Comments:
The Renault Scenic was one of the first cars I looked at - it’s got very good safety marks at EuroNCAP - but, unfortunately, one of the first cars I rejected.
The first issue with the Renault scenic is that although the rear seats are divided into three separate seats, they are all relatively narrow - so it’s going to still be something of a squash for anybody looking to push car seats and kiddies in the back.
Additionally, and for some inexplicable reason, the seats themselves have raised edges on their sides. I found that when testing, that this caused some real problems with the kid’s car seats I already had, as the Scenic back seats would not allow the safety seats room to sit flat, leaving them unbalanced and much less secure.
I had considered the Renault Grand Scenic for the extra two seats in the back - but it has to be said, the Grand Scenic looks somewhat ugly, and very much like an extra section of car has been ungainly welded to a better looking model. It also leaves the Grand Scenic looking too long and not really properly planned as a 7-seater model. I looked at the Espace, but that model is effectively a mini-bus with windows, which was far more than I wanted.
Also, when looking at the features list, it was very disappointing to find that so many features that you may consider integral to the needs of a modern family in a modern car, were far too often only as expensive optional extras. Electric windows, pollen filters, and satefy features such as ESPN were all available only at extra cost.
The car should otherwise seem like a good family car and I really wanted the Scenic to work - but I was additionally put off by reader comments at What Car? which complained about general faults with new Renault Scenics.
Overall, the poor planning of space and use of child safety seats in what is otherwise a fairly narrow car, made this a slow starter at best - but consumer complaints killed any optimism I had of persuading my girlfriend that this was a good choice regardless.
