Test drive by Renault Scenic 1999 - 2003 Minivan

Renault Scenic: Exit to BIS

A little more than a year ago, RCM introduced the updated Renault Megane Scenic at the autumn exhibition of the Auto Business exhibition. I remember that we managed to conduct a short drive test of this car, after which the SCENIC’s pretty walked outside our republic. Well, of course, we wanted to travel by car longer and feel it properly. Patience was rewarded. All the same RCM recently provided two Scenic with various engines and different equipment levels at once. It was possible to bother with plenty, and explore both cars, as they say, from the roof to the wheels.
 
There are not many examples of such a successful marketing as in the case of Renault Scenic. Having founded a new class of cars with its appearance, the French single -crew became its permanent leader and object for numerous imitations. Last year, the number of SCENIC sales was over 50% in its sector. No other car in other classes can boast of such successes. And on our streets, Scenic (especially the previous generation) is no longer uncommon. Therefore, consumers show far from idle interest in this model. But what modification is better than its purpose, we tried to find out during the test.
 
It just so happened that there was no purely basic Scenic in our hands. However, the very concept of the base in relation to Renault Scenic implies a very solid level of equipment, to add to which the elements of luxury can be possible. It's a matter of taste. Perhaps not all future owners of Scenic will want to have alloy wheels (+210 cu), but not to pay only 55 bucks for the radio - the cunning of pure water, unless the owner intends to install music to his taste. Basically, the differences in the trim levels between the 1.6-liter version and the Renault Scenic 2.0 are reduced to pleasant little things, which nevertheless play an important role in operation. Believe me, the steering wheel sheathed with the skin in a two-liter version in the tactile sensation is much more pleasant than the standard plastic lamb 1.6-liter modification. It seems like a trifle, but it is much nicer to feel with your palms not lifeless plastic, but a leather casing that stores the heat of the hands for a long time.
 
Since I tested a less powerful version a year ago, this time I paid increased attention of two -liter modification. By the way, she had an interesting solution that I tried in vain to find a less powerful car. The fifth door in the RXT configuration has separately rising glass, which greatly simplifies the loading of fine luggage into the luggage compartment. In addition, the windshield of a two -liter is equipped with a built -in heating: a thin, almost invisible net does not interfere with visibility, but the glass perfectly warms in cold weather. And more about visibility. The branded SRP II security system (thanks to which Scenic has become the safest car in its class) has some technical tricks. For example, the rear head restraints develop in such a way that the use of a salon mirror acquires a practical meaning. I must say that this is a pleasant exception. In machines of this class, as a rule, the situation behind the car has to be controlled with the help of external mirrors, because the headrest looms in the salon glass. Of course, when passengers are sitting behind, Scenic resembles its classmates, but the car is completely not always loaded.
 
The equipment is equipped, but most buyers acquire a more expensive two -liter modification, first of all, for a powerful engine that promises excellent dynamics. If we talk about absolute numbers, then a solid increase of 30 hp, compared with a 1.6-liter version, added 11 km/h maximum speed (which is not bad) and only for a second reduced overclocking time to 100 km/ h. At the same time, there are no significant changes in the fuel consumption.
 
As often happens, the numbers do not give a complete picture about the differences in the characters of two cars. The two -liter Scenic is very good in the medium -speed zone, especially at urban speeds. You can not particularly complicate yourself with the choice of transmission: already with 45 km/h, the car is reluctantly, but steadily accelerates even on V transmission. Want to live? Turn on the third, drown the accelerator pedal on the floor and enjoy even, but powerful acceleration, which subsides as it approaches the red zone. It makes no sense to twist this motor in ringing - it is better to switch to a higher transfer. Moreover, if the moment of switching will take five thousand rpm, then when the next program is turned on, you again fall into the optimal speed range, and the car vividly breaks forward.
 
There are also claims. So, the motor does not have enough traction on the bottom itself. If you forget about the working volume, then there are practically no problems at starting. But from a two -liter engine, you implicitly expect good traction with the lowest speed of the crankshaft, and the motor requires a small nuclear power plant. So do not hesitate to use an accelerator more energetically.
 
I definitely liked the smoothness of the course. The torsion rear suspension is an excellent thing, and it is not known whether it is worth abandoning it in the future. Things are good with noise and vibration isolation. Even when moving with high (over 120 km/h) speeds in the cabin, you can talk without raising your voice, and on a common noise background it is very difficult to highlight some soloist.
 
In terms of accelerating dynamics, the 110-horsepower modification also did not disappoint. True, the character of the 1.6-liter sixteen-plastic is slightly different. The motor cheerfully spins to the very top, involuntarily provoking more to ride with the pedal in the floor. Accordingly, you have to more often switch to reduced gears, but not so that it interferes or irritates. Incidentally, when the fifth gear is turned on in both cars, it was necessary to reach far down, which is inconvenient. You can reproach me with bias, but it seemed that the 1.6-liter Scenic is noisier than my two-liter counterpart, and I admit not found a reasonable explanation for this fact. But the absence of, say, adjusting the seat of the front passenger in height is already calmly - the car is cheaper. Otherwise, Scenic remained himself, that is, a convenient microminoven with a huge amount of different -caliber containers, messes and other dachas. We have already written about possible options for transformation and interior design last year, so we will not repeat.
 
The traditional race on the highway on Borovaya on the day of testing was, alas, much less useful than we expected. To find out on the wet road the limits of the adhesive properties of tires or the nuances of controllability is ineffective, and it is unsafe. It was not possible to catch a noticeable difference in the behavior of two cars. Maybe a two-liter modification is a little better writes the trajectory with the help of traction due to the specifics of the motor characteristics. In general, the behavior of both Scenic in the bends should be recognized as reliable and quite predictable. At first, a significant height of the body over the road is slightly annoying, but you quickly get used to it, especially since the high body does not bring any negative features to the behavior of the car. On wet asphalt, the busting of traction leads to a smooth displacement out of the trajectory, but to project this scheme to normal coating is incorrect, although there is an assumption that in general, the behavior of Scenic will not change, unless the speed limits will increase.
 
Which Scenic is preferred? If we focus on savings, then, of course, you should pay attention to the version with a 1.6-liter engine, and thoughtfully approach the choice of options. In my opinion, even an ambitious driver is enough for the basic configuration for the eyes. On the other hand, a two-liter modification, in addition to a more powerful motor, has many pleasant little things that delight the orphan drivers. Plus (rare case!) A significant increase in power did not significantly increase fuel consumption.
 
In any case, the purchase of microminoven is a non -conformist act in some way, but the convenience of operation will justify non -triviality of choice. By purchasing Scenic, you get a really universal car literally for all occasions, while the car remains easy to handle and uninhabited in operation. But there is also a turbodiesel modification with an economical engine and a very interesting all -wheel drive version of RX 4x4 ...
 
Alexey Belousov
 

A source: Autogazet / N 42 (301) dated 06.12.00