Renault Scenic: Economy Engine Saves Vacation Budget

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

The Renault Scenic offers families not only a high level of variability but also many niceties in the interior. Anyone who opts for the new 130 hp economy engine is also easy on the holiday budget.

By Frank Mertens

Compact vans are trendy. Especially with families. In addition to a high degree of variability, they are primarily concerned with efficiency. If you want to go on vacation by car, you don't want to overwork your vacation budget at the gas station.

Manufacturers who want to be successful with their family-friendly vehicles must therefore offer their clientele correspondingly economical vans. The French manufacturer Renaulttried this with the Scenic Energy dCi 130. For its 4.34 meter long compact van, the French promise a combined consumption thanks to the new economy engine, which was previously only available for the Scenic, in combination with the well-functioning start-stop system of just 4.5 liters. This corresponds to CO2 emissions of just 117 grams per kilometer. Or rather: would correspond.

5.8 liters average consumption

With this consumption recommendation, Renault offers its customers more prospects than can ultimately be achieved with normal driving. Here, the Renault Scenic approved itself in the test drives with an average of three people and a fully packed trunk, calculated 5.7 liters per 100 kilometers. That is 1.3 liters more than the manufacturer promised, but the consumption values determined according to the European driving cycle have little in common with reality anyway.

So the first minus points for the Renault Scenic? By no means! The consumption is okay, because the Scenic has been driven at a brisk 160 kilometers on the motorway. The way you don't do it when you're looking to save on fuel. Rather, the Scenic should show whether it is suitable as a family-friendly van. He does that - and without any ifs or buts.

Even at speeds of more than 120 kilometers per hour, the 1.6 liter turbodiesel that follows the downsizing principle, with its 130 hp and maximum torque of 320 Nm, proves to be a convincing unit. His performance is absolutely calm. The four-cylinder makes its power available confidently when you call it up.

The sprint to 100 km / h takes place in 10.3 seconds and the top speed is reached at a fully adequate 195 km / h. The manual six-speed gearbox is also not objectionable; the gears can be inserted easily without hooks, that's how it has to be. The steering also meets the demands of drivers who like it when the feedback is direct and you don't feel like having to wait ages before the steering actually implements the commands.

Good chassis

And the landing gear? Is it as unfavorably spongy as you know it from so many other French models? No, luckily not. Thanks to its wide track (1.546 meters at the front / 1.547 meters at the rear), this French car lies well on the road, although the damping is surprisingly tight, almost a touch too tight. Because in poor road conditions, you will noticeably notice the bumps in the interior.

Despite its elevated structure, the 1.68-meter-high Scenic does not tend to tilt even when cornering quickly thanks to the large anti-roll bars; it is accordingly agile here. On the other hand, the Scenic doesn't like transverse joints when cornering - the rear part reacts to this very sensitively. Although this is not critical, it is unattractive and somewhat tarnishes the otherwise good overall impression of the chassis.

The impression of the interior is also positive. It not only makes a high-quality impression, the materials also feel good. Above all, families can look forward to a large number of storage areas. There is not only space for a large drinking bottle in the shelves on the side doors, but two cups can also be placed below the center console. The moveable storage box between the driver and front passenger seats is cleverly made.

There is not only enough space for small items here, but the control unit for the Carminat navigation device from TomTom is also integrated into the front, with its 5.8-inch color screen placed directly next to the digital consumption and speed display on the central instrument panel. The well-functioning navigation system is either part of the Luxe equipment variant or the TomTom edition model, but can also be ordered as an option for 490 euros. A good investment.

Since long distances are often covered in a compact van, the quality of the seats is very important. But here, too, the Scenic does not show any nakedness: The seats not only offer good lateral support, but also sufficient adjustment options, such as for the lumbar spine. Even after a few hours of driving, you can get out of the car more or less relaxed.

The passengers in the rear don't have to complain about too little space. Two adults and a child can make themselves comfortable here, even on longer journeys. The rear seats can be folded up individually or moved up to 13 centimeters in length. This either provides more space for the passengers in the rear or even more space in the trunk, which, depending on the position of the second row of seats, has a capacity of between 470 liters and 555 liters. This means that a family of four can confidently go on vacation without having to worry about every item while packing. The front seats have two fold-out tables at the back, which are particularly popular with children.