce their operating costs, this range can be associated with Optifuel Programme. By associating the consumption monitoring and analysis software Optifuel Infomax and the training in fuell-efficient driving developed by Renault Trucks, savings in fuel consumption can be as much as 15% across an entire fleet.
In the distribution sector, where fields of activity are widely diversified, a truck must be able to exactly satisfy customers' needs. This is why Renault Trucks offers more than 100 different models and makes provisions on them making it easier for bodybuilders to do their work. As soon as the order has been placed, bodybuilders can access all the vehicle's plans via a dedicated web portal. This enables them to plan the work more easily and reduce body mounting time by 20%.
Renault Trucks has designed its new D range with the aim of optimizing global vehicle usage value. This involves the manufacturer making its expertise available to its customers to offer them a comprehensive transport solution. It undertakes to be at their side throughout the vehicle's entire operating life and provide them with efficient solutions in terms of financing, insurance, fuel consumption analysis and instruction in fuel-efficient driving, as well as locally-based services to provide efficient maintenance and reduce the cost of downtime.
The new Renault Trucks Euro 6 vehicles have been developed with the goal of delivering cost-efficiency, reliability and pride. The Volvo Group, to which Renault Trucks belongs, has made a major investment in the new range, as well as in the plants and equipment needed for its production. The new sales organization will enable Renault Trucks to expand its geographical coverage, by increasing its numbers of sales and service outlets by 30 to 40% on certain markets. With this new range of vehicles, backed by a global Group, Renault Trucks has everything it needs to win new customers and increase its market share.