RENAULT TRAFIC HISTORY

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RENAULT TRAFIC - A Brief History

Introduced in 1980 the Mk1 Renault Trafic van has been in production for over 30 years with very little in the way of major changes. A popular van to convert in the late 80's and early 90's, the Renault Trafic was the market leader and still remains a popular choice of minibus today. The Renault Trafic van exists in several versions, ranging from a 3-seater with all the rear space available for loads, to a 9-seater minibus and is produced at a rate of approx 86,000 vehicles per year. Its name originates from the French word for "trade" or "traffic" (depending on the context).

The Renault Trafic was one of the first light commercial vehicles to have the characteristic raked front end which immediately made it different to competitor models. Initial productions of the Renault Trafic had a pronounced radiator grille at the front which, in the later 1980's, was made flush with the headlights. Folllowing a couple of improvements and changes in the early 1990's, it's replacement was announced in 2001. Engine wise, petrol engines ranged through the years from a 1397cc through 1647cc, 1721cc, 1995cc and 2165cc units. Diesels were 2068cc and 2499cc. Later Trafics were only available with the 2499cc or a 1870cc diesel engine. Nowadays, a new range of engines include 1.9 turbo diesels offering 80bhp or 100bhp or there's a 2.5 16 valve engine with 133bhp.

Mechanically the Renault Trafic has remained a popular choice throughout it's life and has been available with various payloads, short and long wheel base versions and either front or rear wheel drive. Gearboxes were either four or five speed with automatic available on some models. It is now available in 33 versions with two wheelbases (3,098 and 3,498cm), two payloads (1,000 and 1,200kg), three types of bodywork in the UK (panel van, platform cab and minibus).

Easy to drive with a close coupled gearbox and fairly light steering, The Renault Trafic has always been looked upon as a low budget model but even after 30 years, it is still a preferred choice in both the van and minibus options. Voted International Van of the Year in 2002, the new Renault Trafic beat all other rivals to the receive the title being chosen for its original design, smooth and efficient common rail dCi turbodiesel engines, low operating costs, reliability and durability as well as its many practical features for business users and generous safety equipment. The Trafic stands out from the crowd with its low operating costs with its routine maintenance interval now 18,000 miles (or two years) and the engines are built to last 150,000 miles.

After over thirty years of production the original Trafic benefitted by a mild facelift in 2006 which saw the orange indicators changed for clear ones which were more integrated into the headlamp housings. On the Vauxhall model, the indicators were relocated from the front bumpers, up into the headlamp housings giving a much more similar appearance to the Renault. The biggest facelift came in 1990 which resulted in the Trafic now displaying a radical design with looks more in keeping with some of Renault's car designs. The dashboard of the more recent Renault Trafic looks much improved to the early models and sports a dash mounted gear lever for the six speed gearbox on most models. They have disc brakes all round with ABS.

Designed by Renault in their Corporate Design Department based within the company's Technocentre outside Paris and built at the IBC plant in Luton, the Renault Trafic is the first Renault vehicle to be built in the UK for over 30 years and technically, is far superior to the old Trafics in many ways. As is often the case these days this is a joint venture, between German Opel, Japanese Nissan and French Renault and this time with Vauxhall who market their version as the Vivaro.. It is also sold as an Opel Vivaro, Vauxhall Vivaro and by Nissan as the Primastar. Some versions of the van are also manufactured at Nissan's plant in Barcelona.

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Renault Trafic 9 Seat Minibus & Vans
by MINIBUS LTD
11 Dorallt Way, Henllys, Cwmbran, NP44 6HW.

Company No. 6228105 - Registered in England & Wales.

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