The 2023 Renault Trafic van range is arriving in Australia now, and customers will need to spend a lot more to get into one – but they’ll get more technology and a big step up in safety equipment, a bigger diesel engine, and a number of other spec changes.
The new Trafic has seen big safety adjustments to bring it more in line with benchmark vehicles in the segment like the Hyundai Staria Load and Toyota HiAce, and as such, has new items like auto emergency braking (AEB) and lane departure warning on all grades, and added gear like adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring on the higher versions, too.
The last-gen Trafic was infamously short on active safety tech, and the spin-off Mitsubishi Express scored an alarming (headline grabbing) zero-star ANCAP safety rating in 2020.
As before there is a choice of a short-wheelbase model (3098m) or long-wheelbase version (3498mm), the latter of which has a maximum cargo capacity of 6.7 cubic metres in two-seat van guise. The maximum load length for the LWB Trafic with the clever load-through port is 4.15m, and there’s up to 1280kg of payload capability depending on the model. Base grade manual versions also score upgraded towing capacity, now up to 2500kg for a braked trailer.
Gone is the old 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine in the base grades, replaced by a larger-capacity 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel with 125kW and 380Nm. There’s the choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (adding $2000 to the price).
Fuel consumption is rated at 7.2 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle for the manual model, and an impressive 6.5L/100km for the so-called EDC (electronic dual-clutch) auto versions.
And as with the last model, business buyers will be impressed by the lack of downtime required for maintenance – with service intervals set every 12 months or 30,000km, whichever occurs first. The latter distance duration is double rivals like HiAce and Staria Load. There is up to five years/150,000km of capped price servicing, too.
Buyers have the choice of the entry-level Pro for the cargo van and a more highly specified Premium version of the cargo van and six-seat crew van. There’s also a Lifestyle spec crew van, too.
The Pro model is available in SWB manual ($48,200 before on-road costs), SWB auto ($50,200), LWB manual (also $50,200) and LWB auto ($52,200). Buyers who wish to opt for a crew van model with a second row of seats and glazed dual side sliding doors will have to fork out $57,200 for the LWB auto Pro Crew Van model.
In the Pro, standard gear includes the newly added AEB, lane departure warning, cruise control, hill start assist, 10 anchor points (SWB) or 12 (LWB), six airbags (dual front, front side, curtain), a new 8.0-inch touchscreen media system with DAB+ digital radio, Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring, a 4.2-inch colour driver information display, LED headlights and daytime running lights, 16-inch steel wheels, and a glazed tailgate and unglazed kerbside sliding door. There’s a reversing camera and rear parking sensors, too.
Buyers of the Pro grade cargo van who want a barn door rear will need to spend $400 more, plus the fee is the same for a second (driver side) slider, and for a glazed steel bulkhead.
Another reasonably priced option for Pro customers is the Peace of Mind pack, at $1500. It adds more safety gear that you get standard in the Premium grade, like blind-spot monitoring, front and side parking sensors, auto high and low beam lights, traffic sign recognition, and auto folding door mirrors.
Step up to the Premium grade – which is auto only and priced at $53,200 for the SWB and $55,200 for the LWB gains the bits you get in the Peace of Mind Pack, as well as adaptive cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, keyless entry and push button start, rain-sensing wipers, a glazed steel bulkhead with a load-through port under the passenger seat, fog lights, and wireless phone charging.
The Lifestyle crew van six-seater is the most comprehensively equipped model that is aimed at customers who might otherwise think about a people-mover van but know they’ll need the cargo area for work and play, too. It costs $62,200 for the LWB auto.
To justify the cost, it also gets a bunch of gear like sat nav, 17-inch alloy wheels, chrome grille, opening tinted rear glass, extra lighting, climate control air-con, a heated driver’s seat, additional 12-volt ports, rear sun blinds, rear headlining, rear anti-slip floor covering, and plenty more.
Renault will offer seven different colour options for the new Trafic, including a new Cumulus Blue.
There are other option packs available and plenty more detail to get to, so stay tuned for our 2023 Renault Trafic review, coming soon.
Keyword: Renault Trafic 2023 pricing and specs: Price hikes but new tech and safety gear for France's popular Toyota HiAce rival