Renault Refreshes the Kangoo, Adds CNG and Improved Diesel Options
12 August 2005
|
| The 2006 Kangoo |
Renault’s Kangoo is the second best-selling vehicle in its class in Europe, behind the Citroën Berlingo and ahead of the Peugeot Partner and Fiat Doblo. Since the model’s launch in 1997, Renault has produced more than 1.6 million Kangoos—it is an important vehicle for the automaker.
The new 2006 Kangoo brings some cosmetic and packaging enhancements, but more significantly adds a CNG option to the engine range, and tweaks the diesel packages to provide Euro 4 emissions compliance with slightly enhanced power and certain improvements in fuel economy and CO2 emissions. The gasoline and LPG options remain the same.
| 2006 Kangoo Natural Gas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline | CNG | % Δ | |
| Displacement | 1,598 cc | 1,598 cc | – |
| Cylinders/Valves | 4 / 16 | 4 / 16 | – |
| Power | 70 kW (94 hp) | 60 kW (80 hp) | -14% |
| Fuel consumption | 7.8 l/100km | 8.4 l/100km | +8% |
| CO2 | 186 g/km | 150 g/km | -20% |
The CNG option is based on the 1.6-liter, 16-valve gasoline engine. It delivers 60 kW (80 hp) of power and 148 Nm (109 lb-ft) of torque—14% less power than its gasoline counterpart.
However, it also reduces CO2 emissions by some 20% compared to the gasoline unit, to 150 g/km.
Combined fuel consumption (gallon gasoline equivalent) for the natural gas unit is 8.4 liters/100km (28 mpg US)—up 8% from the gasoline version.
On the diesel side, Renault removed the older, less-efficient 1.9-liter diesel from the lineup, and is using three variants of its 1.5-liter common-rail diesel platform.
The new implementations of the powertrain achieve Euro 4 emissions (up from Euro 3), and manage to add 2 kW of power to the middle and high-end. Renault added a new, lower-powered version that, from a fuel consumption and emissions point of view, is a wash with the medium-powered unit.
The high end 62-kW (83-hp) version delivers the best fuel economy and the lowest level of CO2 emissions of the entire family, however.
| 2006 Kangoo Diesels | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 dCi 60 | 1.5 dCi 70 | 1.5 dCi 85 | |
| Power | 45 kW (60 hp) | 50 kW (67 hp) | 62 kW (83 hp) |
| Torque | 130 Nm | 160 Nm | 200 Nm |
| Fuel consumption (combined) | 5.4 l/100km | 5.5 l/100km | 5.3 |
| Fuel economy (combined) | 43.6 mpg US | 42.8 mpg US | 44.4 mpg US |
| CO2 | 144 g/km | 147 g/km | 139 g/km |
An interesting side note. Although the combined fuel economy of the top-end diesel remains the same as its 2005 version (5.3 l/100km), there is a definite change in the city and highway cycle performance.
In the prior model, the engine consumed 6.4 l/100km in the city cycle; the 2006 Kangoo consumes 5.9 l/100km on the same cycle, a decrease of 8%. On the highway cycle, however, fuel consumption in 2006 increases 7% to 4.9 l/100km in the 2006 model from 4.6 l/100km the year before.
Although I can't find any independent information to confirm it, CalCars.org claims that Renault also plans to release an updated plug-in version of the Kangoo in 2006 (a plug-in Kangoo was available until, I think, about 2003). We'll see!
Posted by: Jack | 13 August 2005 at 02:56 PM