Renault Scenic (2016 – 2019) Review

The Renault Scenic pulled off the trick of being an MPV that was really rather stylish. It helped it rode on 20-inch wheels as standard, although they did nothing for the ride comfort. However, it was practical inside and gave the likes of the Toyota Verso, French rival the Citroen C4 Picasso and the Volkswagen Touran a close fight. Read on for our full Renault Scenic review.

With its standard big wheels and chunky, SUV-inspired styling, the Renault Scenic was a far cry from dull MPVs of the past when launched in 2016.

But, despite its radical new look, it still proved a sensible and capable family car, with loads of cabin space, a big boot and some clever touches.

The rear seats are comfortable, with enough head and legroom for adults or, more importantly, for three children. The wide-opening rear doors provide easy access, plus there are two rear Isofix points and one on the front passenger seat. On all but entry-level models, the rear seats fold with one-touch buttons in the boot.

For those who have a bigger family there is a Renault Grand Scenic, which is slightly longer to accommodate a pair of occasional-use seats that fold out of the boot to make it a seven-seater.

The boot capacity in the standard Renault Scenic is 572 litres with the rear seats in place, and the load deck is flat to make filling up easier.

Pushchairs, shopping and other family bits and pieces will fit easily, and there is a false floor for hiding small items like tablet computers. The only issue is the chunky rear bumper, which will likely get scuffed when sliding things in and out.

Bluetooth and DAB are standard, as is a large, crisp touchscreen system. On all but basic Expression+ models, it comes with TomTom navigation and includes live services, such as traffic alerts.

Importantly, standard safety tech includes auto emergency braking, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition and cruise control on all versions.  

The engine range includes 110PS, 130PS and 160PS diesels, plus there is a 1.2-litre TCe petrol with either 115PS or 130PS. Of these the 1.5 dCi 110PS diesel is probably the best bet, since it blends low emissions and official economy of more than 70mpg with decent performance and good refinement.

On the road, the Renault Scenic is easy to drive, with light controls and quiet engines, but the big wheels mean ride quality is a little unsettled over rough surfaces and there is some road noise on coarse British tarmac. On the motorway or around town this is no real issue, though.

With its generous level of standard safety kit, stylish looks and practical cabin, the Renault Scenic is a real contender next to rival used cars. The Kia Carens is better value and the Ford C-MAX is superior to drive, but there’s still every reason to give the Renault Scenic a look.

Need more seats? Read heycar’s Renault Grand Scenic review.

All variants of the Renault Scenic were fitted with 20-inch wheels as standard, which might alarm some buyers, and rightly so.

The penalty for such big, stylish wheels is a jittery ride quality over rough, potholed country roads, as well as tyre roar on coarse tarmac.

It’s not a real problem around town or on the motorway, but if you spend a lot of time on B-roads, a Ford C-MAX is probably a better bet.

Through corners, the Renault Scenic is predictable and body roll is well controlled, but the Ford C-MAX has more nicely-weighted and accurate steering.

On the plus side, there is plenty of standard convenience technology including cruise control, a speed limiter, traffic sign recognition, auto-dipping lights and hill start assistance.

The Parking Pack Premium was a £500 option and provides semi-autonomous parking. It recognises parallel, perpendicular and diagonal spaces and takes control of the steering.

All the driver needs to do is control throttle, gear selection and braking, which is ideal for those who aren’t confident with their parking.

The Renault Scenic came with a 1.2-litre TCe petrol engine producing either 110PS or 130PS. Plus there are 1.5-litre and 1.6-litre dCi diesels with outputs of 110PS, 130PS or 160PS.

The most powerful diesel has a six-speed automatic transmission as standard, while the 1.5 dCi 110PS was also available with a seven-speed auto.

Even though the 1.2-litre TCe engine might sound small for an MPV, it’s actually fine. Performance is similar to the diesel engines, but with less impressive official fuel economy figures. Both the 115PS and 130PS petrols achieve up to 48.7mpg depending on trim level.

The 1.5 dCi 110PS diesel is the pick of the engine range. It’s very quiet and smooth, plus it performs well at motorway speeds and its 260Nm of torque is fine for overtaking. Official economy is 72.4mpg for the manual, or 70.6mpg for the automatic.

For most Renault Scenic owners this engine provides the best blend of performance and running costs.

There is also a hybrid assist version, which has a small electric motor to help when pulling away. It means a small boost economy boost to an official 80.6mpg.

Those who tend to drive long distances should consider the 130PS and 160PS 1.6-litre dCi diesels, which provide some extra grunt for the motorway.

Standard safety equipment is impressive, with important kit like auto emergency brakes on all versions.

There’s also autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, auto-dipping headlights, cruise control, speed limiter, dual-zone climate control, auto lights and auto wipers.

Moving up to higher equipment grades brings extras like a larger touchscreen and colour head-up display.

In Euro NCAP crash tests, this Renault Scenic scored five stars, although this rating has since expired as testing methods have moved on.

However, the Renault Scenic is still a very safe car and comes with two Isofix mounts in the rear bench plus another in the front passenger seat.

There's no official figure for towing with an unbraked trailer using the Renault Scenic. However, this MPV can haul a braked trailer of up to 1850kg.

Wide-opening rear doors make access to the back row easy. There is space for a pair of adults to sit in comfort, or ample room for three children.

Those who need to carry even more passengers can opt for the seven-seat Renault Grand Scenic, which has two fold-up seats in the load area.

The boot has a flat, low deck and a 572-litre capacity. That’s plenty for pushchairs or whatever else a growing family might need, although the position of the rear bumper means it’s likely to get scuffed up when unloading.

On the plus side, a two-layer boot floor provides an extra storage space for valuables such as laptops or things like picnic blankets.

The rear seats can be folded flat, freeing up a huge 1554 litres of space, which is ideal for flat packs or garden centre trips. On all but entry-level models, the seats can be folded electronically either via one-touch buttons in the boot, or by the touchscreen system up front when parked.

There is a clever, sliding centre console in all but basic Expression+ versions, which can be moved back so rear seat occupants can access the storage and charger/USB sockets, or slid forward to free up middle-seat legroom and provide storage access for those up front.

The front of the Renault Scenic offers more than enough room for driver and passenger, although vision over the driver’s left shoulder is hindered by the thick, upright rear screen pillars.

Material quality is good on the whole, with a mixture of soft-touch plastics high up and hard-wearing materials low down.

That said, there are some cheap-looking details, such as the unpleasant switch for enabling the speed limiter and the drab, uninspired centre stack.

All versions of the Renault Scenic come with DAB radio and Bluetooth as standard, along with a seven-inch or 8.7-inch touchscreen.

It’s responsive and easy-to-use when parked, but on the move it can be a bit of a fiddle to get the desired screen. Fortunately, the climate and volume controls are easy to find, so you can keep your eyes on the road.

The higher two trim levels gain a larger, vertically-mounted touchscreen which is clearer and includes navigation, complete with TomTom live services for speed camera warnings and traffic.

Unfortunately, there is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto functionality.

A Renault Scenic from early in the car’s short time on sale will cost around £10,500 for a 1.2-litre TCe petrol version in Dynamique S trim.

That gets you a car with about 40,000 miles on the clock. For the same spec with the more frugal 1.5-litre diesel engine, you will have to spend a further £1000.

A late version of this Renault Scenic from 2019 will cost around £16,000 in Signature trim with about 15,000 miles on the clock.

If you cover a lower annual mileage, the petrol engines will be fine, but be aware that the 1.2 TCe 130 has a best combined economy of 48.7mpg. Our Real MPG data shows this works out at a real-world 40mpg.

This makes the diesel engines a better option for anyone covering more miles. The earlier 1.6 dCi claimed 62.8mpg and offers around 50mpg in mixed driving. Choose the 1.5 dCi for official figures that go up to 70.6mpg. You can expect high 50s in daily use.

There is also the 1.5 dCi Hybrid that Renault sold with an official combined economy of 80.7mpg. Impressive stuff, but mid-50s economy is more likely in our experience.

All of these engines will be easy enough to have serviced at a dealer or independent, and the Renault Scenic is no more pricey to look after than an equivalent hatch or SUV.

However, make sure any car you look at doesn’t suffer from failing electronic screens, as they are costly to put right.

Insurance for the Renault Scenic sits in groups 10 to 20, so none should demand too high a price for your annual premium.

When it comes to road tax, all sit in the standard £180-per-year bracket, although very early cars registered prior to 1 April 2017 – such as the diesel engine with hybrid assistance that emits 92g/km of carbon dioxide – qualify for free road tax at the time of writing.

The Renault Scenic Expession+ comes with auto emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, auto headlights with auto dip, auto wipers, cruise control, speed limiter and hill start assist.

It also has an electronic parking brake, three Isofix mounts, 20-inch alloy wheels, a seven-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, DAB radio and a hands-free keycard in place of an ignition key.

A Renault Scenic Dynamique Nav adds fatigue alert, front and rear parking sensors, ambient lighting and drive mode selection, rear sun blinds, sliding centre console with two USB sockets, a 12-volt socket, aux-input and two 500ml bottle holders.

It also offers rear picnic tables, one-touch folding rear seats and a 3D sound system plus TomTom navigation with live services.

Go for the Renault Scenic Dynamique S Nav and it adds head-up display, reversing camera, panoramic glass roof, auto-dipping rear-view mirror and a 8.7-inch vertical R-Link 2 touchscreen.

Renault Scenic Signature Nav adds cornering front foglights, full-LED headlights, leather upholstery along with electrically adjustable front seats with massage function.

For a brief period towards the end of its time on sale in the UK, the Renault Scenic was offered in three revised trims.

The Renault Scenic Play came with a seven-inch touchscreen and dual zone climate control, while the Renault Scenic Iconic added the larger 8.7-inch R-Link 2 set-up and the sliding centre front console. The Renault Scenic Signature trim followed the same lines as the earlier model.