Scenic is the original of the species

Brian Byrne: There was an advertising campaign some years ago for Britvic Orange as ‘the original of the species’. Well, in motoring terms, Renault could well have run a similar campaign for several kinds of car over the decades. Because the marque has been an innovator so well that its concepts have found their way into many other makers’ products.

Take the R16, for instance. This was the first real hatchback. And now no carmaker is without one. Take the Espace, the first proper European MPV, and still the sovereign leader of the pack on this side of the world.

Then there was the Scenic derivative of the Megane, which brought the MPV or people-carrier concept to the Astra-sized family car, something which in hindsight made absolute sense but at the time was a curiosity more than a strong runner. Except that it ran away ahead of everything else, leading to the situation where it became the variant of choice of more than half of all Megane customers.

And now, while the rest of the motoring world catches up on Scenic, with Opel’s excellent Zafira, for instance, and other European offerings in the segment from Fiat, Ford (delayed to find two more seats) and a convoy of Asian manufacturers, Scenic has been given its own place in the Renault hierarchy, no longer just a different Megane.

And to mark that as much as anything else, they’ve done a bit of cosmetic work. Not too much, and nothing just for the sake of change. And, rightly so, they didn’t try and fix anything that wasn’t broken, proving that they are quite prepared to take advice from a rival ... even if he is long dead.

So the current Scenic has a friendlier face, I suppose is the first impression. Bigger eyes in the new treatment of the front lights system, and very nice it is too. After that ... well, I don’t think I saw anything much else different, now that I think of it. Except, in the model I had, there was a second sunroof.

That only proves that the package is still right up there leading the field. And leading it well. But on the road, is it still keeping enough distance ahead of the competition?

Hmmm ... well, it happened that I had been driving a Far East contender in this range the week before I took the French car, and I was immediately struck by the much better handling of the Scenic. Handling that also included a great degree of comfort, which one expects from a Renault anyhow. It might not have been as perky as Far East, but then we were talking of the different between the basic 1.4-litre pots of the Scenic against a 2-litre competitor. And with enough right foot putdown, the Renault was well able to handle the loads.

Braking, steering, and all the very important attributes that we somehow take for granted nowadays were all up to excellent standard. In fact, I always like the brake pedal action of modern Renaults ... I’ve never known any to feel grabby or soft or anything else ... they’re very in tune with whatever pressure you want to put on.

And while we’re there, the Scenic comes with ABS as standard, and the review model also has standard aircon, so we’re talking a very high specification here, one that a short few years ago would only have been found in a much more expensive level of car. (This trend is right through the industry, which is nice, because the consumer is really getting a much better deal in cars today than half a decade ago.)

The Scenic comes with engine options of 1.4- and 1.6-litre petrol and a 2-litre diesel. The neat part is that it can be bought at entry level for the critical £16,000 mark, making it a very affordable vehicle for the growing family. I don’t have to say that the Scenic is one of Renault’s biggest success stories, because the numbers on the road make that self-evident.

But I should remind just remind you that it is to the mid-range MPV market what Britvic is to bottled orange juices.

The original of the species.

Trish Whelan: So what did I make of the Scenic? Well, for starters it afforded me a better view, being a little more up in the world. It’s quite a high car with good visibility for someone only 5’4” in height, so no cushion was needed to see out! Also, being that bit higher than a saloon allowed me see into other cars at traffic lights, and watch what the occupants were up to!

Seriously though, the Scenic really fitted the bill ... good to look at, particularly in white (and there ARE car-washes available everywhere!) with an equally stylish interior, comfortable well shaped seats, good suspension, numerous pockets and cubby holes for all those bits and pieces. The cupholders set into the rear flip-up trays are also great when bringing kids out of the McDonald’s Drive-Thru without messy accidents. The trays also will actually support a laptop, and there is a separate power point for such accessories already located in the area.

The stowage spaces for an MPV should always be good, and there’s a well-thought-out lidded box at the base of the centre console which can a camera, a mobile phone, and the bag of sweets we’re often tempted to. And the boot space, given that this is a 5-seater, is more than adequate for everybody’s luggage.

I could go far in this car.

- Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan.