Renault's percentage of the new car market has passed 9%! Models like Twingo, Clio, Megane and Laguna have led the charge but this week I'm in the French firm's most sensible offering, the seven-seat Grand Scenic. The MPV may be a niche player, but it is a rational machine at a tempting price.
Grand Scenic is the holder of the Continental Irish MPV of the Year award, as voted by the Irish Motoring Writers' Association. It is available from €24,590 for the Royale version and rises up to €31,190 for the high-spec Tom Tom Edition that I'm testing this week. It is full of extras as standard like a built-in Tom Tom Sat Nav and parking sensors to name just two. Power comes from the less-than-exciting tax band 'B', 1.5 litre dCi diesel.
Renault's corporate look is quite smart and the Grand Scenic does a good job of disguising its sensibleness. Big headlights and a large Renault badge dominate the front end, while a sloping roofline hides the car's practicality somewhat. The rear view is more estate-like than van-like. The single piece tailgate opens to reveal a huge boot (with the last two seats folded). If you slide the middle three seats forward the boot has over 700 litres of space. With all seven seats in place there is decent cabin space but little or no boot space (as per most mid sized MPVs).
Renault's interior is airy; the centre dash houses a digital speedo and Tom Tom Sat Nav. You can change the colour of the backlit speedometer from black to white if you wish, too. There is a useful slide-able centre cubby and plenty of nooks and crannies to store all the odd bits and bobs families need. With Grand Scenic you will need to read the manual to use the stereo, as it is less than intuitive. Another Renault quirk is the position of the cruise/limiter control switch that is located on the far side of the six-speed gearlever. Access to the middle row of three individual seats is good, and, as ever, the rear two seats can be reached by the young and fit with no bother.
On the go the 106bhp 1.5 litre diesel is less than fun to drive. At junctions and roundabouts you need to use first gear a lot and keep the revs up or risk a very slow take off. The engine is frugal, however, and adequate for the job of family transport. At motorway speeds the cabin is quiet and the ride is quite good, too. A large pull down convexed mirror allows me keep an eye on my passengers with a simple glance. Importantly, Renault has an impressive record for crash safety with Euro NCAP and Grand Scenic is yet another five-star car.
Grand Scenic comes in three specifications: Royal, Dynamic and Tom Tom versions. Renault dealers are bending over backwards to do tempting double scrappage trade-in deals. You can get a new Grand Scenic from just over €21,500 or my top of the range test car for €25,690! In years to come we may see Renault residuals reflect this currently very popular sales gimmick, but if you go in to a Renault dealer with your eyes open a new Renault may make perfect sense.
Michael Sheridan
