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Renault Scenic Review & Road TestReview by www.new-car-reviews.co.uk
Summary When launched the Renault Scenic defined an entirely new class of vehicle and despite increased competition it still remains one of the best MPV's in its class. Updated for 2003, the latest version, the Scenic II, is an evolution of the theme and addresses most of the areas where it had begin to fall behind the class leaders. In particular the cabin is slightly larger than its predecessor and consequently feels even more spacious. The standard Scenic II seats five (despite being bigger than the original Espace) and the Grand Scenic II seats seven rivaling the Vauxhall Zafira and Peugeot 307SW. In addition to space the new model is much more striking to look at than its predecessor, drawing on styling cues from the Megane and this redesign process has followed through into the cabin. The driving position is now much more hatchback like and most of the styling and quality issues have also been addressed. The new model feels well constructed and materials are of a higher quality. Handling has also been improved thanks to a stiffened body structure, body roll is limited and the car remains unruffled over fairly uneven road surfaces. The stiffened structure and wide range of safety features, including 6 airbags (curtain airbags all round and chest airbags in front) have also helped to earn the new ScenicII five stars in the European NCAP crash test safety ratings. The Scenic II has a choice of five engines, three petrol engines and two diesels. The pick of the bunch is probably the 1.9dCi having lots of torque whilst still delivering very reasonable fuel consumption figures (47mpg). The smaller petrol engines are a little under powered at motorway speeds but are adequate around town. At higher speeds the smaller petrol engines become vocal and wind noise can reach intrusive levels. However the car is much quieter than its predecessor, in particular road noise has been quelled thanks to additional sound insulation around the wheel arches. NCAP safety and security test
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