Renault’s updated Trafic range has lost its base engines but received more safety technology across the range, albeit at a higher price.
The revamped van is on sale now.
The cheapest Trafic is now $48,200 before on-road costs, up $8610 on the outgoing base Trafic.
Said entry-level model now has a more powerful turbo-diesel engine, however, and has belatedly received autonomous emergency braking and lane-departure warning.
Premium models also get adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and traffic sign recognition.
That brings the Trafic closer to rivals like the Toyota HiAce, Hyundai Staria Load and Ford Transit Custom, which have a whole suite of active safety technology standard across the range.
First revealed in September 2021, the updated Trafic has a refreshed exterior, with a new bumper, bonnet, grille and LED headlights with C-shaped LED daytime running lights.
Renault also says the exterior mirrors are 30 per cent larger.
Inside, there’s a new, more modern dashboard, while all variants get an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto plus a 4.2-inch instrument cluster screen.
As before, there continues to be a wide range of variants including short- and long-wheelbase cargo vans plus Crew Van models.
Crew Vans feature a second row of seating for three occupants, with Lifestyle models featuring three individual seats with adjustable headrests, armrests and under-seat storage. Said seats can also recline.
The old 85kW turbo-diesel 1.6-litre engine has been axed, as has the 103kW twin-turbo diesel 1.6-litre. That leaves only a 125kW turbo-diesel 2.0-litre.
Pricing
- 2023 Renault Trafic Pro Van manual SWB: $48,200
- 2023 Renault Trafic Pro Van auto SWB: $50,200
- 2023 Renault Trafic Pro Van manual LWB: $50,200
- 2023 Renault Trafic Pro Van auto LWB: $52,200
- 2023 Renault Trafic Premium Van auto SWB: $53,200
- 2023 Renault Trafic Premium Van auto LWB: $55,200
- 2023 Renault Trafic Premium Crew Van auto SWB: $57,200
- 2023 Renault Trafic Lifestyle Crew Van auto LWB: $62,200
All prices exclude on-road costs.
Drivetrains
The 2023 Renault Trafic is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine with 125kW of power and 380Nm of torque. It’s mated to a six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
All models are front-wheel drive.
Efficiency
The 2023 Renault Trafic uses 7.2L/100km on the combined cycle with the manual or 6.5L/100km with the automatic. All models have an 80L fuel tank.
Dimensions
The 2023 Renault Trafic measures 5080mm long (5480mm in LWB and Crew guise), 1956mm wide (2283mm including the mirrors) and 1967mm tall (1971mm in SWB models).
The wheelbase is 3498mm on all bar the SWB models, where it’s 3098mm long.
SWB models have 5.8m3 of load volume and a 2537mm long cargo area floor, expanding to 6.7m3 in LWB models with a 2937mm long cargo area floor. Crew models have 4.0m3 of load volume.
All models’ load spaces measure 1268mm wide between the wheel arches and have a 1320mm opening height and 552mm loading sill height unladen. Rear width is 1320mm at the top and 1255mm at the bottom, with a maximum loading area width of 1662mm and height of 1387mm.
Load volume is 5.8m3 in SWB models, 6.7m3 in LWB models, and 4m3 in Crew models.
Gross vehicle mass is between 2990kg and 3070kg depending on the variant, while gross combined mass is 4700kg on all bar the manual Pro models where it’s 5490kg (manual) or 5570kg (auto).
Maximum payload ranges between 1053kg (LWB Crew Pro) and 1279kg (LWB Pro manual), while kerb weight ranges between 1760kg (SWB Pro manual) and 1991kg (Lifestyle).
All models have a roof payload of 200kg.
Braked towing capacity is 2500kg on manual Pro models, and ranges between 1630kg and 1720kg in all other variants. Unbraked towing capacity is 750kg across the range.
Servicing and Warranty
The Renault Trafic is backed by a five-year, 200,000km warranty with five years of roadside assistance.
Servicing is required every 12 months or 30,000km, whichever comes first. The first five services are capped at $649 each.
Safety
The Renault Trafic remains unrated by ANCAP, though Euro NCAP has a three-star rating from 2015 for the people mover variant not sold here. Subsequent to that, ANCAP tested the Mitsubishi Express, a rebadged Trafic, in 2021 and gave it zero stars, though notably it had no active safety technology standard.
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Autonomous emergency braking (new)
- Lane departure warning
- Driver and passenger, front and side curtain airbags
Premium and Lifestyle models also get:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Front and side parking sensors (new)
- Blind-spot monitoring (new)
- Traffic sign recognition (new)
Standard Equipment
The Pro comes standard with the following equipment:
- 16-inch steel wheels (with covers on Crew Van)
- Automatic LED headlights
- 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
- Eight-way manually adjustable driver’s seat with armrest
- Power windows
- Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel
The Premium adds:
- Fog lights
- Body-coloured front bumper and mirrors
- Power-folding exterior mirrors
- Automatic stop/start
- Wireless phone charger
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Tyre pressure monitoring
- Keyless entry
- Fold-down centre seat with A4 document shelf, laptop storage
The Lifestyle adds:
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Semi-painted rear bumper
- Chrome grille
- Satellite navigation
- Rear seat sun blinds, roof lining, anti-slip floor covering
- Climate control
- Heated driver’s seat
Options
The Business Pack (Premium, $2200) adds:
- Climate control
- Extra tinted windows
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Heated driver seat
- LED cabin lights
- Satellite navigation
- Painted front bumper, door mirrors and tail light column
- Chrome grille trim
The Trade Pack (Pro, Premium; $2000) adds:
- Wooden floor
- Full-height wood wall lining
- LED ceiling lights
- Heavy-duty battery
- Spare wheel protection basket
The Peace of Mind Pack (Pro, $1500) adds:
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Traffic sign recognition
- Automatic high-beam
- Front and side parking sensors
- Power-folding exterior mirrors
The Comfort Pack (Pro, $1000) adds:
- Front fog lights
- Tyre pressure warning
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Hands-free key card
- Wide-view mirror
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
The following standalone options are also available:
- Glazed bulkhead: $400, Pro
- Right-hand side sliding door: $600, Pro
- Rear barn doors: $400, Pro
- Glazed sliding doors: $400, Premium
- Passenger bucket seat: $100, Pro
Colours
The 2023 Renault Trafic is available in the following colours:
- Cumulus Blue (excludes Lifestyle)
- Carmin Red
- Comet Grey
- Urban Grey (excludes Lifestyle)
- Highland Grey
- Jet Black
- Glacier White
