Category: Compact MPV 
Price Range: £14,415 to £22,105
Roomy, well equipped, some great engines; Grand Scenic is more flexible, Conquest is a blast to drive.
Lifeless steering, bulky.
Excellent way to transport your family.
Renault's Scenic was the first popular compact MPV, and most other manufacturers have rushed to copy its format. The Scenic II, launched in 2003, carried over many of the qualities of its predecessor: spacious cabin, versatile interior with supremely flexible seats, high driving position and good manoeuvrability. It added more striking styling, a better quality finish, extra high-tech features and improved crash protection.
It's debatable whether it's really a 'compact' MPV any more - it's now bigger than the first-generation Espace - but it's not the only one that's grown, so it's still smaller and more dynamic than the full-sized people carriers currently on the market, and a very effective form of family transport.
In 2004 the Scenic was joined by the Grand Scenic, which can be had with seven seats or five seats and a big boot. A similar strategy has been adopted by Citroen with the C4 Picasso and Grand C4 Picasso. Both versions of the Scenic were facelifted in 2006, and in 2007 the Conquest arrived. Based on the regular Scenic, it's an MPV/SUV crossover that, despite appearances, doesn't have four-wheel drive. It does, however, have an increased ride height and stiffer suspension, making it more enjoyable to drive.
The engines available in both the Scenic and Grand Scenic consist of 1.6- and 2.0-litre petrol fours, making 111 and 136bhp respectively, and three diesels: a 106bhp 1.5, a 130bhp 1.9 and a 150bhp 2.0. The Scenic is also available with a 100bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine and an 86bhp version of the 1.5 diesel, both deemed too weedy for the Grand Scenic. The Conquest comes with the 1.6- and 2.0-litre petrols and the 106 and 130bhp diesels.
Most versions come with a five-speed manual gearbox. The petrols and the 106 and 130bhp diesels have a six-speed manual 'box, and there are two different automatics: a four-speed can be had with the petrols and the 130bhp diesel, and a six-speed auto is reserved for the 2.0 diesel. The Conquest is manual only.
There are five spec levels, although the names and details of these change frequently. The range starts with the 1.4 Authentique, priced at £13,945, and rises to £21,435 for the seven-seat Grand Scenic 2.0 diesel in Dynamique S spec.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Renault Scenic
wrote on 04 03 2008
wrote on 11 12 2007
wrote on 08 12 2007
wrote on 23 09 2006