Spain-based company km.77 has conducted another moose test, trying out a 2002 Renault Avantime minivan this time around. Surprisingly enough, the large panel vehicle running on cheap tires and outdated suspension managed far better than the newest Mercedes-Benz CLA.
Avantime incorporated features of a panel van, a hatchback and a few other vehicles in between, and came out in a rather limited series of around 9,000 units. This specific example has traveled around 250,000 km (155,000 miles) throughout its life and had its latest suspension check some 40,000 km (25,000 miles) ago. It approached the test track wearing 17-inch plain wheels shod in mundane Kumho Ecsta LE Sport tires.
It then proceeded to make a perfect run at 69 km/h (43 mph) and a near-perfect one at 71 km/h (44.1 mph), only hitting one cone after kicking out its tail slightly. A test crewmember noticed that there was a sudden increase in steering stiffness in both extremities of the steering wheel, which reduced steering precision and became the main issue with the whole test. The stability of the Avantime declined sharply at higher accelerations, but it still managed a few great moose test runs and a fairly good slalom run. Swaying, soft suspension and a curb weight of 1.7 metric tons (3,750 lbs) did not impact the results too much.
In the end, the Avantime never passed the test at the benchmark speed of 77 km/h (47.8 mph), but it still did better than many modern cars. For example, the Mercedes-Benz CLA mentioned above hit the test track last April and maxed out at 66 km/h (41 mph). The latest Volkswagen Golf was barely better with 69 km/h (42.9 mph).