THE SCENIC ROUTE (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 97

The fourth generation version of Renault's mid-sized Scenic MPV launched in 2016 offered a more up-market, sophisticated feel. There was styling that borrowed from the Crossover sector, along with a classier cabin that was filled with plenty of technology in most models. With engines borrowed from the Megane range, this car stacks up on the balance sheet too. In short, this is the versatile five-seat solution for families wanting flexible, everyday transport that a Scenic has always been, but in this form, there's an element of desirability here too. Let's check it out as a used buy.

Modelsword count: 19

5dr SUV (1.2 TCe petrol / 1.5 dCi, 1.6 dCi diesel) [Play, Expression+, Iconic, Dynamique Nav, Dynamique S Nav])

Historyword count: 380

The Renault Scenic. It's the definitive compact five-seat MPV and originator of a segment that was once an option for almost every growing family. By 2016 when this MK4 model was launched though, many of these buyers had switched to Qashqai-class Crossovers. Which meant that five-seat People Carriers must become dramatically more desirable if they're not to become irrelevant. With this MK4 model, it was time then, for the Scenic to set the standard once more, in the form of this contender, the smarter, slicker and more seductive fourth generation version. Designer Laurens van den Acker said at launch that if this car didn't sell, then models of this sort deserved to die altogether. This MK 4 model was very different from its predecessors, elements of SUV-ness having crept into the design, hence the 40mm increase in ground clearance, the more muscular bodywork and the shift to huge 20-inch wheels. At the same time, this MK4 model was wider and longer than before, so inside, there was much more rear compartment and luggage space than buyers could get in a comparable Crossover. Which of course helped greatly in delivering the kind of day-to-day usability that the Scenic had long been famed for ever since it first arrived back in 1996. Over the following two decades, more than 6.5 million customers took delivery and the recipe was subtly enhanced, first with the MK2 model of 2003, then with the third generation design of 2009. For most of that time, there was also a seven-seat Grand Scenic version of this car - as there still was with this MK4 design. It's the standard body shape though, that we're going to concentrate on here. Historically, the Scenic has always been fundamentally based on Renault's Megane family hatch - and still was in this form. Which is no bad thing as it means that here, buyers got sophisticated elements borrowed from that car in its much improved fourth generation form - things like a much higher quality cabin and cutting-edge safety standards, while under the bonnet, there was the option of clever 'Hybrid Assist' diesel electric tech. The original engines were replaced by a 1.3-litre TCe petrol and a 1.7-litre diesel in 2018. This MK4 Scenic design sold until early 2020 and wasn't replaced.

What You Getword count: 421

You'd expect the brand that invented the compact MPV to define the way it should look. Is that what Renault did here? Many will think so. Laurens van den Acker and his stylists attempted what was in their words 'a more modern and sexier take' on a compact People Carrier of this kind, basing this model on the 'R-Space' concept car that appeared back in 2011. This MK4 Scenic doesn't have the innovative backwards-opening rear doors of that design, but it shares the same curving silhouette, set off by huge standard 20-inch wheels that are intended to make the roofline look lower. They do - and it isn't. In fact, this car sat 40mm higher off the ground than its predecessor as part of Renault's attempt to imbue trendy Crossover cues into its design. But that only goes so far, the heavily raked windscreen still visually positioning this car very much as a People Carrier - and quite a large one by mid-sized MPV standards. Behind the wheel, what'll you notice? Well the answer's obvious in a top Scenic - the 8.7-inch 'portrait'-style centre dash 'R-Link 2' touchscreen, there to bring a touch of Tesla to this humble family MPV. In the second row, you'll start to appreciate some of the benefits of buying five-seat MPV, rather than the sort of 5-seat Crossover model you might have had for similar money. That kind of car would give you the same sort of basic rear bench you'd get on any conventional family hatchback, perching the unfortunate middle rear passenger on some hard and narrow piece of bulging foam with legs astride a central transmission tunnel. Here, in contrast, you get a far more comfortable arrangement, with proper space for three adults, decent headroom (even with the optional panoramic glass roof fitted) and an opportunity to stretch your legs. And the boot? A little surprisingly, Renault didn't follow the trend in offering buyers an optional powered tailgate, but this one's fairly light to lift and raises to reveal a big square aperture and a reasonably low load sill that sits flush with the boot floor. If you need more space, you can drop the base panel to a lower position, which contributes to a 572-litre total cargo capacity with the back seats still in use. If you need more room, you can of course push forward the rear seats - and do so very easily providing you've avoided entry-level trim, thanks to the 'One-Touch' electric folding system that works either via provided buttons.

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