Renault Trucks has announced details of upgrades to its T, T High, C and K ranges, including improvements in driving comfort, on-board comfort, safety and productivity.
The company say this is the most important evolution since the total renewal of the manufacturer’s ranges in 2013.
Externally, Renault Trucks has made changes including reducing the size of the headlights to increase the painted surface of the lower body section, which includes bumper corner, step boxes and lower front panel. A new honeycomb grille completes the design.
Cab upgrades
Inside the cab, the vehicles have been fitted with a new full three-axis adjustable steering column for drivers to adopt the driving position that suits them best. An intuitive, single foot control sets the position and tilt of the steering wheel. Adjustment with both hands on the wheel and instant locking ensures both precision and safety. In addition, the ignition barrel on the column has been replaced by a start button for optimum convenience and security.
Two lower dash-located USB-C ports provide easy access charging points for phone and devices.
Renault Trucks has also introduced new seat materials, building on the comfort and support offered by the seat itself, and designed to withstand the many climbs in and out of the cab every day. Materials are finished to be easier to clean, and seat covers are fully removable. New fabric and part leather designs are introduced.
In addition, for drivers that spend nights out, the thickness of mattress of the ‘Serenity’ bunk has been increased by 13% to 170mm and the number of springs has been doubled with the aim of providing better support thanks to a better distribution of body weight. A washable memory foam mattress topper can be added as an option. The mattress is also detachable from its base, allowing for the use of fitted sheets.
For added convenience, two USB-C sockets have also been added to the bunk area to make it easier to charge electronic devices, while keeping them within easy reach of the driver during rest periods.
Finally, to improve sound quality in the cab, Renault Trucks has increased the level of insulation in the doors and teamed up with French manufacturer Focal, for the supply of hi-fi equipment and speakers.
Safety focus
Safety has also been a focus in the evolution of Renault Trucks’ range. For instance, the T, T High and C on-road models are fitted with 5 Cell LED front lamps as standard with daytime running, main beam, fog and indicator functions. The new wraparound design improves side visibility and safety. As it is closer to natural light, LED light gives drivers a better perception of contrasts and colours, and with light output that is three times that of standard lights, night-time visibility and therefore safety is significantly improved. The life of an LED source is also up to 30 times longer than that of a conventional bulb.
Additional LED lights have also been positioned on the inside of the doors to illuminate the door sill for increased driver safety when getting in and out of the vehicle at night.
To increase the safety of drivers, their loads and road users, various options are available including anti-intrusion door lock (safety door-lock), cameras and presence sensors, as well as vision doors providing excellent visibility of pedestrians and cyclists. For construction models, high-visibility painting of exterior grab handles are an additional safety feature.
Finally, the anti-rollaway parking brake emergency application reduces the risk of unexpected vehicle movement when the driver leaves the cab, by automatically activating the park brake to stop the truck.
Fuel efficiency
Renault Trucks also boast that the new range can provide 3% fuel savings on the previous generation. This is achieved through improvements in the cab’s aerodynamics around the front grille and wheel arch extensions have been added to improve airflow.
Secondly, equipped with Renault Trucks Euro VI Step E engines, the vehicles have been fitted with new technology to reduce fuel consumption. These include a new version of the Optivision predictive cruise control system and an optimised cruise control system with two selectable driving modes. ‘Eco on’ is the default mode and optimises fuel consumption by adjusting acceleration, gear shifting, cruise control and deceleration, whereas ‘Eco off’ allows drivers to change the driving mode.
A new ‘Pulse and Glide’ function further improves fuel consumption by maintaining the vehicle’s speed around the Cruise Control set point (+/- 2km/h).
Finally, the T and T High are fitted as standard with Category A tyres as standard, the most fuel efficient on the market.
Depending on usage and mileage, oil change intervals for vehicles fitted with 13-litre Euro VI engines can be extended to 150,000 km or 18 months. This can result in lower contracted maintenance costs (labour and parts), optimised maintenance schedules with fewer service intervals and additional fuel savings.
Renault Trucks’ new vehicles supported by new service offers, including over the air software updates that give drivers the opportunity to remotely download the optimum settings for their vehicles. This ensures that their vehicles operate at optimum efficiency without the need to have any software updates undertaken by their dealer.
