More than 125 years have passed since the foundation of the legendary French car brand. Its creators were three brothers. It is noteworthy that the headquarters of the company is located where it was on the day of its foundation – in the city of Boulogne-Biancourt. Ten years after the emergence of Renault, the company became the largest manufacturer, which produced 3,575 cars. Renault’s lineup includes Logan sedans, Sandero New hatchbacks, Sandero Stepway crossovers, Duster, Duster Dakar, Kaptur, Koleos SUVs, etc.
Which Renault is the best? Decide for yourself, and we will tell you about the most popular used cars of the French brand in our review. Before buying a used car, don’t forget to check its history using Renault’s VIN decoder – https://checkcar.vin/vin-decoder/renault.
The best Renault models on the aftermarket
The following auto models are involved in our review:
- Megane
- Scenic
- Kangoo
- Trafic
- Laguna
Megane
Since 2016, the Megane 4th generation has been produced. Over the years of the model’s existence, the car has passed a good test of time, and even copies with a mileage of more than 100 thousand kilometers are very popular on the secondary market. During the warranty period, no serious problems with the body or engines in these cars have been registered.
The car body is galvanized and qualitatively painted, which guarantees that there are no problems with it for a long time. Luggage compartment doors in station wagons and hatchbacks are made of plastic. Even with a mileage of 150 thousand kilometers, the car will have only cosmetic defects.
Most of the cars are equipped with a 1.5-liter turbodiesel, the resource of which is not less than 500 thousand km. The main gasoline engine, which was installed before the restyling, was a 1.2-liter motor, which also proved itself well.
The car Renault Megane 4 is equipped with a powerful multimedia system R-Link with a large number of functions, GPS-navigation. By the way, this model has very often recorded interventions in the dashboard to change the odometer readings, so we recommend to check the car thoroughly before buying.
Scenic
A five-door minivan with a hatchback-like rear end design. The front part and rear window allow to unambiguously identify the belonging of the car to the model range of Renault company. After the update, the car was equipped with a new front bumper, headlights with LED sections. In the exterior there appeared chrome inserts, which revitalized the design: on air intakes, side moldings, luggage compartment doors.
From hatchback Megane Scenic received good dynamic characteristics and stability on the road. The interior design uses contrasting colors and high-quality materials. The electronic instrument panel with large elements immediately attracts attention, which allows you to read all the information at a decent distance.
Safety is ensured by six airbags, anti-lock brakes, electronic traffic stabilization, emergency braking assistant. Under the hood is a 2.0-liter petrol engine with an output of 140 hp, paired with a continuously variable transmission.
Kangoo
When choosing this model, users most often prefer versions with a rear liftgate, whose shock-absorbing supports last for a long time and which protects against precipitation during loading. Swinging doors can wear out their locks over time, which can cause a slight noise when driving.
Cargo versions of the model do not have glass side windows and sometimes even a sliding door. The rear doors are hinged. There are extended modifications of vehicles with longer overhang.
Cars with manual transmission are not designed for aggressive driving, so they can be recommended to drivers who prefer calm driving, without engine braking. The body is reliable and well protected from corrosion. Most modifications have power steering, except for inexpensive cargo versions of Kangoo.
The car attracts first of all by its versatility, simple design and low price of the car itself and the cost of maintenance. Very often Kangoo is bought for use in small companies.
Trafic
The first generation of the model appeared in 1980. These were vans, minibuses, platforms and flatbed trucks. Since 1985, the production of all-wheel drive vans and trucks began. In the Trafic range there are as many as five modifications of vehicles, which differ in payload.
The longitudinal installation of engines allowed to achieve good loading of the front axle. The main powertrain of the range was a 1.4-liter 48-horsepower motor, and since 1985 the model was equipped with a more powerful 1.65-liter 65-horsepower engine in combination with a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission. A 65 hp diesel powerplant was also used.
In 2004, a new development of the company was presented, which was something between a pickup truck and a minivan. The basis for the novelty was the chassis of Trafic, the design was changed, but the main features of the family were preserved. The front part has not changed, but there were used “transparent” headlights and a new bumper. The rear door began to open not to the side, but downward. The interior was decorated in a modern style, in the second row were installed transformable seats. The rear part could be used as a cargo area and as part of the saloon.
Laguna
The third generation Laguna debuted in 2007. Company representatives promised that it would be the best D-class car in terms of reliability and workmanship. Tests in the most difficult conditions were subjected to 120 pre-production samples, which in total traveled more than 6 million kilometers.
The car has a simple and solid exterior, which was developed by the best designers. The length of the hatchback compared to the previous version was increased by as much as 100 mm and amounted to 4695 mm, although the mass was reduced by 15 kg. The universal was equipped with a system of folding rear seats, developed by the company, which allowed to significantly increase the volume of the luggage compartment.
Serious changes have been made to the active safety systems. Thanks to the increased rigidity of the front suspension, the car’s handling has been improved. Fans of dynamic driving will get real pleasure from comfortable trips, which was achieved due to sharp steering, new shock absorbers, reinforced shock absorbers of transverse stability, rigid body. Laguna is equipped with a number of modern electronic systems, which are designed to help the driver in normal and abnormal situations.