Make and model: Renault Scenic E-Tech
Description: Mid-sized five-seat SUV
Price range: £37,495 to £45,495
Renault says: “The perfect family car that just happens to be an EV.”
We say: Only the name is the same on this family EV with much to like.
Introduction
Now the Scenic is back, but the only thing you might recognise is the name. The new model is a family-sized electric vehicle (EV) and, on first evidence, it’s a pretty effective one.
What is it?
There are three trim levels and two drivetrain options for the Scenic, both based around a single motor driving the front wheels. The combination of 170hp motor and 60kWh battery, known as Comfort Range, is only available in the base Techno trim. The ‘Long Range’, joining a 220hp motor to a 87kWh battery, is on offer in all three trim levels.
Who is this car aimed at?
Who won’t like it?
The Scenic does most of what it is designed to do but without really making a distinctive statement. If you are looking for as much excitement in your drive as efficiency you won’t find it here, but then again if an exciting drive is a priority you should be looking elsewhere anyway.
First impressions
Sharp creases do a good job of breaking up the exterior surfaces, and the front-end treatment is a highlight. So many EV designers struggle to get right the bit where traditional cars have their grilles, many simply settling for bluff lumps of panel, but the Scenic offers a natty ‘faux grille’ design which looks rather attractive.
What do you get for your money?
There are three trim levels, dubbed Techno, Esprit Alpine and Iconic. The entry-level Techno is very well specified, with yet another growing trend evident – what were once considered expensively desirable extras are now standard equipment. Notable examples in this case include wireless smartphone charging, an electric tailgate, heated seats and steering wheel and automatic just about everything.
What’s the Renault Scenic like inside?
Slip into the Scenic and the immediate impression is of light and airy surroundings, especially with the Solarbay sunroof fitted to the cars on the launch event. The car scores on its space – headroom is adequate even for the tallest occupants, while rear-seat passengers will feel the benefit of a wheelbase stretched by 10cm over the Megane.
Three adults will fit comfortably in the back, but if you only seat two they can make use of a clever central armrest that folds down to reveal individual cupholders, USB-C sockets and tablet/phone holders that can be swivelled for joint or individual visual entertainment.
Up front, two 12-inch digital displays dominate the scene. The central vertical one forms the infotainment screen and its multimedia system is matched to Google products – some 50 Google apps are available and some, such as Google Maps, can be cast onto the driver’s display.
Now, about this display… Renault tells us that instead of traditional dial shapes, we have ‘speed lines’. At 28 degrees, they match the angle of the Renault logo and divide the screen vertically into three. It’s just that the left line cuts directly into the bottom right corner of the large digital speed readout – it’s not enough to make it hard to read, just slightly visually jarring…
What’s the Renault Scenic like to drive?
As ever in an EV, setting off is a very unflustered process. At slow speeds, the car emits a low tone to alert pedestrians to its otherwise silent presence – this tone, along with the ‘welcome sounds’ one gets on entering the car, was apparently created by electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, though sadly it’s a lot less earworm-inducing than ‘Oxygene’…
At speed, the Scenic rides well and the suspension does a good job of smothering bumps and potholes. There are four driving modes available and the standard Comfort one is adequate, if a little soft and bouncy when pushed on. Choosing Sport suitably firms things up, but you won’t get much excitement out of driving this car – which is no real surprise for a family SUV.
Four levels of battery regeneration are available to help stretch the potential range, which are selected by paddles behind the steering wheel. Once familiar with these, it’s easy to drive the Scenic as a one-pedal car.
How safe is the Renault Scenic?
Here the Scenic ticks all the boxes – as is the norm these days the safety package extends to a host of autonomous driving aids, and as is also increasingly a norm, all of them come fitted to every model, even the cheapest.
The Scenic was tested by Euro NCAP in May 2024 and scored a top five-star rating. Depending on spec, it offers up to 30 driving assistance functions including lane departure warning, cross-traffic alerts and the like, plus a couple of new ones.
Active Driver Assist combines adaptive cruise control, Stop & Go and lane-centring functions depending on speed. At low speeds, such as in a traffic jam, the lane centring system can be adjusted by the driver to keep the vehicle to one side of the road to make room for emergency vehicles.
The Adaptive Cruise Control is clever too, apparently ‘Intelligent Contextual’. It works with a map and can adapt to the road ahead, planning for upcoming roundabouts, turns and speed limit changes.
Renault Scenic economy, battery range and charging
One of the other complaints levelled at the smaller Megane has been a fairly unimpressive battery range, so the Scenic addresses this with its two drivetrain choices.
The ‘comfort range’ setup offers an official UK/EU government lab test range of 260 miles between charges, and in the ‘long range’ variant you get a maximum of 379 miles.
A heat pump is standard, helping to recover energy and maximise range, especially in winter temperatures. It works with the journey planner to automatically pre-condition the battery as the car nears a scheduled charging stop, ensuring it is at the optimal temperature on arrival and helping to cut charge times.
With a 7kW charger (like a home wallbox), a full charge takes just under 13 hours with the larger battery and a bit over nine hours with the larger one.
Verdict
The latest Renault Scenic is a thoroughly capable family EV with a competitive range and a stylish, quality build. It’s not the most exciting vehicle to drive in the market but few potential buyers in this sector will be prioritising performance.
One is left wondering why they chose to re-use the Scenic name, however. Anyone who recalls previous versions of what was a highly popular people carrier will find nothing in this car that they recognise.
Similar cars
Audi Q4 e-tron | BMW iX3 | Citroën ë-C4 | Ford Mustang Mach-E | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | Kia EV6 | Mercedes-Benz EQA | Nissan Ariya | Polestar 2 | Skoda Enyaq iV | Subaru Solterra | Tesla Model Y | Toyota bZ4X | Volkswagen ID.4 | Volvo EX40
Key specifications
Model tested: Renault Scenic E-Tech Iconic long-range 220hp
Price (as tested): £45,495 (range starts £37,495)
Motor: Single electric motor
Gearbox: Single-speed auto
Power: 220hp
Torque: 300Nm
Top speed: 105mph
0-62 mph: 7.9 sec
Electric range: 369 miles (WLTP combined)
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
Euro NCAP safety rating: Five stars (May 2024)
TCE Expert rating: A, 84% (November 2024)
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