There’s no question that the Renault Scenic is a modern-day classic. It essentially launched the mid-sized people-carrier family car genre with its practicality and neat interior touches that became so popular.
While the name is familiar however, Renault has pushed this latest generation Scenic towards the crossover sector and in turn it’s also gone all-electric. With a choice of two battery sizes, 60kW or the 87kW tested here, it’s recognition that the market and car-buying tastes have moved on from that 1996 original.
So how will this new version stand up, with its new battery power and an all new look? Especially with the popular Megane and new 5 in the Renault showroom as a full electric line-up?
RENAULT SCENIC – DESIGN
Crossovers are everywhere today, but the fact remains that it’s what car buyers want these days and it’s hard to argue against the Scenic’s handsome styling.
Yes, there’s that bluff fronted bonnet, but this is a good looking car and it’s also distinctive and clearly has a place in the Renault styling family – especially alongside the Megane. We particularly like the detailed on the mock front grille with the over-size Renault badge.
It’s certainly less practical-looking than the Scenics of old, but that’s no bad thing and we rather like the angular and squared-off shapes – even if it means that the rear windscreen gets frequently filthy – as does the rear facing camera.
The charging port is on the near-side front wing which can make some public charging points a little awkward if they’re on one side of the parking bay, but you quickly learn to work round that.
RENAULT SCENIC – POWER AND RANGE
This long range version of the Scenic gets an 87kW battery with a 369 mile claimed range. A 60kW version is also available, borrowing the battery from the smaller Megane E-Tech, but we think this is the one to go for. More on which in a moment.
Renault claims a 0 to 60mph time of 7.9 seconds with a 105mph top speed along with a 3.8mls/kWh level of efficiency. The bad news is that the reality is even in the height of summer you’re unlikely to see that in the real world – or that claimed range. We ran this Scenic for six months ad even in the best of conditions, we saw an average of around 330 miles on a full charge, which even then could drop pretty quickly on faster roads.
That’s not a criticism specific to the Renault – plenty of other EVs are similar – but we’re reckon on around 280 miles on the motorway. Then there’s also the cold weather. Despite an on-board heat pump, in the cold, the Renault’s range would regularly drop to around 250 miles on a full charge, which is some drop. Admittedly this would level out, and sometimes even rise, when warmed up after some running, but there’s a definite drop. For that reason, the reduced standard range of the 60kW version might see that drop even lower – probably not ideal for a family car.
Thankfully it’s not quite the same story with the efficiency. No, you’re unlikely to see 3.8mls/kWh, but we easily managed 3.1-3.2mls/kWh during the summer. The worst even in cold weather and on the motorway was 2.9mls/kWh, suggesting the Scenic is consistent if nothing else.
Renault says the Scenic will also charge at DC speeds of up to 150kW and while the numerous variables make this harder to provide, we did see up to 120kW at one public charger.
RENAULT SCENIC – ON THE ROAD
As a family car, nobody is expecting the Renault Scenic to handle like a sports car. That said, there’s little roll through corners, the steering is reasonably direct (if providing little feedback) and it’s certainly sift enough mid-range to accelerate at a respectable pace, if not outlandishly so.
The regenerative braking has four levels inclusive of an entirely off coasting-type mode, but even the strongest could still be a bit a more aggressive in our opinion. Rather strangely, it’s not as strong as, say, the highest level in the Megane, when you’d almost expect it to feel the same.
Where the Scenic’s driving experience does fall down however, is with two areas. The first is the ride quality which is far too firm for a family car. Yes, we did get used to it during our time spent behind the wheel, but there will still be times when it would raise our eyebrows. You could blame our appalling British roads, but the fact is that’s no longer a temporary issue and potholes and broken tarmac is now the norm. Car company engineers really need to be spending more time here when developing a new model to resolve this problem.
The good news, for Renault at least, is that the second issue is rather easier to fix. It’s the tyres. The Scenic’s Michelin E-Primacy tyres simply aren’t good enough. They may be great for improving efficiency, but their grip levels are very poor. Even with a slightly damp or greasy surface, the Scenic will lose grip far too easily, setting off the anti-lock brakes far earlier than you might imagine. If there’s an alternative tyre option when choosing your Scenic, then take it.
RENAULT SCENIC – INTERIOR
As you will have noticed from the styling, while it shares the same nameplate as previous Renault Scenics, this is about as far from the original versions of Scenic as it’s possible to get. And nowhere is that more obvious than with the interior
So if you’re expecting some of the clever interior tricks of the previous people-carriers, then you’ll be disappointed. What you do get though is a well laid-out spacious interior, with some practical measures with plenty of USB sockets front and rear and a decent 545 litre boot which extends to 1670 litres with the rear seats lowered.
A deep centre console has multiple sections with a lidded cubby between the two front seats and there’s a rubber-lined tray at the base of the dash. The majority of the controls are via the main portrait-style touchscreen and while Apple Carplay integration can be a little hit-and-miss on occasion, it’s a comfortable enough place to be. What really stand outs out though is that everything just works and is logically laid out. Even better, there’s just one single button to disengage all of the annoying safety features.
We particularly liked the electro-chromatic sunroof which can be shaded at various levels or entirely clear just like an old-school sliding shade. There’s also 360-surround parking cameras which are brilliant, although it’s frustrating that the rear camera is mounted low down just above the number plate and gets dirty very quickly, blocking your view.
There’s also automatic dipping headlights, but they’re not the kind of dynamic beam-adapting models of other cars. Full beam is especially bright though and we quite like the neat dance they do on unlocking the car and also the Renault diamond puddle lights too.
SUMMARY
The Renault Scenic isn’t a perfect example of a family EV, but it isn’t far off. The reality is that while there are shortcomings, especially with those tyres and the over-firm ride, the rest of it is very good indeed.
If you’re after an EV that’s also a family car without the substantial road footprint of an over-large SUV, then the Scenic might be a good solution. The range and efficiency are at least a match, or better than, rivals. The accessibility of the tech is better too. Yes, there’s a big touchscreen, but there are also real buttons too.
The Renault is also a good size. Big enough in the rear seats and the boot to be a useful family car, but also small enough to be manoeuvrable in parking spots. It may not boast the neat tricks of the Scenics of old, but in return it’s a great all-rounder and, for a family car, that’s often all you want and need.
FACT BOX
Model: Renault Scenic E-Tech 87kW
Price: from £40,995
Power: Battery – 87kWh
Range: 369 miles
Average efficiency: 3.8mls/kWh
Average charge time on a domestic wallbox: 11hrs
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
Rating: 9/10