With an extensive light commercial range offering tipped to make up 55 percent of its business plan going forward, Renault’s Trafic Trader is a vital element of the mix.

We have encountered a Renault Trafic already. That was the full fat version which is still available with a twin turbocharged 1.6-litre diesel with a long wheelbase. 

To say we loved it, would be an understatement, this is the race car of the light commercial world and we’d love to give Sabine Schmidt a crack at the Nürburgring in one. Or alternatively we could have had a blat around Hampton Downs during the launch of the RS Megane...

But this isn’t the twin turbo version, this is the ‘light’ Renault Trafic This one has the right price, the right kit and all the right stuff to appeal to any and all tradies, hence its official name, the Renault Trafic Trader.

The big news about the Trafic Trader is its small features; small wheelbase – making it ideal for city work and close quarter building sites – its smaller output of 85kW and 300Nm of torque from as little as 1500rpm – thanks to its single turbocharger – and the small matter of an $8000 saving off the price of the regular Trafic.

In the case of the short wheelbase Trafic Trader, we are looking at 5.2 cubic metres of very useful cargo space with no less than 16 lash-down points and a factory fitted steel bulkhead to separate cabin and cargo area.

As to that cargo area, it will accommodate 1235kg of payload which can be loaded through either side or through the tradie’s preferred tailgate arrangement at the rear. Load height is an easy 552mm.

There’s very little the Trafic Trader doesn’t have that the twin turbo does. 

So yes, there’s a comprehensive range of safety features including the patented Renault Grip X-Tend system to improve traction, not that there is a problem with traction in the first place.

ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution, load adaptive ESP, cruise control and speed limiter, hill start assist, dual airbags, Bluetooth functionality, a multifunctional trip computer, reverse camera and reversing sensors are all part of the cabin package, as is a dual passenger bench seat, electric windows, manual air conditioning and a leather wrapped, multifunctional steering wheel. 

And at this point, some might ask about the transmission. City work? An auto box then? 

Erm, no. The Trafic Trader gets the same manual six-speed of the twin turbo, but that’s a good thing.

To say we liked this transmission is an understatement. This super slick six was so smooth, so quick to shift and so well suited to the performance of the engine, driving through rush hour was no chore at all in the Trafic Trader. 

I enjoy driving a good stick shift and the Renault has an exceptionally good one, allowing for precision driving when its required and efficient cruising at any other time. 

But the transmission was not the only element of driving in Trafic I came to appreciate. 

Indeed, on a long-haul trip, the Trafic made for a very pleasant drive, with a much higher seating position than a ‘small’ van has any right to have and a well-insulated cabin to defeat driver fatigue.  

You sit tall in the Renault, taller than in some full-size vans – handy when it comes to tricky manoeuvring – however, other than the seating position and the size of the vehicle, the Renault Trafic Trader does drive and feel like a car – a manual one. 

It’s quick, nimble, comfortable and carries, well, a van load of stuff in the boot and – for the price – that’s not a bad package to own. 

Specifications: Renault Trafic Trader 

Body type Van with two side load doors and tailgate
Drive Front-wheel drive
Engine type 4-cylinder, turbo diesel
Engine capacity 1598cc
Max power 85kW @ 3500rpm
Max torque 300Nm @1500rpm 
l/100km (Combined)6.6 
Payload 1235kg
Price $41,990