Renault's Kangoo is not only a van, there's also a very practical MPV version, built at the Maubeuge plant in France, that's popular in Europe as a family wagon or business shuttle.
This more upmarket Kangoo sibling has now been given much the same makeover as we saw on the Kangoo van in January, and the results will debut at next week's Geneva motor show.
Both versions - the New Kangoo and New Grand Kangoo - will show off Renault's new brand identity, with a more upright 'diamond' badge, new bumpers that make the passenger version more distinct from the vans, a gloss black and chrome grille, and new side mirrors and tail light clusters.
Inside, the centre stack has been redesigned, with a smart gloss-black unit combining the air conditioning and radio controls, and the steering wheel is borrowed from the new Scénic.
NEW TRIM LEVELS
There are also two new trim levels: the Extrem version has a two-tone front bumper in dark metal and matte black, with the wing mirrors and 15" alloy rims also in dark metal. The rear windows are tinted, roof rails are standard issue and body stripes give it a jaunty look.
Options include new electronic stability control with extended grip and hill hold, as well as the R-Link multimedia system.
The mid-range Business version is aimed primarily at professionals, with side mirrors and front and rear bumpers in grainy black, for robustness, to minimise repair costs, and to facilitate the application of corporate colour schemes by avoiding painted plastic parts.
Some interior trim parts, such as the central armrest, are also in black plastic for the same reasons, and the upholstery is in black throughout.
BELLS AND WHISTLES
The new Kangoo comes with all mod cons, including the R-Link multimedia system with TomTom Live satnav, and special functions such as voice command, danger zone warnings and speech-synthesis email read-out.
There's choice of three sound systems: radio with USB connector and Bluetooth; radio with CD player; and radio with CD player coupled with the Renault R-Link system, with full voice control of R-Link on the move.
Renault's new leisure activity vehicles also now have innovative roof rails that can change direction without the need for tools, a 60:40 split, fold-down rear bench, and a fold-down front passenger seat that gives a loading length of 2.5 metres on the Kangoo version and 2.85 on the Grand Kangoo.
THRIFTY LIKE A FRENCH HOUSEWIFE
The new Kangoo comes with a wide choice of fuel-sipping engines, including the Energy dCi 75, Energy dCi 90 (for which Le Regie claims an average 4.3 litres per 100km and 112 g CO2 per km) the Energy dCi 110 (115g of CO2 per km) and the Energy TCe 115 (140g of CO2/km)
Each features a gear-change indicator and an Eco Mode function that can reduce consumption by as much as 10 percent on diesels by adusting engine torque, the gear-change indicator and the accelerator pedal response curve.
Service interval have been extended to two years or 40 000km, instead of two years or 30 000km.