Renault Scenic Review (2016-2019)

Once upon a time, the mini-MPV was the car to have. Before the rise and rise of the SUV, the compact MPV was ideal family transport. It isn’t hard to see why: into a package barely any bigger than a family hatchback, these MPVs packed seven sliding, folding seats, allowing the interior to be transformed into… well, whatever you wanted it to be.

The Renault Scenic was the car that single-handedly created the niche. Born in 1997, it went through four generations before the SUV killed it off, along with so many of the rivals it spawned. Sadly, this final version of the Scenic isn’t quite as impressive as the original.

You wouldn’t know to look at it though. On the outside, the Scenic looks so good it stands a chance of pulling people away from their SUVs. Indeed, there are elements of the modern crossover about it; despite the usual, van-like people carrier profile, its swoopy styling, muscular detailing and enormous 20-inch wheels make the Scenic pop.

Inside, there’s more of the same, with a smart-looking interior centred around a big touchscreen. There's lots of storage space, too, with covered cubbies sprinkled liberally throughout. But all is not sweetness and light in here; look further down, and the plastics grow cheaper and less robust, leaving you with the impression the Scenic’s been built down to a price.

It isn’t as spacious as it could be either. Renault opted to build the floor up in order to fit cubbies beneath the rear passengers’ feet, but the result is that the floor feels too high, and it’s hard to escape the feeling of sitting with your knees around your ears. The rear seats aren’t as versatile as rivals either; while the whole bench slides forward and backward, the seats don’t move individually, and they only fold in a fairly conventional 60/40 format.

The bad news continues out on the road, and it’s partly the fault of those big wheels. You see, they come with slim, low-profile tyres, which transmit lots of the bumps through to the car.

To compensate, Renault’s made the suspension very soft, and this has worked to an extent; you still feel the harshest divots, but for the most part, lumps and bumps are smothered reasonably well. The trouble is, that wallowy suspension means the Scenic leans over heavily in bends, which can be nauseating for both you and your passengers.

The numb steering doesn’t help matters, and together with the sloppy body control renders the Scenic rather uninviting to drive with any sort of haste. That’s potentially excusable in an MPV, which is unlikely to be driven that way anyway; less forgivable though is the way the Scenic’s engines feel so gutless; up a motorway slip road, with seven on board, even the most potent version will feel strained, while smaller-engined examples feel positively weak.

The most economical Scenic is the diesel Hybrid Assist model, which should see some faintly unbelievable fuel economy figures upwards of 65mpg in average daily use. Which is all well and good, but it’s incredibly hard to find. If you do happen upon one, though, you’ll enjoy super-cheap tax costs, thanks to the Hybrid Assist’s particularly low CO2 figures.

You’re better off making do with one of the other diesel models; the 108bhp model should still see fairly impressive MPG figures of around 60, while the more powerful diesels will get 50-55mpg. Both of the petrol models, meanwhile, should return 40-45mpg. Whichever engine you go for, there’s around a 2mpg deficit for choosing the automatic gearbox instead of the manual.

Maintaining your Scenic shouldn’t break the bank either. Renault offers a very competitive service pricing scheme for vehicles aged four years old and over, and that means it might prove just as cost-effective, if not more so, to take your Renault to a main dealer rather than an independent garage.

All but one of the Scenic’s engines have metal timing chains instead of rubber belts, which is a good thing because they don’t wear out and need changing regularly. The exception is the 1.5-litre dCi 110 version, which has a timing belt instead. This will need replacing every six years or 90,000 miles, whichever crops up soonest, at a cost of around £500 at a Renault dealer, or less at an independent.

Unfortunately we don’t have much reliability data on this generation of the Scenic, probably because it isn’t a very common car. However, we can tell you that Renault didn’t do very well in the 2020 What Car? Reliability Survey; the manufacturer finished second to last in 30th place, and that doesn’t bode well for the Scenic’s reliability.

Problems you’ll want to look out for include electrical glitches and niggles, for example odd lights on the dashboard and electrical equipment not quite working the way it should. You’ll also want to pay attention to the air-conditioning system, which is a known weak spot in many Renault cars.

Check for general quality issues with the car, such as rattles and squeaks around the interior. Many Scenics lead hard lives at the hands of unforgiving family users, and given they feel a bit fragile even when they’re new, it’s worth checking the interior over closely for cracks, scrapes and splits.