So is the Renault Scenic E-Tech really MPV-like on the inside?
The luggage compartment of 545 liters is certainly promising. Opening the tailgate reveals a very deep, square cargo area, complete with a pair of bag hooks, a 12V charger and underfloor cable storage. The problem is that the floor is way down from the liftgate, and the 40/20/40 split rear seat leaves a big step up when folded. So while there is plenty of space in the luggage compartment, it is mainly located in the depth.
A huge fall over a not-very-low lip means you have to coax dogs into running into a dark pit, and it’s a crippling hassle having to lift a heavy buggy up, back and forth, rather than just lifting it sliding on a flat floor. However, Renault offers a variable boot floor as an option in the UK to solve this problem.
There’s endless legroom in the back of the Scenic – more than in the new Peugeot e-3008 – and even if you get the panoramic glass roof (with smart glazing, allowing coverage to be changed at the touch of a button), a few six-footers will be very comfortable. The middle seat is wide and the middle passenger benefits from the lack of a transmission tunnel, so three children can sit together quite happily in the backseat.
Although the three-way seat split is more useful than the 60/40 split of many rivals and the center armrest has a cunning hidden phone stand and two charging ports, the seats don’t slide or recline, and are only mountable. two child seats included. For true family functionality, we would have liked more versatility from the seats – ideally three individually adjustable seats with three sets of Isofix points in appropriate MPV fashion. Unfortunately, such ultimate functionality seems to be reserved for van cars these days.
Sliding into the front seat does nothing to dispel the growing suspicion that the Scenic is in fact a soft, large hatchback with nothing MPV about it – just like most family crossovers in this class. That’s mainly because rearward visibility is poor, and even forward visibility is mediocre at best, as the bulky side mirrors often obscure your view at intersections.
This sounds like we’re putting a huge damper on the Scenic, but that’s not the case. The lack of versatility is a big disappointment as Renault’s noise about this car’s family use is such a big selling point, but if you look at the Scenic for the simple, spacious electric crossover that it apparently is, it’s a strong contender. For starters, the materials used inside are beautiful. Our iconic high-spec test car was particularly nice, with light, part-leatherette upholstery and gray textile inserts. About 80% of these materials also come from recycled sources.
The dashboard is very similar to that of the Renault Austral, so the 12.0-inch touchscreen is your window to just about everything, but there’s also a thin row of physical air conditioning buttons just below it, which we’re very happy with. The screen has built-in Google software, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and is one of the better in its class. There’s a handy shortcut to the homepage permanently visible at the top of the screen, and it’s great to have all the familiarity and usability of Google Maps.
Sometimes these really huge, portrait-oriented screens are actually harder to use on the go than those smaller screens with a bezel you can hold your hand on, but the large icons and fairly simple layout of this Renault system make it quite easy to get around of.
What perhaps can’t be said about the series of levers that emerge from the right side of the steering column, where you’ll find the gear lever, the indicators and, below that, a large series of buttons for the audio. It’s a lot of excellent controls that let you poke around in a small area.