The recipe for a successful car is not simple. Economic considerations make, that bodies subordinated to the requirements of aerodynamics are increasingly similar to each other, and who would want to drive a bland car, dying in the crowd? Requirements for commercial vehicles are also unified, the highest possible load capacity is needed with as much usable area as possible. Renault constructors creating Kangoo, which is a little bit usable after a little personal, have complied with the requirements set by customers, however, they did not create another bland car, they have left themselves some room for individualism.
The general outline of the Kangoo body is similar to PSA products – Berlingo and Partner. However, it is impossible to confuse Kangoo with any of them by rounding all possible edges. Kangoo's style brings to mind the works of Rubens, where there is also a lot of curves. Some prefer the simple and soaring features of Berlingo and Partner, others are willing to give up almost anything for curves, in this case, belonging to Kangoo. It's hard to decide what's better, it's a matter of taste.
Almost always, there has always been a strange door war between the PSA and Kangoo twins.. Initially, it turned out, that Kangoo, a year late, is unbeatable, when it comes to access to the rear bench seat. An asset particularly valued in markets such as Polish, where very often cars like Kangoo are purchased for the needs of the company as commercial vehicles, to act as family cars. However, the quick reaction from Citroen and Peugeot was met with a strong response from Renault and from autumn 1999 Kangoo year boasts two pairs of sliding side doors. Such a door is in the case of a van in total no use, just one more hole, which needs to be closed, nor through it can not slide the pallet with the load, nor will it particularly facilitate loading (with such dimensions of the car, you can always set the "right" side for loading). Something else, if we use Kangoo as a family car, especially when our child has to ride in a car seat, which, pinned on the right side, makes it practically impossible for other rear seat passengers to take up space. Someone will ask, why be sure to pin the chair on the right side? I do not know, but let someone explain to a two-year-old, that he has to sit behind Daddy, and not behind mommy.
It is also worth noting, that the introduction of additional doors did not reduce the functionality of the vehicle interior. In Berlingo, an additional door is also an additional floor (probably used due to the weakening of the body structure after cutting the door), which hides storage compartments under it and makes, that the position of the rear seat passenger becomes uncomfortable after just a few kilometers.
Admiration for Kangoo as a family vehicle is somewhat waning, when we look at its rather spartan interior. What will certainly arouse dissatisfaction are large planes of bare sheet metal.. The car seems naked, sheet metal surrounds us from everywhere, is on the door, bars, wheel arches. I usually try to find the good sides of each solution, it's really hard here. Maybe someone discouraged by the holes smoked with a cigarette in the upholstery said – nevermore? Or maybe it's just a desire to refer to tradition and make Kangoo similar to Renault. 4? We can't guess that, but we will definitely hear the sand hitting the wheel arches at the back and the rain falling on the roof of the car.
"Suffering", that the bare sheet metal of the body asks our eyes, will probably be softened by the view of multiple storage compartments, and especially the one placed above the heads of the driver and passenger. Kangoo despite the assumption of a rather spartan finish (hard plastic instrument panel, open storage compartment), is a functional car.
We require the comfort of travel from a family vehicle. Kangoo provides moderate passenger comfort and moderate driver traction. As for the suspension, passengers should not complain about them too much. It's soft, well suppresses unevenness, while the body leans strongly in corners, which will not delight the driver. The situation is similar, when it comes to the engine. Noise reaching the ears of passengers despite the modest silence of the vehicle is not a nuisance. The offered performance will certainly not satisfy the driver, especially when travelling frequently at full load.
Kangoo is not easy to classify, whether as a purely commercial vehicle, or personal. It's somewhere in the middle, as well as its operating parameters. It's hard to say, is Kangoo a better van (could have a larger interior capacity and a higher payload), or better personal (we want a richer interior and better soundproofing). It is difficult to assign it somewhere permanently, he just is.
