Truck & Driver July 2019^91
for a week; by Monday evening it
was back in its yard, so the
prospect of a bigger version
hardly aroused the fires of
impending expenditure.Lack of adjustment
My first impressions of the 520
were pretty favourable; that is,
after I had accepted the
horrendous lack of adjustment in
the rake and pitch of the steering
wheel. The 13-litre lump is
punchy and quietly understated,
the Renault software applied to
the Volvo gearbox makes for
rapid and smooth acceleration
through the ratios, and the entire
driving experience soon settles
down into a very relaxed and
calming experience.
The mirrors are excellent,
all-round visibility is very good,
the dash layout is clear and
informative, the interior fittings
exude quality and are
surprisingly well put together and
the air-conditioned and heated
leather seats are fantastic!
However, some design
shortcomings came to light
during my first night in Lockerbie
en route to an early-morning tip
in Cumbernauld. The bunk, such
as it is, is like the textbook
definition of a Diplodocus – fat in
the middle and thin at both ends!
And it appears to be just a chunk
of foam in a cover, not very fitting
for a potential flagship truck.
The storage is pretty woeful,
and it was noted by several
curious drivers who climbed in
for a look that really the ‘High’ tag
is only justified by the height of
the cab floor from terra firma, not
the actual space inside. I feel
Renault missed a trick there; a
foot lower with the floor would
have made all the difference to
the accommodation.The outside lockers are akin
to those on the Volvo and there
is ample space in there for
spanner sets and so on, but the
two rather insipid lockers
underneath, behind the silver
panels, are of little use for
anything bulkier than gloves and
number plates and the like.
After the spec, the killer factor
for any owner-driver will always
be fuel economy, and to its credit
Renault has hit the sweet spot
with this 520. Overall, over the
three weeks on mixed
curtainsider work, usually at or
just below 44 tonnes, it achieved
9.96mpg. Considering the
amount of time split between
motorway and the
Pennines, that is
fantastic – and, I
can assure you,
no horses
were spared!
AdBlue
consumption
seemed a
little heavy
to me.
However,
anecdotalevidence from other drivers did
seem to suggest that the use of
approximately 90 litres of AdBlue
over 1500 miles of tough going
was about right.Almost there...
My final thoughts on the truck?
To me, Renault is almost there
with this one. Some simple
modifications would make me
think it’s a truck I could work with
for five years. The steering
position has to be improved;
that’s a potential deal breaker.
More thought about utility over
design is necessary for the
interior; the lack of
cup-holders is
bizarre,
there’s the
sense
you’re
sitting
‘on it’THE VERDICT
Performance: 9/10
A real strong puller in the top-end
13-litre sector, matched to a
superb transmission.Economy: 9/10
10mpg across hilly terrain is an
amazing return. A benchmark has
been set.Cab: 6/10
Solid and loads of space; doesn’t do
much with it though, and the driving
position won’t suit everyone.Driving: 8/10
Handles well for its size but loses a
little of the standard T’s sharpness.
Lets you get on with the job.OVERALL: 32/40
A strong showing from the Renault
flagship. It’s a revised interior away
from being a class-leader.rather than ‘in it’ and, although
singularly trivial, the fiddly roller
control to the rear of the steering
wheel is annoying when grouped
together with the other minuses.
With so much choice now
available on the market, the cab
could do with a facelift.
Finally, as a one-man band,
my concerns – above and
beyond cup-holders and a narrow
bed – are focused on potential
residual values. Renaults have
traditionally suffered heavy
depreciation, mostly due to brand
perception rather than actual
issues with the machinery.
The next couple of years, as
the T High moves into the used
market, will be interesting; I
would expect an increasing
market share, because overall it
has the potential to be a very
good option as either an
owner-operator flagship or a
higher-spec fleet purchase.TEAM T&D
Heavy loads posed no problem. Above: Chris’s
daughter also approves of the T HighFuelling at Golden Fleece, near Carlisle; 10mpg returns were seriously impressive