Road Tests: Renault Premium 420.25 6x2L AML (used)

Ten years ago Renault’s new-look tractor, the Premium, sparked a revolution in the UK that would boost the French share of the market into double figures. Before 1996 the French possessed around 2% of the tractor market as they battled the Swedes, Germans, Italians – and, of course, the Brits (remember ERF, Foden and Seddon Atkinson?). The move to replace two thirds of its heavy truck range with the Premium, combined with renewed sales and marketing vigour, turned heads and opened chequebooks. The company picked up major volume customers and Premiums were seen coast to coast. By the end of 2001 Renault had sold 1,940 two and three-axle tractors in Britain, increasing its market share to 11%. This was achieved with a refined and sleek exterior and a Spartan cab that offered space and simplicity – ideal for long-haul work – with a competitive front-end price backed up by buy-back options. The first engines were a 9.8-litre lump rated at 300 and 340hp, and an 11.1-litre at 370 and 385hp. The latter was phenomenally successful, delivering the kind of fuel economy operators loved at 38, 40 and 41 tonnes. This was complemented in 1999 by a 400hp option just prior to the arrival of Renault’s most important engine, the dCi. The dCi 11 shared the bore and stroke of the 11.1-litre unit but was a new design which proved to be superior. Four valves per head, a reinforced block and articulated pistons were the main hardware changes, but the major innovation proved to be a move to common-rail injection; the French proclaimed it as the first appearance of this technology on any heavy-duty truck engine. The dCi 11 started life at Euro-2 but went on to meet Euro-3. There are other changes too: out went Renault’s own B18 gearboxes in favour of ZF-16-speeders with a cable-operated shift mechanism which enabled the ZF Servoshift air-operated shift-assistance to be added. This enhanced the gear change with a shorter thrown between gears. The ZF Intarder, an integral hydraulic retarder providing up to 500kW of braking power, became an option, complete with a 130kg weight penalty. The four-valve head and centrally mounted injection improved breathing and brought an increase in output, uprating the engine to 406hp with 1,870Nm of torque delivered at a plateau between 1,050 and 1,350rpm. That might appear a little on the light side compared with today’s torque-based engines, but it has produced a flexible truck that isn’t afraid of a fight. However, operators with 11.1-litre lumps at Euro-2, arguably the most fuel-efficient emission level, noticed a drop in fuel economy when they moved to the Euro-3 model. This was felt across the board by all the truck manufacturers and it meant operators started to compare and contrast products more industriously, which aided French market share.

WU52 YLC is of Somerset stock, pulling fridges and the like out of Bridgewater for Langdons. Since its registration in late November 2002, it had clocked 457,388km prior to setting off from Hinckley on CM’s used truck test route. That equates to around 114,000km a year (or 2,200km each week) since it was plated – as close to CAP average for a fleet truck as you’ll find. The Premium 420 dCi tractor is run of the mill in terms of specification. It’s a 6x2, powered by Renault’s 11.1-litre, six-cylinder, charge-cooled DI diesel with V-MAC III electronic engine management. It produces 406hp (303kW) at 1,900rpm with peak torque of 1,870Nm (1,379lbft) at 1,050 – 1,350rpm. The gearbox is a synchromesh ZF direct-drive 16-speed unit with ZF ServoShift and an exhaust brake that requires 2,000 – 2,400rpm to really be effective. The cab is fitted with a bottom bunk and a hammock-type top bunk that pulls out from the wall. So what does Renault want for it? The asking price is £18,995 (ex-VAT), and in case you were wondering what CAP Used Valuations might have thought, its price is identical. This vehicle is just a tad too old to qualify for the 12-month repair and maintenance deal currently available on stock up to 3.5 years old, but you can take advantage of a 0.99% finance deal. It is currently on the free stock list at Dunstable, so if you are interested in this motor contact Renault and ask for Chris Sharp referring to WU52 YLC – though it may have been sold by the time you read this.

The truck was fully freighted to 44 tonnes giving a 29.2-tonne payload with our 7.0-tonne curtain sided trailer; the unit weighed in at 7,761kg with a full tank and the usual 75kg for the driver. We started and finished the two-day tour in the rain, but from Tamworth to the M69 on the return to Hinckley the following day we had sunshine and stiff westerly winds with temperatures around 18oC. Traffic was post-holiday season, so no Tupperware boxes on wheels towed by cars or 4x4s struggling along at 35mph, and we missed the school runs on both days. The tough A-road section was ground out with 7.11mph, a decent figure considering we were running at 44 tonnes – and is over the 7.00mpg cut-off point which defines vehicles that seem to struggle. An average speed of 35.1mph through here tells its own tale. The power output of 406hp (lower than the brochure’s 420hp or the listed 412hp) doesn’t lead to a lot of momentum. To gain a top fuel return you need to be pushing 7.5mpg on the A-road section, but that’s a difficult figure to reach even when things are going your way. Overall, WU52 YLC produced 7.46mpg. The motorway section, which traditionally brings figures into line, is too short to dig anything out of a hole, but as a stand-alone figure 8.26mpg over a deceptively tough undulating route is solid. Overall we pushed the average speed up to 38.9mph, thanks to the 49.7mph achieved on the motorway.