We review the Renault Scenic from price to economy and all its features
MANY moons ago I had a Renault Grand Scenic. It was a dud.
First the rear left electric window motor stopped working, then the right.
Then the digital dashboard – showing rather usual information like SPEED and FUEL – started flickering on and off like fairy lights.
Then another electrical glitch kept draining the battery, usually when it was wet and cold and I was late taking the kids to school. Arrggghhhh. It also had a crinkled door from all the drop-kicks.
It was a Mk2 Scenic (2003-2009 vintage) and even today, Renault is subsidising repairs on them. Some christened the firm Renfault.
But do you know what? I bloody LOVED that car.
The 1.5-litre diesel drank less than a camel. It was comfy and safe. It had clever underfloor storage, removable seats and a sliding centre console. And it swallowed all our bikes and car boot sale junk. It was the family wheelbarrow.
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All of that good stuff, I’m pleased to say, is still on the 2016 Scenic – only better.
That sliding centre console now has FOUR USB ports – two at the back for kids to recharge. Hallelujah. A modern MPV for modern families.
But it gets better. That bulletproof 1.5-litre diesel now comes with “hybrid assist” which increases economy by 8mpg up to 80mpg and cuts CO2 emissions to 92g/km. The hybrid is £1,400 extra.
Other tech includes Head-Up Display, upright touchscreen, one-touch folding rear seats, adaptive cruise control (it slows when the car in front slows), hands-free parking and auto emergency braking with pedestrian detection.
And it’s a looker too – as much as an MPV can be – sat on 20in wheels with a two-tone paint job.
That’s right, 20in wheels. It has bigger shoes than most sports car. You sit high up in the new Scenic, like a crossover/SUV but with more space. And for a family bus (the Scenic is a five-seater, Grand Scenic 5+2) it rides surprisingly well. But you can’t see the front end when you’re driving – and some won’t like that.
I must add that Renault sorted those electrical gremlins with the Mk3 Scenic. That scores well in owner satisfaction surveys.
The French realised that quality is part of good design – and the new Mk4 has both.
So, the big question: Scenic or Picasso? Hmmm. They’re both good. But the Scenic has more tech and a bigger boot.
VERDICT: Old Scenic? A load of pish. New Scenic? Oui, oui.
