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Renault's Kangoo E-Tech sets a fresh standard for what a compact full-electric van should be. In terms of range, power and practicality, it's a big step forward from its Kangoo Z.E. predecessor. As a result, this is the class benchmark.
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Background
The Renault Kangoo Z.E. was the market's original all-electric van, launched a decade ago to take the segment for compact LCVs into a brand new world. It lent its powertrain to its Renault Nissan Alliance cousin, the Nissan e-NV200, in 2014, but no other van was able to follow Renault's lead throughout the 21st century's second decade. Now, just as the opposition is - finally - catching up, the all-electric Kangoo LCV moves into its second generation, aiming to set standards that'll stay just beyond its competitors' reach.
Now it's called the 'Kangoo E-Tech' and offers huge advances in both power and range. And, like the similar petrol and diesel Kangoos, it's also larger and cleverer inside too, both for cargo and passengers. The market's been impressed, awarding this Renault and its cloned Nissan Townstar and Mercedes Citan siblings an International Van of the Year award at launch. But will you be? Let's see.
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Driving experience
The original all-electric Kangoo Z.E. van sold quite well for Renault, but buyers needed to overlook a couple of fairly significant issues. First, the rather feeble 143 mile driving range delivered by the relatively small 33kWh battery. And you only got that if you engaged an 'Eco' mode which stifled throttle responses from the modest 44kW motor and made the Kangoo feel gutless. But forget all about that now. With this replacement Kangoo E-Tech, there's a vastly bigger 45kWh battery giving a considerably improved 186 mile range figure. Yes, again you've to engage a rather restrictive 'Eco' mode to get close to achieving that, but because power output from the new electric motor has almost doubled to 90kW (121hp), that's no longer such a problem.
There are three selectable levels of regenerative braking, the most dramatic slowing the vehicle so much when you come off throttle that you hardly ever need to use the brake. This second generation model is significantly more refined too. With some other EV vans, all the deletion of a combustion engine does is to emphasise wind and tyre roar, but there's little of that here. And there's a whole range of advanced camera drive assist features available which could never have been fitted to the previous model.
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Design and build
Visually, unless you happen to notice the charging flap or the 'E-Tech' badging, there's very little to set this all-electric Kangoo apart from its combustion counterparts. You're not likely to notice that charging point because it's concealed behind the large Renault badge on the nose. That brand moniker is flanked by headlamps incorporating the brand's signature C-shaped daytime running lights. And there are also smarter light clusters at the rear, where the left hand door has been made wider to improve access in tight spaces.
There's an even bigger step forward inside, where just about everything that matters has been carried over from the current Clio supermini - steering wheel, dashboard, climate controls and the prominent infotainment touchscreen that appears further up the range. The cabin's more spacious too - now wide enough for the inclusion of an optional double passenger seat, which can also flatten to be used as a base for your laptop. If you need to carry more than two passengers, then it's worth checking out the LL21 Crew Van variant.
A clever feature that Renault unfortunately hasn't been able to engineer into right hand drive Kangoo E-Tech models is the 'Open Sesame' side door. With this, the lack of a B-pillar, combined with the swivelling bulkhead and a flat seat makes for an opening so big (1,446mm) that you could load in items of up to 3.0-letres in length. That's disappointing, as is the lack of another clever feature, the 'Easy Life' glovebox drawer. In compensation though, there's a folding partition bulkhead which adds an extra 0.5m3 of load volume and allows longer items to be transported, poked through from the loading area.
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Market and model
Pricing for this Kangoo E-Tech starts from around £33,000, once you deduct the £2,500 government Plug-in Van Grant. Prices range up to just over £36,000. As with the combustion Kangoo range, there's a choice of two trim levels - base 'Start' and plusher 'Advanced'. There's the usual choice of either the short wheelbase 'ML19' body shape or the longer 'LL21' body style, the latter also available in Crew Van form with a second row fold-out passenger seat. The Crew Van only comes with 'Start' spec. In case you're interested, the premium over a combustion Kangoo is around £11,000 over a TCe 100 petrol model - and just under £10,000 over a Blue dCi 95 diesel variant.
As with the combustion model, we would want to keep some budget aside for the useful folding seat arrangement which sees the passenger chair collapse and the mesh bulkhead hinge to one side to leave completely flat floor that runs from the rear doors into the passenger foot well. Another nice optional touch is the 'Easy Inside Rack', an interior roof rack that can hold lengths of up to 2,500mm and folds down from the roof when it's needed - a more secure solution than a roof rack and one that keeps valuable items away from prying eyes. Safety provision includes up to six airbags and you can specify all kinds of camera safety stuff this time round, including Lane Assist, tiredness alert and automatic emergency braking.
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Summary
Rarely does second generation vehicle design deliver as big step forward as is evident with this all-electric Kangoo van. We struggled to recommend its Z.E. predecessor except to businesses whose deliveries would be purely urban-based. This MK2 E-Tech model though, has a powertrain able to take you further afield, so it's just as well that the larger load area allows you to carry more cargo.
As with the combustion versions of this design, we're disappointed that right hand drive models don't get the clever 'Open Sesame' pillar-less sliding door that's available on the continent. But the more versatile cabin and the folding partition bulkhead provide some compensation for that. Renault's been building electric vans for much longer than its rivals. And in this case, you have to say that really shows.
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