Fleet Transport June 2020

TEST II | 59
Galway where my load of furniture awaited.
Impressions driving empty were that it
cruises happily at motorway speeds, there’s
a responsive and slick six-speed gear change
and visibility overall is good. One minor
gripe is that the frame dividing the driver’s
side window into two parts blocks part of
your view of the right side mirror, not an
issue though on the passenger side.
Another complaint is the lack of either
reversing sensors or a reversing camera on
vans like these. Renault is far from alone
in this regard, but when even the smallest
road cars these days have them, it seems
crazy not to make them standard on big
vans - especially when many of these vans
are driven by non-professional drivers.
Arriving to Galway I was confronted with…
well, let’s say rather a lot of large pieces of
furniture. In fact the consensus was that
there was no way we’d fit it all into one
load. Well, we underestimated the Master’s
capacious loading area, and before we knew
it we were throwing in odds and sods to
fill the remaining spaces, all the big stuff
already in situ. Noted was the low loading
sill - it makes all the difference when lifting
heavy furniture on board - and the wide side
door also proved useful when manoeuvring
items around.
Heading back east to County Meath, the
Master was well able to handle the full load,
albeit it wasn’t the heaviest it will carry
in its lifetime. It being a windy day, one
feature I appreciated was Side Wind Assist
technology. That wind did have a serious
if predicable affect on fuel economy, as I
averaged 11.7l/100km (24.1mpg) on that
journey compared to 9.1 l/100km (31mpg)
on the outward leg - which is pretty decent
for a motorway journey.
In summary, this Renault Master is a
workhorse that will tick most operators’s
boxes, easy to drive, durable with low
running costs, and a capacious load area
with excellent access.
Oh, the Chinese takeaway and wine went
down very well, thanks for asking!
The Renault Master LM35 135 dCi FWD
Business Euro 6 has an RRP of €29,950
Text & Photos: Cathal Doyle - cathal@fleet.ie
www.fleet.ie