Alternative review of Renault Kangoo

I must be honest and say that the 'van with windows' formula has never been one that has much appealed to me. However, you have to say that it's a cut-price way of providing many of the benefits of one of those Scenic-like mini-MPVs without the prohibitive cost. Whilst a Renault Scenic costs from around £13,000, the Renault Kangoo featured here can be yours from under £10,000 - quite a difference if you're buying on a family budget.

One of the best features of the Kangoo are the sliding side doors. Anyone who has returned to their car parked in a supermaket carpark only to find that tell-tale dent in the side of their vehicle will appreciate the benefits of these doors in the hands of young children as opposed to conventionally opening ones. I know that I always feel more secure parking next to a Kangoo than I do next to a conventional mini-MPV. The Kangoo's chassis is based on that of the latest model Clio, which means that it's wonderfully agile around town, with light quick power steering, short gearing and great visibility through those huge windows. It isn't quite as confident as its supermini stable mate on the open road however - for many of the same reasons. The short gearing means you have to swap cogs regularly and the tall, thin, glassy profile can make it a little susceptible to crosswinds. In addition to offering twin front airbags and ABS, Renault have beefed up side protection in the doors. Pre-tensioning seatbelts and ISOFIX child seat attachments all hint at why Renault have been consistently outscoring all other manufacturers in terms of safety provision. Even Volvo. Passive safety has been a big focus for Renault in the development of this car and the engineers have developed a keen awareness of what items should be rigidly mounted and what should retain some give. Therefore there are stiff bulkheads and seat frames, plus absorbent padded doors and a collapsible steering column. This new model is the only car with a four star Euro NCAP safety rating compared to its immediate rivals the Citroen Berlingo, Fiat Doblo and the Peugeot Partner.

Four powerplants are on offer, all lifted directly from the Clio supermini. You can opt either for a high-tech common rail dCi turbo diesel in 68 or 84bhp form, or select between 1.2 or 1.6-litre petrol engines. Despite the excellence of the petrol engines, it's the dCi diesels that still make more sense, travelling as they do five miles further on every gallon (in 80bhp guise) and endowed as they are with an extra dose of mid-range pulling power.

Yes. To be honest, I'd want to take a careful look at one of these kind of vehicles before investing so much in a mini-MPV like a Scenic or a Vauxhall Zafira. They make that much sense.

TOP 5 KANGOO DEALS

The results below show the top KANGOO deals on buyacar

Renault Kangoo 1.6 Extreme 5dr Auto Estate
Price £10,635 Read Kangoo Reviews	Save £2,045
Renault Kangoo 1.5 dCi 106 Dynamique TomTom 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £12,663 Read Kangoo Reviews	Save £2,817
Renault Kangoo 1.5 dCi 86 Dynamique TomTom 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £12,060 Read Kangoo Reviews	Save £2,670
Renault Kangoo 1.6 Expression 5dr Auto Estate
Price £11,715 Read Kangoo Reviews	Save £2,315
Renault Kangoo 1.5 dCi 86 Expression 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £11,380 Read Kangoo Reviews	Save £2,500
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