RENAULT SCENIC

“Eighteen months after launch, it still feels a very creditable option”

- MARK TISSHAW

In the EV world, you're never on top for long. Was this car the exception?

From its days asa an MPY, toa trendy crossover with big wheels, and now to its current evolution asa large hatchback, there is always more ofa story attached to the Renault Scenic and less predictability about it than you would expect from the familiarity of its name.

This fifth-generation Scenic outwardly seemed the least remarkable Scenic yet launched. Itis now effectively a bigger version of the Megane hatchback, with five seats anda boot anda no interior MPV trickery at all.

Other than being electric, it was hard to pin down what this new Scenic’s ‘thing’ was. And given the volume of new EVs entering the market, being electric is no longer a point of difference. To succeed without the trickery, this Scenic needed to bea avery good car to drive, and to live with, ina very competitive class.

Its 2024 Car of the Year title was agood omen. As one of the COTY jurors, I got to sit through many presentations on it and followed its latter stage of development closely.

My first impressions of the car from those early encounters in 2023 have stuck with me and I'd still say the same thing now: it feels like a nice, relaxing car to drive every day, and the interior is a real standout feature. It feels fresh and modern inside and out, and switching to mass-market appeal seems to have paid off for the Scenic.