Renault Kangoo (99-08) - Review

The Kangoo's air conditioning is efficient but raucous, rapidly cooling the car within minutes but at the price of serenity. This coupled with some coarse engines, a throttle that emits an annoying whistle in high gears and a fair amount of wind noise, results in a drone that spoils the ride. The seats are comfortable for short journeys, but not supportive enough for long trips. Three children should fit comfortably into the rear seats, but although the driver and front passenger get carpeted footwells, the flooring in the rear is only made of rubber, which looks cheap, but is a blessing on muddy days.

The high roof ensures that there is sufficient headroom – even for the tallest of drivers – easing access to seating throughout and accommodating a storage shelf that runs the width of the cabin above the driver’s head. In the rear, the parallel overhead storage compartments – similar to those found in aeroplanes – make efficient use of the height, keeping valuables out of harm’s way and maintaining rearward visibility for the driver. Unfortunately, they cannot accommodate much more than a lunchbox and a few schoolbooks per cupboard, so thick winter coats or bulky items are not recommended. Located on the back of the front seats, the fold-up table and storage pouches are useful for the kids to read and store their magazines. The sliding rear doors are superb for car parks, making light work of strapping the children in without having to perform acrobatics. The 60/40 split folding rear seats are great for storing longer items or increasing the boot capacity, but do not fold completely flat.

Visibility is one of Kangoo's strong points, as the large rear windows and wide-angle door mirrors are great for reversing and overtaking, and there is even an optional additional mirror that is designed to keep an eye on the kids in the back, too. A comfortable driving position is easy to attain and there are no major blindspots due to the thin pillars. The plastic matt dashboard is durable, but the individual components do not fit together as neatly as they should - leaving gaps between the fascia and workings beneath - which looks untidy. The interior finish throughout the cabin is disappointingly cheap looking, as the fragile ashtray cover wobbles awkwardly upon opening and despite providing extra storage for flatter items, the flimsy door bins in the rear could be easily broken by the heavy-handed. There are also numerous visible screws - especially in the front doors - adding to the Kangoo’s rather budget interior appearance.