Review of the new Renault Kangoo Be Bop

With the full sized five-door passenger version of Renault's Kangoo centring on sensibility, the three-door compact version has been left free to let its hair down a little. All right, a lot. Enter the Kango be bop. If it is some kind of van, then it's like none you've ever seen before. You could see it as a lifestyle statement, a chic urban runabout - even as some kind of convertible. Most of all though, you'll need to see it as a bit of fun.

The original Renault Kangoo was little more than a van with seats and windows but that didn't deter a legion of buyers when first it made its way to these shores back in 1999. By summer 2007, Kangoo sales stood at 2.2 million worldwide.

In developing a replacement for the original, it's debateable whether Renault created a car and commercialised it or simply built a much better van, mindful of the importance of the passenger version. Ultimately it doesn't matter but credence for the former view came with the news that this car was to be based on the same platform as the Scenic mini-MPV. And with the unveiling of the Kangoo Compact Concept show car at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show,

This was what Renault called a 'compact leisure vehicle': it certainly had an original design and strong personality for what the company termed 'active urban dwellers'. The main originality of the car lay in its extensive glazed roof and clever versatility features, with the emphasis firmly on space and light. When the latest generation Kangoo passenger car range was announced, there was an opportunity for the three-door version to be angled towards a younger audience and the Compact Concept car was a natural fit. So the be bop was born.

"The Kangoo be bop is a car that with either irritate or delight you: there are unlikely to be any in-betweens.."

The driving experience here is less about handling and power (it's quite acceptable but unremarkable in both respects) and more about the rather unique travelling experience on offer. The first thing you and your passengers will probably notice is the way that 3.9 sq. metres of glass (spread around both roof and windows) floods the cabin with light. It certainly makes the car easy to manoeuvre (you can turn it round between kerbs just 9.7 metres apart), while the large, semi-circular side windows are intended to be reminiscent of the tranquility afforded by a modern high-speed train such as the Eurostar.

No train offers this car's wind in the hair feel though. Slide down the large tailgate window out of sight into the rear door then open the forward-sliding glazed panel at the rear and you've most of the ingredients of convertible motoring, though without much of the usual buffeting since the roof opens at an angle which creates a deflecting effect to prevent bothersome turbulence while on the move. Two front tilting glass panels ensure that front-seat occupants also get a taste of the open air. The glazed roof panels are treated to filter out the sun's ultraviolet rays.

Active driving aids include ABS with brake assist, ESP stability control, ASR traction control, cruise control with a speed limiter and automatic headlamps and wipers. Plus you can specify up to six airbags.

There are two individual rear seats rather than the usual bench and this, together with the lack of rear side doors, means that larger families need not apply. The back seats are mounted 9cm higher than those in the front for an amphitheatre-like view and they can slide, tilt or be removed. The 24cm space between them enables entry through the tailgate, then offers storage space once on the move. It should certainly be comfortable back there. With 1,220mm of elbowroom, 250mm of knee room and 998mm of headroom, cabin space is far superior to that of rival leisure vehicles.

The rear of the car is fully modular. The capacity of the luggage compartment ranges from 174 to 1,462 litres depending on whether the seats are in their rearmost position or removed altogether. Like Renault's pricier Scenic mini-MPV, the rear seats can be folded and tipped forward with a built-in notching system to hold them in place. When the rear window (operated by a driver's side switch or a button on the ignition key) has slid away into the tailgate, the car can be loaded without having to open the back door - useful if you're tightly parked. Keep it open on the move and you can transport very long items.

If you want a three-door passenger Kangoo, then you'll have to have a Kangoo be bop. And if you want a Kangoo be bop, you'll have to select between three engines, all familiar from the Clio supermini range. Most will decide between the two 1.5-litre dCi diesels, which put out either 85 or 105bhp, but there's also a petrol 105hp 1.6 16V unit.

The colour schemes on offer can either make your be bop look 'chic' (read 'understated') or 'fun' (read 'garish'), so depending on your perspective, it's pretty important to get your choice right. The 'chic' look is based around black or white body colours, combined with red and black upholstery and a dark charcoal dashboard. For the 'fun-loving' version, you'll need your sunglasses for as it comes in orange with silver, blue, and orange upholstery. Bear in mind that this may make it difficult to sell on when your fun-loving days are through...

Built-in satellite navigation (yes, in a Kangoo), an optional luggage/roof rail above the tailgate window for carrying long items such as surfboards and a multi-function TunePoint package for your ipod and USB stick which fits in the glovebox: all these are desirable extras.

This isn't going to be an expensive car to run, unless you take into account residual values which after three years, are unlikely to crack the 40% mark. Bear that in mind before you go splashing out on optional extras.

Most will probably go for the dCi 85hp version which offers a useful balance between performance and its combined cycle fuel consumption of 53.3 mpg. CO2 emissions for this variant are rated at 138g/km, making this version eligible for the Renault eco2 signature. To qualify for this, the car has to have sub-140g/km CO2 emission, be produced in an ISO-14001-certified factory and be 95% recoverable by weight at the end of its life, while at least 5% of the plastics it contains must be sourced from recycling

The Kangoo be bop is a car that with either irritate or delight you: there are unlikely to be any in-betweens. The automotive landscape is littered with great cars that have just that kind of appeal. Is this one of them? That depends upon your perspective. It's refreshingly fun and surprisingly practical, certainly a long way from this model's van-based origins. Should you care that there's also a commercial version of this design? We'd say not: life's too short - and this car may give you a new lease of it.

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