The new Kangoo van is a huge improvement on the previous model in terms of quality and comfort. Although the new Kangoo has been on the market for some time now, this has been the first opportunity I have had to drive one.
The badge on the van takes up almost a half of one of the rear doors and the description of the van was a bit of a mystery to me: ML 20 dCi 85+. The easy bit to decipher is the fact that it has an 85hp diesel engine. After a little investigation I’ve found the ML to be Medium (wheelbase) Low (roof) and the 20 is the Gross Vehicle weight (2 tonnes).
I drove the Kangoo quite extensively during the week we had it and found it to be every bit as comfortable as a D sector saloon car. The seats are very supportive and unlike the vans of the past, you do actually sit in the seat and not on it; you don’t feel as though you are just perched on the edge. There is a nice large centre armrest as well, with a huge amount of storage space in it.
All the controls are situated sufficiently, making them easy to operate and they have a quality feel to them. The heater controls are a bit clumsy though as the fan speed dial is fairly small and is on top of the heat setting dial, so it is easy to move one without really wanting to.
The diesel engine produces 85hp which does not sound enough, but we found it to be adequate. We drove up some steep motorway inclines without any problems, although I was in the van by myself without any load or weight in it. However, even if fully loaded, I’m sure it would have coped reasonably well.
The split rear opening doors open wide enough to allow goods and cargo to be loaded in and out easily and with the standard side opening door, allows easy access to cargo in the front section. Vans have come a long way over the past few years, going from a basic form of transport that had no creature comforts, to a vehicle where safety and standard equipment is of paramount importance. Air conditioning is standard in most modern vans, whereas not that long ago it would have been regarded as a luxury. Another recent addition to vans has been the must-have rear parking sensors, which this Kangoo has as standard and they are very useful.
The Kangoo has a total load volume of 3.0m3. It has a load length of 1,731mm and a height of 1,129mm. The load floor is fairly low so heavy goods can be loaded in and out with relative ease.
We couldn’t get an accurate fuel consumption figure, but the official combined figure is 54.3mpg.
The Kangoo is a good medium size van that has a reasonable payload. It is comfortable and has plenty of standard equipment. The cost of the test van was £12,440 + VAT.
