Renault Scenic Iconic Long Range long-term test: head-to-head with the Ford Explorer

Verdict

Renault has turned its famous Scenic MPV into a quasi-SUV with the impressive tech and design we’d already seen on the electric Megane. What could go wrong? Very little, as it turns out, and the long-term test is off to a flying start.

• Mileage: 2,330
• Efficiency: 3.1 miles/kWh

The Renault Scenic has joined the Auto Express long-term test fleet and, never ones to stand on ceremony, we threw it straight into a twin test against Ford’s latest great EV hope, the new Explorer. 

We’ve got six months to find out how Renault’s new family car stacks up as an everyday companion, but a quick measure-up against a direct rival was a very illuminating way to kick things off.

The full twin-test verdict will be along shortly, but there’s a lot we can tell you right now about my car. Preconceptions can be a dangerous thing when reviewing cars, but I’ll admit to harbouring a few where the new Scenic is concerned. I’ve already run a Renault Megane as a long-termer, and a Nissan Ariya, which uses the same platform and battery as the Scenic. 

My main issue with the Megane was the poor rear-seat space, and the Scenic addresses that – at six feet tall, I can sit easily behind my own driving position. Otherwise, the modern cabin with some interesting material choices (more on those later) and the slick Google-based infotainment system are similar. 

The Ariya was far less of a useful guide to what the Scenic would be like than I expected. That’s because while the French car is certainly playing the SUV card with its exterior design, it all feels like a bit of a bluff next to the Nissan (and the Ford for that matter). 

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The driving position in my new Scenic is noticeably lower and more car-like than in the Ariya or Explorer. You don’t get that commanding view out, and the ride is firmer but more composed. It’s a matter of personal taste, but I’d take the Scenic’s more jiggly progress on the average B-road in exchange for its superior ability to take bigger bumps and sudden undulations in its stride, without crashing and shuddering (in the case of the Ariya) or bouncing about (like the Explorer). The Renault’s nimbleness makes for a more enjoyable drive, disguising its 1,918kg kerbweight. Many, though, will appreciate the cosseting feel of a traditional SUV. 

Our Scenic is the range-topping Iconic Long Range model with no options, except for the £1,250 metallic paint. So it costs £46,745 as tested with 20-inch wheels of an unusual design, a 360-degree camera system, the 12-inch portrait infotainment screen, a 12.3in driver’s display screen and its party piece, the Solarbay panoramic roof, which can electrically switch from opaque to clear at the touch of a button. It’s around £4,000 cheaper than the rear-wheel-drive Ford Explorer with the larger battery that we tested it against.

Family buyers might panic at the sight of the Scenic’s interior. The light-grey fake leather and textiles look like a recipe for disaster for those with young children. Our kids are a bit past the ‘let’s colour-in the headrest’ stage, but we’ll be keeping an eye on how well the fabrics stand up to use over the course of the long-term test. 

What the choice of materials does do, in combination with the Solarbay roof, is create an airy feel. It’s also a premium ambience, perhaps not as plush as the Explorer’s cabin, but more modern and design-led. Renault’s compromise between touchscreen controls and physical buttons, either under the screen or on the wide array of steering column stalks, is working very nicely so far.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.