Ten Second Review

Renault once ignored the needs of compact MPV buyers wanting seven seats. Now arguably, they meet them better than anybody. Evidence comes in the shape of this second generation Grand Scenic. Practical, safe, quiet, comfortable, cheap to run and relatively affordable, it ticks a lot of boxes.

Background

Renault will tell you, quite rightly, that they know a thing or two about people carriers, but the truth is also that they have themselves been taught a few MPV lessons by other brands over the years. The French manufacturer was certainly first to popularise the MPV market, initially with the Espace for large families, then in the late Nineties with the more compact Scenic. What they failed to initially appreciate though was that so many customers would want the bigger model's 7-seater carrying capacity in a smaller Scenic-sized package. Cars like Vauxhall's Zafira capitalised royally on this oversight until Renault belatedly put things right in 2004 with the launch of the first generation Grand Scenic model. This may have been a delayed response but at least it was an effective one. Instead of simply copying compact MPVs like the Zafira and others like Volkwagen's Touran and Toyota's Verso by cramming into the boot two extra seats suitable only for small children or eunuchs, Renault did the job properly. The first Grand Scenic sat on an extended long wheelbase chassis and was 230mm longer than the continuing 5-seater Scenic model, for the first time properly plugging the gap between fully-fledged 7-seat people carriers and mini-MPVs designed as little more than family hatchbacks with a little extra versatility. Renault had grabbed back the initiative in this market and aimed to continue it when five years later, they launched the second generation Grand Scenic we look at here.

Driving Experience

You automatically approach a seven-seat MPV measuring four and a half meters from nose to tail with certain expectations about how it will drive but it's worth giving the Grand Scenic the benefit of the doubt. Comfort is the priority and rightly so but Renault has also managed to instil a high degree of poise and manoeuvrability. With its suspension system lifted from the Megane, the Grand Scenic resists cornering roll well and has plenty of grip at the front wheels. The ride quality is first class, the car tiptoeing over poor road surfaces and avoiding too much wobbliness on sudden undulations. The steering is sometimes too light and the manual gearbox isn't the slickest but in general, considering the Grand Scenic's family remit, Renault has got the balance just about right. To complete the job, it'll be down to you to make the right engine choice. Best of the bunch if you want petrol power is the smooth 130bhp 1.4 TCe turbo unit, miles more responsive than the entry-level 110bhp 1.6 VVT and able to pull cleanly from as little as 1,000rpm, even in 5th gear. As a result, it feels quicker than the 0-60mph time of 11.5s would suggest. If you're after diesel, the 1.5 dCi 110 version might be enough if you're not likely to be often travelling fully laden. If you will be, then the 1.6 dCi 130 variant might be better suited to your needs. This version emphasises what is arguably the Grand Scenic's strongest dynamic suit: its outstanding class-leading refinement. Plastic and felt have been built into the flooring with impressively quiet results.

Design and Build

From the outside, this is a smart but not especially memorable design but inside, the designers' efforts have been massively more successful. The quality of the materials leaps out at you, with well chosen soft-touch plastics everywhere and nicely executed minor controls that won't disappoint those used to more premium brands. The dashboard highlight for most owners will be the computer-style multi-colour screen with its virtual speedometer, but more important is the way that the big windscreen and narrow pillars give you a great view out. The seats are very comfortable too and we particularly like the way that the headrests can be folded forward and around weary heads for those lulled into sleep by the cosseting ride. As for practicality, well, being very nearly the size of a Renault Espace, this Grand Scenic should be big inside and it is. Even so, four and a half metres of length still isn't quite enough to take seven full-sized adults in long distance comfort, even though with a few compromises, you can get close. The seats in the second row slide collectively or individually backwards and forwards, so you can set them to offer good legroom for second or third row passengers, though not both. Mostly then, owners will probably choose to maximise second row legroom and keep the back two seats for kids or adults on short journeys. Talking of kids, the cabin is a triumph of child-friendliness, with seatback tables, door pockets designed for drink bottles and around 40 storage spaces, including front and rear floor cubbies, plus trays under the front seats. And luggage space? Well, as you might expect, there isn't much - just 208 litres - with third row seating in use, but once you use the easy one-touch motion to fold them flat into the floor, this area can be increased to 564-litres. That's easily enough for, say, a couple of bags of golf clubs and a baby buggy but if you want more yet still need to carry five passengers, you can slide the second seating row forward to create up to 702-litre of space. Going further still requires you to fold the second seating row up against those at the front - sadly, they won't fold flat into the floor. However, if you've space in the garage, you can remove the three chairs completely, to free up a massive 2063-litre space with a load length of around 2.5m.

Market and Model

Since list prices suggest that you'll pay somewhere in the £18,000 to £22,000 bracket for your Grand Scenic, you might reasonably argue that the upper end of that scale would buy you a fully-sized Ford Galaxy or Renault Espace-shaped large MPV. True enough, but as Renault have discovered, many people want only occasional seven-seater capacity and dislike having to lump around Transit van-like dimensions every day of the week. At first glance, Renault seems to have priced this car comparably to its closest rival, Citroen's C4 Grand Picasso, but look again and you may find that choosing the Grand Scenic will net you a useful saving on some key variants, including the entry-level diesel models that tend to be most popular. In terms of other compact MPV rivals, only Peugeot's 5008 offers a properly lengthened 7-seater body. Others, like Vauxhall's Zafira, Toyota's Verso or Volkswagen's Touran, claim to suit seven but squash all those seats into one standard bodyshape. Renault asks a premium of around £1,500 from buyers wanting to graduate from their 5-seater Scenic to this Grand Scenic model, the two cars sharing most of the same engines. You might automatically think diesel here - either a 1.5-litre 110bhp dCi unit or a 130bhp 1.6 dCi - but don't ignore the impressive 130bhp 1.4-litre turbo TCe model in the petrol range, far superior to the 110bhp 1.6 VVT option. All models get electric front windows, an automatic wiper that works in reverse, air-conditioning and an MP3-compatible CD stereo. Safety is strong throughout, with the inclusion of ESP stability control, front, side and curtain airbags and ISOFIX child seat mountings on all the middle seats. In Euro NCAP crash tests, this car scored the full 37 points to give it a five star rating for adult occupancy protection.

Cost of Ownership

What the Grand Scenic's entry-level diesel engine lacks in outright pace, it makes up for by creating in this car one of the most fuel-efficient seven-seat vehicles you can buy. The 1.5 dCi 110 engine gives this Renault a combined cycle fuel figure of 57.6mpg and 128g/km emissions, which is better than many of the eco-special models offered by rival marques. The 1.4-litre TCe petrol engine deserves special mention too for its fuel return of close to 40mpg and 170g/km emissions showing, while even the powerful 1.6 dCi 130 diesel manages under 120g/km of CO2. The issue of residual values is a trickier one for Renault. Expect this car to return between 25 and 30% of its value after three years or 36,000 miles. What else might you need to know? Well, insurance groupings range between 5 and 10, there's a three year/60,000 mile warranty and, if you're interested, 14% of the plastics used on the car are derived from recycled material.

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