French truck Renault Mascott ("Renault Mascot"): specifications, bundles, reviews

When buying a small commercial vehicle is often the question of choosing a brand - domestic or "ino"? Many come to the choice of domestic "GAZelle". They are more affordable and cheaper than the German "Sprinters". However, there are a lot of other interesting offers on the market of commercial transport. So, meet - the truck "Renault Mascot". Reviews, photos and specifications of the car - later in this article.

General acquaintance

This truck first appeared in May 1999. At that time, the French manufacturer produced only a few commercial vehicles. This is the "Renault Master" and "Messenger". Renault Mascott became the successor of the Messenger. At the same time the car had a similar appearance with the "Master".

Nevertheless, the car has gained great popularity not only in the domestic market, in France, but also far beyond its borders. The serial production of Renault Mascott stopped in 2010. However, the car is still actively used by Russian carriers.

Design

The car has a semi-hood configuration, where the engine is slightly "drowned" in the cabin. Renault Mascott has never been distinguished by exquisite forms of design.

Still, this is a working car, and it should have advantages in a completely different way. Note that the French truck was produced in two generations. The first was produced serially - from 1999 to 2004. The car had such a design, as in the photo above. A large unpainted bumper, two-part optics and a huge glazing area - all these are features of the commercial car Renault Mascott. The owners' comments point out that the car has a comfortable fit, which is provided by the footboard. Also, drivers praised the "Mascot" for large and informative mirrors.

Mascott-2

In 2004, the car went through restyling. Take a look at what the second generation Renault Mascott looks like.
The design of the car was very much like the Renault Master of the 2nd series. Unlike the first generation, the new "Mascot" acquired a more rounded optics, another grille and a bumper. It is still not painted in the color of the body (however, like mirrors, which have not changed in form). On the side of the differences between the first and second generation there is almost no - even repeaters of turn signals are located at the same level. In this form, the Renault Mascot truck was produced until 2010. During this time the manufacturer did not make any changes to the design of the machine.

The reviews indicate good corrosion resistance of the metal. Even after winter operation, the body remains intact. However, this applies only to trucks. For minibuses, problem areas are the thresholds and the bottom of the rear doors. If the metal is damaged, then foci of corrosion immediately spread. In the same paint, the car does not rust for a long time.

Salon

The cabin of the truck is both modest and ergonomic. A distinctive feature of the "Renault Mascot" - a special location of the link of the checkpoint. It is at the level of the panel, not in the floor. This significantly saves cab space. On the central console there is a tachograph (as it is a low-tonnage truck of increased payload capacity), a control unit for the stove, a radio tape recorder and a pair of air deflectors. Below there is an alarm button and a small niche for documents. The handlebars are three-spoke, without additional remote control buttons. The instrument panel includes all necessary scales, as well as an on-board computer that displays fuel consumption, errors and other useful information.

To the left of the driver is a window regulator. From the passenger side you can see a capacious glove box. Above it is another niche. The seats at the Renault Mascot are quite comfortable - note the reviews. They are equipped with a torsion suspension and have a separate stiffener with a weight scale. There is also an armrest. At long distances, the back does not become numb, which is very important for the driver of such transport. Regardless of what the Renault Mascott was equipped with, the car from the factory was equipped with a hydraulic power steering.

Very happy owners have a lot of pockets and niches in the cabin. After all, commercial vehicles have to carry a lot of accompanying documentation. In this regard, the salon of the French truck "Mascot" is considered very well - note the reviews. The only drawback in the cabin - it's too hard plastic. But even with it the level of soundproofing is at a height.

Specifications

The car was manned by different power units. The lowest in the lineup is a 4-cylinder diesel engine with 86 horsepower. Such an engine was installed on minibuses "short". The next in the lineup is also a diesel engine with a turbo-supercharger from SOFIM (these were installed on Iveco Daily and Fiat Ducato). With a volume of 2.8 liters (the same and the previous version), he gave out 125 horsepower capacity. What is noteworthy, all the power units during the production were constantly being finalized. Thus, by the end of production, the Renault Mascot was equipped with a 2.8-liter engine for 146 horsepower.

Renault and Nissan

Also in the line there were power units from Nissan. The basis was a diesel engine P4, which at a volume of 3 liters produced 115 horsepower capacity. In 2004, the engine underwent a change. So, its maximum power increased to 130 horsepower. The most powerful in the line is the 156-strong motor from the same Nissan. Motors have an excellent traction already with one and a half thousand turns. Even at full load the car confidently goes to the lifts and excellently accelerates from the spot. All power units since 2001 corresponded to the ecological norms of the exhaust "Euro-3" and used the injection system "Common Rail". The main difference between this system and conventional diesel engines was the supply of fuel under high pressure (about 1500-1800 bar).

In the second generation of trucks Renault Mascott, the technical characteristics have improved significantly. So, in diesel engines piezoelectric injectors were used. This allowed to reduce the fuel consumption to 12 liters per 100 kilometers at full load. By the way, the maximum weight of the car was different. Depending on the modifications (there were both front-wheel-drive minibuses and full-length trucks with twin wheels on the rear axle), it was between 3.5 and 6.5 tons. What is noteworthy, their fuel consumption was kept at about the same level. He never went beyond 14 liters (at a speed of not more than 100). An interesting fact: as soon as the arrow of the speedometer passes beyond the mark of 120, the consumption increases by 20-30 percent. The most economical mode for a French truck is 90-100 kilometers per hour.

Transmission

The French truck "Renault Mascot" was equipped with two transmissions. This is a five- and six-speed manual gearbox. Transmission has also changed after 2004. Reviews say that the updated design of the gearbox has minimized fuel consumption and provided high torque even at low revs. In terms of service, this transmission does not cause problems to the owners. The only thing is to replace the oil, which must be produced once in 70 thousand kilometers.

Conclusion

So, we found out what the Renault Mascot truck is. As you can see, this is quite good, and most importantly reliable commercial equipment. The machine is easy to maintain and comfortable to move, especially for long distances. In the secondary market, the cost of the car is about 5 thousand dollars for the first generation and 7-10 for the second. "Renault Mascot" in the back of the minibus costs the least - sometimes there are offers for 3-4 thousand dollars.