Unlike cars, van models tend to last a very long time. The Renault Master has been around close to half a century, as the largest model in the French brand’s light commercial van (LCV) range. In that time it has sold more than three million, through a mere three generations.
Now in 2025 we get a fourth-generation Master, on offer with a choice of diesel or fully electric powertrains and also available as the Interstar from sister brand Nissan.
Successive generations of vans typically look not a lot different from their predecessors – still basically doing the same job, with the changes tending to be to visual styling and cabin equipment. The new Master appears that way, but in fact the updates go deep.
The van sits on a new platform, while the body has undergone major improvements in its aerodynamics. So much so that they were tested in a wind tunnel built for aircraft – the usual automotive tunnels being too small to accommodate this large vehicle.
Major visual changes include a shorter bonnet, with the windscreen placed further forward and at more of an angle, combined with such details as more streamlined air ducts. All this work improves the drag coefficient by more than 20%, which translates to 37g/km lower CO2 emissions in the diesel version and 20% less energy usage in the electric model.
As is typical of such workhorses, the new Master comes in a vast range of variants. The diesel-powered panel van we are testing here can be had with a medium or long wheelbase of 3.5 or 4.2 metres respectively, equating to overall lengths of 5.6 or 6.3 metres.
Load volumes range from an impressive 10.8 to 14.8 cubic metres, with a maximum payload of 1905kg and a load length at floor level of 3.8 metres. Gross vehicle weight is 3500kg, equating to a gross train weight of 6000kg.
The long-wheelbase model can also be specified with a high roof, extended from 2.5 to 2.78 metres, while there are three variants of the two-litre diesel engine to choose from with 130, 150 or 170hp – all new and significantly more efficient units compared to the previous generation.
Capacities and weights of the electric Renault Master are less than the diesel model due to the weight of the motor and battery, but it does offer an impressive official range between charges of up to 285 miles.
Other major updates compared to the third-generation Master include a major revamp of the cabin, the intention apparently to match the quality of Renault’s passenger cars and ensure that the driver has an efficient mobile office to work in – details including he back of the middle seat folding down into a desk, the base housing a slot to store a laptop, and the fitment of USB-C ports to power devices.
The centre console is dominated by a 10-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone integration accepting Android Auto and Apple Car Play, while upper spec models include Google functions already built in.
An enhanced safety specification includes a set of 20 driver assistance systems – active safety features including lateral stability, automatic emergency braking and trailer stability assist systems. Renault’s Intelligent Speed Assist provides an audible warning when the driver exceeds the speed limit – it can be silenced but will revert to a default on setting each time the van is started.
What do we think of the Renault Master?
The Renault Master supplied for the Business Vans review was the MM35 medium wheelbase medium roof variant, with a front-wheel-drive 2-litre diesel drivetrain of 130hp, the engine matched to a six-speed manual gearbox.
As one might expect from a vehicle named ‘International Van of the Year’, the Master excels in all areas. For a start it looks the part, the new and for a van quite bold visual treatment applied to the front-end especially giving it a highly up-to-date presence.
The test week with the Master neatly coincided with the need to transport the sound and lighting equipment for the live music at a beer festival over a return journey of some 170 miles, providing an excellent opportunity not only to analyse the ease of loading and unloading, but the on-the-road characteristics of the van, unladen and laden.
The frankly enormous load bay was ply-lined and with a combination of rear doors opening to 180 degrees, the nearside sliding side door and a manageably low load height all of the equipment was quickly loaded.
Climbing up into the cabin, one is treated to Renault’s ‘more car-like’ layout and it’s certainly effective. The driving position is very comfortable, that passenger vehicle-inspired environment apparently extending to seats adapted from those fitted to the Austral SUV.
A steering wheel mounted more vertically than is typical adds to the comfort – all the instruments fall neatly to hand and the large central touchscreen is not too far away either.
The cabin has space for three, with the passengers getting a bench seat, but the centre console does intrude into the legroom of the middle seat and any adult of more than average height may find it uncomfortable after more than a few miles.
Driving the Master is very easy indeed. While our particular vehicle was fitted with the lowest-power engine, it never felt starved for performance, even when laden with our cargo climbing a steep hill, the van accelerating with confidence and the six-speed gear box offering slick but distinct shifts.
The Master is not exactly the quickest vehicle of its type, but that’s less of an issue in this sector. What is more impressive is the 80-litre fuel tank which gives the van a potential range of more than 600 miles – the largest L3 versions get a 105-litre tank.
The steering is light to the touch, the van easy to manoeuvre in tight situations, a boon when a road closure saw us forced down a tight, single-track diversion. Up at motorway speeds the van is very refined indeed – it’s easy to forget one is driving with diesel propulsion.
That cosy central seat is among only minor criticisms of the Renault Master – others include the handbrake being a traditional manual lever which for a short-limbed driver like our tester required a bit of a stretch. An electric version is an option and standard on the Master Electric.
We would have liked a rear-view camera, as even with the presence of sensors and the deep side mirrors, accurately judging the rear end when reversing is not easy – a digital rear-view mirror is on the options list. More pertinently perhaps some operators might miss the option of a right-hand side loading door.
Overall, however, it is very easy to see why the Renault Master keeps putting other van manufacturers, including the market-dominating Ford, in the shade – the Master offers everything any operator is likely to want in a large panel van.
