Renault Trafic

We review the 2023 Renault Trafic Premium, a short-wheelbase van that competes with the Toyota HiAce and Hyundai Staria.

White box battle; the Renault Trafic and Hyundai iLoad See how these hard working machines stack up on paper.

The Renault Trafic now gets a new 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine and slick-shifting automatic transmission. It's still a premium-feeling van, too.

Is the Renault Trafic Crew a decent ute alternative?

Renault says it hopes to add petrol or diesel variants to the Kangoo range, while adding an electric Trafic van in the future.

Wait times for a new Renault Trafic stretch up to six months, however Renault Australia is working to beat the financial-year deadline.

With the Trafic E-Tech Electric, Renault now offers an electric variant of its three vans overseas – but the mid-size model is yet to be confirmed for Australia.

The facelifted Renault Trafic will arrive in showrooms later this month with a $8610 higher base price than before – but a range of advanced safety aids for the first time.

Having driven this van now for almost 2 years I can honestly say it has been very reliable. But for Renault to make a stance in this country they really need to talk to there customers on some of the design issues. Like there is no room for you to stretch your left leg as you can not move your foot between the clutch pedal and console. Also the gear stick cramps up the centre seat and restricts leg room if your a big driver. Turning circle is the worse I can get a 3 ton truck to turn better. Don’t attempt to make a u turn if the road is not at least 5 metres wide. As for reversing especially if your on a steep incline forget it. You could burn out the clutch over a period of time and I dare say because most of the weight is up the front . I could go on from a drivers point of view but for a everyday van it’s still one of the better ones compared to its rivals. Probably the biggest let down was you could not buy it in auto. Sad really in this day and age especially if you are always driving around Melbourne. It has plenty of power for over taking and uphills you might get away in sixth gear as it has plenty of torque. There is lag in second so be careful when dropping gears at very low speeds. The drivers seat can be too hard if your doing a few hours of driving. There are no grab handles to get in . Some times I have to be a gentleman and help the wife to climb in. She does complain that you cannot adjust the passenger seat but she loves the storage under the seat. Exterior stying it looks good and the paint job is thick well finished and glossy. Around town you can expect upto 950-1000 Klm out of a 80 litre tank and on the open road Expect 1150k. Service is every 30,000 klms and service cost can very between $349.00 to $509.00. Cost of ownership is very good and so far it hasn’t let us down. The gear box is smooth to change and there is a symbol on the dash that shows you when to change gears so you can achieve maximum economy. There is a economy switch beside the gear lever . Don’t waste your time using it as it drops the power. If I had to buy another one I probably would but only if they fix all of the above but for now we will wait and see.

Hi world! I was needed an update for my work car and starting looking and dreaming a couple of months out from end of lease. The work vehicle had to be robust, safe, fun to drive, comfortable and reliable. I have had 4wd duel cab utes for the last two leases (Holden Colorado and Mazda BT50) but was sick of the sore back and rough lumpy ride out on country roads. Whilst thinking about going back to a van again I stubbled across the Renault Trafic Crew van, I have had iLoads and found them really good but a bit dated now. I asked the local dealer if I could borrow a demo with a towbar to see if the Renault could tow a trailer out bush given the little 1.6 Litre twin turbo diesel. They couldn't provide a van so I asked Renault Australia and received a YES!!! I borrowed the van for two days and came away very surprised how well the van put in up hills and on bumpy roads. I went back to the dealer and ordered a Blue Trafic Crew with the 5 seat option and premium pack. now came the fun bit, the van came in at $47k which was in the budget, BUT a lead time of 6 months!!!! It was a longgggg wait for a Van! Finally received the call exactly 6 months after the order date and picked the Croissant (as its known at work) and set about getting some big Kms on it. I do approx. 65-70,000 Kms a year with work as a field service diesel mechanic and carry around 500kgs at all times in the back. I am 6ft7 and find the driving position and seat very comfortable. There is no foot rest so your left foot sits under the clutch pedal which was odd at the start but after a couple of days not a concern at all. I no longer get a sore back from driving 700 plus kms a day, whilst working and jumping in and out of the van all day. The ride and handling on rubbish Victorian highways and back roads is absolutely amazing with the standard suspension. with the other duel cab utes I had I had to upgrade the suspension to get the ride to an acceptable quality. The Croissant isn't the greatest car on dirt roads but is still capable for my work on forest tracks, gravel roads and snow roads up to telecommunication towers and the like. The back seat is massive and comfortable for 3 big buggers back there, it even has under seat storage there for items you don't want people to see. Even with the big back seat the area in the back is still 1700mm long and wide enough for a pallet if you wish. It has a great stereo with the usual USB, Bluetooth and a very good DAB radio. the premium pack has the touch screen with the best factory Sat Nav I have ever used, easy to fine locations, great mapping and easy to use menus. The van also has Cruise Control, Speed limiter (never used) and heated front seats, which I surprisingly love and use more than I ever thought! It tows around a 1500kgs trailer no problem (will tow 2 tonne when required), with some of the bigger hills you need to feed it a gear or two which isn't a problem as the gearbox is a joy to use, with a nice light, easy to modulate clutch. The little 1.6 puts in the hard yards when asked and doesn't mind revving out to the 4,300 rPm limit. The only things I don't like with the driveline is the gearing in reverse, up hills in reverse it needs loads more revs than you would normally need. You need to ride the clutch and give it a hard time, especially with a trailer on, but I have never had the clutch go to smoke or slip at all. And it has an anti stall software in it so a you pull the clutch out the revs increase to 950 rpm from idle to avoid the engine bogging down but if you don't give it the throttle quick enough it turns the engine off and restarts it straight away which can and will cause you to stall. its odd and still takes me by surprise at times. The fuel use is very impressive given it weighs in at 3 tonne with my tools and parts in it. Around town and on the Monash car park it averages 7.4litre per 100km. On the open road it gets down to low 7's and on a flat trip in 100kms zones I regularly see high 6's. Towing 1,500kgs it averages around 9-10's. I get 1,000kms from a tank of diesel pretty easily and the tank will take high flow nozzle as well. The service intervals are 30,000kms and doesn't use a drop of oil in that time. The only upgrades from factory would be just that anti stall and the gearing in reverse, honestly all I would change. I think the lack of an auto hurts Renaults sales, they keep saying its coming..... I was extremely surprised at the Croissant and how great it has been. It receives a lot of attention from workers and clients about the space and how nice it looks. People thought I was a little strange (which I am normally) for choosing this as a work car for what I do but I really enjoy driving this van every day! The van has now hit 100,000kms in 18 months! It has had ZERO(!!) issues at all, just fuel and go! Thankyou for taking the time to read this and strongly recommend a test drive if you are in the market for a different sort of duel cab ute, van or family car.

Ive owned several vans over the years, as I've worked in the building trade most of my life, and because of this occupation, youget yourself into many different predicaments on a daily basis. I had an older model Mercedes Vito 112 cdi, that was very good but ended up with too many Ka.I've had two Hyundais which I had nothing but trouble with, but were very comfortable inside. I bought a new Vito 114 swb, that was good but had problems. I bought a new VW transporter that was ok, but I would describe their DSG gearbox as the worst gearbox I have ever seen, kept it for 7000 Ka, and was very disappointed in in having to get rid of it, but I simply couldn't stand the gearbox. So I traded it on a 2018 Renault Trafic 140dci lifestyle pack, and have nothing but good comments to say for it, except that the passenger seat is a bit cramped. But otherwise, this van is ideal for Australian conditions and roads. We have done a lot of long distance driving in all our vans, and the ride in the Renault is the best out of all the vans I've had on average roads. It's also the best to drive. The engine has surprised me no end with its strength, quietness, and economy, and always has power to spare, even going on holidays with our trailer on, it feels as though it's not struggling to get to wherever we choose to go. It's got enough ground clearance to go off th bitumin, and has plenty of clear vision for reversing back. The technology and screen is adequate, it's probably more than well use, but it's there if it's needed, and the sound system is good. It's also as good of build quality if not slightly better than the other vans we've had, and the sliding doors are easy to operate, and main doors shut well. Being the LWB version, it suits both being used as a work vehicle, and has plenty of room to take our needs on holidays interstate as well, and the trailer is sheltered by the design of the vans rear, and is not as affected by the force of the wind when towing as some other vans are. Also, service intervals will appeal to business owners(30000) however well probably stick with changing the oil more regularly than required, as we have always done so, with every vehicle we've owned. The vans looks are also very nice and tidy, and seems to be very efficient at reducing wind resistance. As I have already mentioned the fact that we use our vehicles for work as well as travelling in, gives us a bit of an insight into their overall performance, in many areas that many people may not encounter, and after having such a poor encounter with the transporter, this van has restated our faith in many ways. We have plenty more kilometres to travel yet, and we feel that the Renault has many of the virtues needed for our trips away to be more enjoyable, and trouble free....

My partner and I bought this van for our tinting business in regional Victoria so we could travel and be able to cut film out in the back once a false floor was installed. Another bonus is we could fit a mattress in too, which means we can also use the Trafic for personal adventures with our dirt bikes. Although a new model, we have found the van to be reliable and easy to drive, considering it is a size upgrade from our XR6T ute. It does not feel bulky and heavy but rather fun to drive with an easy gear box to glide through and tell you when to change up and down gears with a light clutch and steering. We do have to take the corners that bit slower but that is just because we're used to a car that's lower to the ground! When in Eco-mode, it does lose a fair bit of its 'get up and go' however, it would be ideal for city driving with frequent stopping and starting. Headlights changing direction with the steering wheel is a fantastic feature as some residential areas are without street lights and this makes both of us feel safer without the need of a backseat driver! As an extra, we added a heated driver seat (passenger is not included) and this has been great for myself, as back pain can become a burden for me during travel. It heats quicker than the heater itself which gives a comfortable relief. A couple of things we dislike about the Trafic is the passenger seat. I am a size 10-12 and find the seat to be a little uncomfortable because the seat is what I would consider small. It does not hug the body so the left leg does rest against the door, which gives a bruising sensation after approximately an hours worth of driving. The comfort could be improved by losing the middle seat and adding more of a contour in the seat. The arm rest on the door is super comfy as its curved to fit! The middle seat is really just for a child as its just too small and I feel having 3 adults shoulder to shoulder could become a hazard for the driver. When hopping into the van, there is no grip handle to pull up with. I am 5"7 and find it hard to push up onto a door which can move, so this makes me feel uneasy about getting in. We love having the cabin closed in from the rear cabin of the van. It is so quiet which makes hearing a blue tooth phone call convenient and easy to hear... ideal for any business owner on the go! If you are weighing up between the enclosed and non closed cabin, I highly recommend test driving both to feel the difference. These pics were taken before we had sign writing applied but looks fab with black as it makes any colour stand out. All in all, this van has under promised and over delivered. Well done, Renault!