2012 Renault Scenic and Grand Scenic Review

 

The 2012 Renault  Scenic and Grand Scenic comes as standard with traction and stability control. The former can be switched out at low speeds, in case you’re on snow or gravel, where wheelspin might be an advantage. But by the time you’re into second gear it has reapplied itself; it cannot be disengaged at speed. That’s fine by us: we can’t imagine too many situations where a Grand Scenic owner would want to leave it switched out.

The ESP intervenes adeptly at the car’s limit of grip (as opposed to well before). Under braking the Scenic and Grand Scenic can be taken with confidence to the point where its ABS cuts in there’s little dive, stability is strong and fade is not an issue. It turns in without fuss, if with little enthusiasm, and roll rates and overall roll angle are relatively well contained. Renault says there’s some feedback through the steering now, but we didn’t detect a great deal. The cornering line itself, meanwhile, builds with modest grip levels to a point where understeer sets in. This is the point where the ESP intervenes too, and it’s more pleasant to drive just short of where it cuts in, rather than have to wait for it to allow proceedings to continue.

The suspension is not so tight, however, that the 2012 Renault Scenic and 2012 Renault Grand Scenic is immune to the effects of crosswinds, which it is not keen on at all. And if you ask a lot of the chassis the Grand Scenic does what it can, steering far more consistently than many recent Renaults, but there’s still little feedback through the helm and the Grand Scenic finds itself out of its depth more quickly than, say, a Ford S-Max would in the same situation. However, given the lack of finesse to the ride of some Mégane hatchbacks and the Laguna Coupé, we’ll gladly trade the Grand Scenic’s shortcomings in agility for the comfort it affords its occupants.

Although the Renault Scenic had things almost to itself back in 1996, the seven-seat MPV market is now a crowded one, but one in which the Grand Scenic still makes a very competitive case for itself. Its price is keen and equipment levels and option prices are similarly strong; the cost of sat-nav, leather seats and metallic paint, for example, are all at the lower end of the spectrum among its rivals. Residual values will be stronger initially than those of the Vauxhall Zafira but weaker than a Volkswagen Touran’s. Service intervals with this new engine are long, with 18,000 miles/two years between oil filter changes. Carbon dioxide emissions, for a petrol-powered MPV, are also reasonable, if higher than those of the 1.4 TSI Touran.

Renault isn’t alone in thinking that small-capacity, efficient turbocharged engines could make
decent alternatives to larger normally aspirated units. The TCe 130 is a 1.4-litre unit from the same family (jointly developed by Renault and Nissan) as the smaller 1.2-litre engine used in the Twingo. Its 128bhp and 140lb ft are not far off a conventional 1.8-litre engine’s output, while its 39.2mpg economy and 173g/km output are what you might expect from a 1.6. It’s an all-aluminium unit, with continuously variable cam timing and designed for maximum efficiency; the single turbo is a low-inertia unit, the intake ports are designed to maximise the tumbling of fuel in the combustion chamber, while the pistons are cooled by oil jets. The engine uses a timing chain rather than a belt, primarily for acoustic reasons but also for durability.

Fitness for purpose: that’s the mantra that lies behind all of Autocar’s road tests. Does a car, we ask, do the things it is supposed to do? In the Grand Scenic’s case the answer is yes it does them unequivocally and absolutely. The Renault has spaciousness, a perfectly acceptable seating arrangement and the kind of comfort and refinement that buyers in this class will expect. Its interior finish is beyond reproach, too. As with all cars, though, there are things the Grand Scenic could do better. Just because a car is spacious, there is no reason why it should not also be engaging to drive as Ford’s (more expensive) S-Max and the Mazda 5 prove. The task of removing seats can be tiresome and we like to see sliding rear doors on MPVs. Generally, however, these are small foibles. What the Grand Scenic does well, it does very well indeed.

Posted in: Renault