New Renault Scenic: does it stay true to its image?

A wind of nostalgia has been blowing over the Diamond since the arrival of Luca de Meo at its head in 2020. More than thirty years after their disappearance from the catalog, the Renault 4 and 5 are preparing to be reborn from their ashes, within two years, according to the recipe for success of the Mini and Fiat 500 re-enchanted since the 2000s. If the R5 will remain faithful to the city car profile of its ancestors, the 4L will return to us in the form of a much more bulky, it is true, but respectful of the architecture of its predecessor. There is no doubt that these two models will meet their audience.

The MPV that wanted to be a crossover

On the other hand, we can remain perplexed by Renault’s fierce desire to maintain in its catalog names referring to a universe which, let’s be clear, no one wants in 2023. The former Régie having, obviously, , not mourning the glorious past of its minivans, the Space and the Scenic are therefore called upon to play the extensions, despite the somewhat outdated universe to which they refer in the minds of the majority of the general public. While the Espace sided with the 7-seater SUV last spring, the Scenic is now turning into a crossover. Now devoid of single-body cell, it is to be considered as the 100% electric counterpart of the Austral, stretching to 4.47 m, although it loudly claims to perpetuate the DNA of the long line of the famous compact minivan.

Longer, but not necessarily more practical

To its credit, it gains 6 cm in total length, compared to the previous Scenic 5-seater, and 5 cm in additional wheelbase measurement (2.78 m), but sees its height drop by 8 cm (1.57 m) . Therefore, its headroom (880 mm) moves away from the standards of ease provided by the Scenic 4 (923 mm) to stall neither more nor less than on the Austral coast. The good surprise could have come from the trunk volume which boasts 545 l against “only” 506 l previously. But that would be to forget a little quickly that the previous Scenic extended this capacity up to 572 l via a sliding rear seat in two parts (⅔-⅓) which is sorely lacking in the newcomer. An almost unforgivable oversight knowing that a “simple” Renault Austral, member of a compact SUV category generally unconcerned with modularity, is equipped with it. However, the flat floor of the new Scenic would have lent itself ideally to this type of layout. The bench remains desperately fixed, and our thoughts go directly to its central passenger who will have to deal on the one hand with a curved backrest by the integration of an armrest, and on the other hand with a head restraint lowered in relation to the seats. lateral. Only the latter will offer optimum comfort when the middle location is more suitable for troubleshooting, or for a child. Nothing to do with the old Scenic which offered three real rear seats, despite the slight narrowness of the one positioned in the center. We therefore expected much better from this model, supposedly family, in terms of optimization of space on board.

Cruel lack of storage

The weakness of the storage space scattered around the passenger compartment is a perfect illustration of this, with only 38.7 l compared to 63 l previously. The removal of the huge sliding center console between the front passengers, as well as hatches housed under the passenger feet, is not unrelated to this disappointment. Decidedly, is not Scenic who wants. This is the price to pay when favoring a more rewarding silhouette of SUV, particularly characterized by a flat hood, antithesis of the minivan.

To make a Tesla pale…

In a completely different register, should we blame him for converting entirely to electricity? Probably not, as the competition intensifies in this niche (Ford Explorer, Volvo C40, etc.), and insofar as those refractory to electricity will have the opportunity to turn to the thermal blocks of the Austral. However, the new Scenic advances serious arguments with those who fear the autonomy of this type of vehicle. At the top of its range, an 87 kWh battery promises to cover 620 km WLTP, more than a Tesla Model 3 Long Range (602 km), and to recover from 15 to 80% capacity in 38 minutes at its maximum. charging power (150 kW) in direct current (DC) on a supercharger. A value that places it in the average of the category. More modestly, a 60 kWh “battery” ensuring a little over 420 km WLTP of autonomy will also be available by limiting its charging power to 130 kW.

Engines adapted to its vocation

On the engine side, the new Scenic renounces the overbidding of power, against the current trend, the 170 hp and 220 hp offered proving to be largely sufficient to move this family-oriented vehicle. This is also one of the keys to its spectacular level of autonomy. To this end, the new Scenic also takes care of the aerodynamics by optimizing the air intake of the grille in the continuity of the headlamps, the use of extractable door handles, or the design of the flange-type rims. .

Faithful to the Scenic Vision concept car

Aesthetically speaking, the filiation with the electric Mégane is obvious from ¾ before since it inherits its look, however skilfully underlined with a black lacquered piece giving the illusion of a new optical unit. We forgive him as this bow takes a new step in the modernization of the brand’s stylistic codes. The logo no longer overlaps the border delimiting the grille and the bonnet, for example, while the light signatures become vertical under the headlights. Their frame, inspired by the graphics of the Diamond, is also available under the grille until it fades on either side of the shield, in the purest spirit of the Scenic Vision showcar which announced this production model last year. . If the profile also remains very faithful to the study, the stern stands out more fully by the boomerang shape of its lights, while each end of the shield is adorned with fins improving aerodynamic drag.

Always the same dashboard

Consequently, the general look of the new Scenic gives it a certain dynamism which welcomes the Esprit Alpine finish, obviously present in the catalog, since it will be generalized on almost the entire Renault range, from the Clio to the Rafale. Behind the wheel, the surprise effect will not take place, the cockpit of the electric Mégane being entirely renewed there, except for the atmospheres of colors and materials, to such an extent that the hub of the steering wheel unfortunately escapes the one inaugurated by the Burst, sporting a more carefully delineated diamond within it. But the disappointment comes mainly from the umpteenth renewal of the dashboard already allocated to the electric Mégane, Austral, Espace and Rafale. Let’s bet on the fact that a car cockpit has never been so quickly amortized, even if it means going around in circles, on the design side. This does not detract from the intrinsic qualities of the OpenR Link multimedia environment, embodied by an inverted L-shaped digital panel, but we would appreciate a breath of fresh air finally falling on the passenger compartment of a Renault.

Virtuous interior

This is however the case, virtuously speaking, as the Scenic cuvée 2024 is made of recycled or renewable materials. For example, the Iconic finish uses fabric recycled from plastic bottles (79%) and seat belts from industrial waste (8%), thus displaying an overall rate of 87% material recycled. In addition, leather is now part of ancient history, Renault preferring a grained coated fabric to free itself from any material of animal origin. The glass is not outdone despite the introduction of a state-of-the-art panoramic glass roof with its opacifying technology (Solarbay), as introduced for the first time by the Rafale. 50% of its constitution comes from primary resources, the rest coming from automotive flat glass production waste, as a whole. If this Scenic does not completely fulfill its mission of family interest, we salute its efforts to preserve planetary resources.

Prix Renault Scenic

The new Renault Scenic will arrive in dealerships in the first half of 2024 at a base price that can be estimated at around €40,000.