Renault has been a very visible advertiser on the Fleet News website recently, highlighting its services in adverts that claim ‘Renault keeps your business moving’, so I thought I would check those claims out.

I braved the depths of the Sewells research library to pull out a copy of its most recent Fleet Operator Attitude Survey, in which fleets rate the performance of manufacturers and their dealer networks.

According to the 42 fleets who rated Renault, there is definitely some evidence of happier customers, particularly when it comes to levels of service received from the dealer network.

As you might expect, the picture isn’t all positive and the report identified opportunities for improvement, but it offers an encouraging picture of growing fleet confidence at a critical time for manufacturers.

My extensive driving experience has also raised very few quibbles, particularly in terms of build quality, which used to be a Renault Achilles Heel.

The gearbox, a key reason for this Renault being part of the Fleet News test fleet, is proving a mixed blessing. It is, as promised, better than an automatic, far more flexible and economical, but some of its gearchanges can be a bit on the slow side. This is most clearly illustrated when accelerating from a standstill to pull into moving traffic.

Push your foot hard on the accelerator and…the…car…seems…to…think…for….while…beforetryingtosuddentlyrushingtodeliverallitspoweratonce. By which time you may have missed the opportunity to pull out.