Renault Scenic Review (2024) | A commendable car

Read Caroline’s Renault Scenic review for everything you need to know about buying Renault’s new electric car in Ireland.

The Renault Scenic makes a comeback to Ireland in 2024, now as a full battery electric vehicle.

Renault’s famous family car rose to fame in the 1990s as an MPV. Now it’s been reimagined as an electric crossover with plenty of space inside.

The arrival of the Scenic expands Renault’s presence in the compact segment alongside models like the Megane, Arkana and Austral. Already an award winner, the Scenic was awarded European Car of the Year 2024 earlier this year.

It goes on sale in Ireland priced from €39,995.

Let’s take a closer look!

Design

The new Scenic is a car that you’d like to be seen in. Gone are the soft curves of the previous model and in comes the angular new face of Renault. It sits a bit higher off the ground than your average hatchback with plenty of contrasting plastic cladding around the lower sills and wheel arches to give it an interesting crossover look. There’s beautiful diamond detail in the grille and the sharp LED lighting front and rear gives it a high-tech appearance.

There are a few trim levels available for the new Scenic in Ireland: Evolution and Techno for the 60kWh version, and Techno, Esprit Alpine and Iconic for the 87kWh.

Big wheels come as standard across the range. The Evolution and Techno model get 19-inch, while the Esprit Alpine and Iconic have 20-inch. Satin grey trim in the front and rear fascia helps Esprit Alpine and Iconic models to stand out.

The Solarbay panoramic sunroof comes as standard on top of the range Iconic, and saves space and weight of a traditional blind or cover by switching between opaque and transparent at the flick of a switch. It also comes with a premium Harmon Kardon sound system.

Renault Scenic Interior

Inside the Scenic gets a brand new interior that’s quite similar to the Megane with the large portrait style infotainment screen (9-inch or 12-inch) and plenty of soft furnishings for an upscale look and feel. There’s a full digital driver display with a number of views available. You don’t sit as high as in the Austral or Rafale, but it’s easy to get comfortable. The fit and finish is good, with nice fabric finishes and different colour schemes for the seats.

The touchscreen uses a Google operating system on all but the entry model, with in-built Google apps like Google Maps and Google Assistant. If you type your destination into the navigation system, it will tell you how much percentage battery you will have when you get there. This is incredibly useful when driving an electric car! It’s easy to find EV chargers through the system too. So it really does feel like a good rival to a Tesla Model Y when it comes to having practical in-car technology to help you get around.

There’s a suite of standard safety features including lane departure warning, driver attention alert and road sign recognition. A wireless smartphone charger and reversing camera come as standard, as do heated front seats and heated steering wheel.

Practicality

The new Scenic has a longer wheelbase than the Megane so offers more rear legroom. Built on a bespoke electric vehicle platform, it’s very spacious with a flat floor providing generous legroom for all passengers. There’s also a clever armrest that houses cupholders, USB ports and device holders, while also acting as a ski hatch for through loading.

The seats themselves in the back don’t do anything clever like slide or recline. There’s Isofix on the two outer seats and the front passenger seat. It would be nice to see a bit more modularity of the seating like Scenics of old.

There’s a deep boot with a volume of 545 litres, which rivals many similar SUVs like a Nissan Qashqai or Kia Sportage. There’s no false floor board however so you’re left with quite a high lip to load things over. On the plus side, there is a handy underfloor storage area for the charging cables.

A powered tailgate is standard on all but the entry model.

Battery and Range

The Renault Scenic is available in Ireland with a 60kWh lithium ion battery (‘EV60’) with 170hp and up to 430 kilometres of range, or 87kWh (‘EV87’) battery with 220hp and up to 625 kilometres. A heat pump comes as standard across the range.

Charging

Up to 22kW AC charging is possible, which is great for making the most out of the more plentiful public chargers in Irish towns and cities.

DC fast charging is up to 130kW for the EV60 for a 15-80% charge in 33 minutes, and up to 150kW for the EV87 for the same charge in 37 minutes.

Driving the Scenic

Built on Renault’s AmpR Medium electric platform, the new Scenic feels agile and sophisticated to drive. With its compact dimensions, it’s easy to get around in. It’s very refined and comfortable, with numerous measures taken for a quiet, serene drive. It can be hustled through bends to a point before the car’s weight starts to say no more. It’s not a hot hatch but the Scenic is still pleasant to drive for a family car.

The EV87 on test has plenty of punch in it for joining motorways and the Multisense drive modes offer a little bit of adjustability. There’s also regenerative braking from a B mode on the gear selector (Evolution) or adjustable from paddles behind the steering wheel on all other trims.

Renault Scenic Pricing

The Scenic goes on sale priced from €39,995 including relevant grants for electric vehicles for the 60kWh Evolution and from €41,995 for the same battery in Techno trim.

You can move up to the 87kWh battery for the Techno from €48,995, from €51,995 for the Esprit Alpine and from €54,795 for the top of the range Techno.

Verdict

The new Renault Scenic builds on Renault’s expertise in electric vehicles and is a commendable car. It’s no wonder it’s already an award winner! It’s a brilliant design without compromising practicality. It’s also slick and refined to drive.

The EV60 in particular looks like great value though pricing does get steep if you opt for the larger battery so it really is worth thinking about what sort of duties you need the Scenic to perform between charges.

Altogether, if you’re looking for a spacious family car that also happens to be electric, the Scenic is a great buy.

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Written by Caroline Kidd

Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes, Juror for Irish Car of the Year