FIRST UK DRIVE Famous badge makes a return to British roads
Alastair Crooks Alastair_Crooks@autovia.co.uk@AllieCrooks
REVIVING famous nameplates for new EVs seems to be a common trend in the car industry these days, so we weren’t too surprised to see the Renault Scenic badge on an all-electric family SUV.
It may be a new addition to the firm’s ‘E-Tech’ range, but the Scenic’s CMF-EV platform is shared with the Megane. The Scenic is larger, though, with its longer wheelbase making it a rival to the Skoda Enyaq, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
There are three trim levels available: Techno, Esprit Alpine and Iconic. Plus two batteries are offered – a 60kWh unit that’s exclusive to the Techno trim level, and an 87kWh option. The cheapest Scenic edition costs just £37,495, rising to £40,995 with the larger battery. Renault has kept things simple in terms of options; aside from paint colour, there aren’t any.
That’s not to say the Scenic isn’t well equipped, though. As standard it gets 19-inch wheels, LED lights, flush-fitting door handles, a 12.3-inch driver’s display and 12-inch central screen, climate control, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, plus wireless phone connectivity and charging, and a rear-view camera.
The Iconic car we’re testing also has 20-inch wheels and an electric, massaging driver’s seat, plus an uprated sound system, hands-free parking, a 360-degree camera, a digital rear-view mirror and a panoramic roof. There’s a heat pump as standard, too.
Models with the 60kWh battery have a 260-mile range, while our car, fitted with the 87kWh pack, is claimed to reach an impressive 379 miles – more than its main rivals and even the popular, but more expensive Tesla Model Y Long Range. After a three-hour drive at motorway speeds, our Scenic had achieved respectable efficiency of 3.8mi/kWh – equivalent to around 330 miles of range.
The 60kWh model sends power to a 168bhp electric motor, while the bigger battery boosts this to 217bhp. We’ve already driven the more powerful car on European roads, and as expected, the Scenic continues to feel like a larger Megane E-Tech here in the UK. Most of the Scenic’s rivals are a little more engaging to drive, with Renault clearly prioritising comfort over sharp handling.
The response from the e-motor wasn’t as immediate as we expect from a family EV, but with a 0-62mph time of 7.9 seconds, the Scenic isn't slow. The steering is light, not giving you much feedback, and although a 1,817kg
