Test drive by Renault Scenic 2003 - 2009 Minivan

Everything for the family

Renault Scenic restyling and emphasized its true values
 
So, these values \u200b\u200bare essentially family: the car has a first look at itself, it is relatively inexpensive (in Europe), is extremely functional and gives a feeling of comfort inside. What else is needed for a pleasant car walk with households or everyday trips around the city? Good running qualities that also have a place to be. This is perhaps the main thing, but not all that is worth telling about.
 
Friendly small
 
For the sake of historical justice, it is worth noting that the segment of compact minivans, successfully inscribed between C-class cars and medium-sized sedans, was opened by Renault in 1996. It is the Scenic model, which to this day leads in many European markets. A few years ago, her second edition was released, and restyling had just been performed.
 
For my taste, Scenic has become buried. Its exterior became more expressive due to new head headlights, a different radiator grill, altered bumper and rear lighting. But the car did not lose the gran of the former charm, the friendliness, which literally blows from him.
 
The designers, by the way, had to solve a difficult task, because the super avant -garde Megane, on the basis of which SCENIC was created, could convey too much originality in essence to compactwane. That people would not have to taste, those very family values \u200b\u200bprofessing. Therefore, the designers acted very wisely, distancing a compact, voluminous and high minivan from their ancestor. Having removed part of the sharp lines and facilitating the stern, giving the car decent, and not to the detriment of the relevance of the appearance. In a word, they did it.
 
Practicality and comfort
 
It sits inside almost any compactwane is always easy, like an passenger car, clearance and a decent overall height allow you to make the doors large, and the seats are located at a decent distance from the floor. Scenic in this sense, of course, is no exception. Moreover, the layout is such that 4-5 people can accommodate inside. A large space in the shoulder zone and for the legs of the rear passengers, a completely flat floor and huge opportunities for transforming the cabin, make a model suitable for various needs.
 
So, each of the three parts of the rear seat can be moved forward/back, change the angle of inclination of the back, as well as fold or completely remove, thereby changing the volume of the luggage compartment from 406 to 1840 liters. The back of the front passenger’s seat can also be folded, which will allow you to transport a load of more than two meters long. That is, there are no problems with the placement of luggage in Scenic. In addition to a spacious trunk, there are a lot of pockets, niches and drawers inside the passenger compartment, including those that you will not immediately notice. For example, four closing containers in the legs of the driver and rear passengers, two -level sunscreen visors between which can be invested, and small compartments inside the door armrests. I'm not talking about a spacious glove compartment or a overall storage between the front seats.
 
The driver’s place, as already noted, is located at a decent distance from the floor, which determines a rather high landing. The seat has a successful shape and, of course, all the necessary adjustments, so finding a convenient landing behind the wheel is easy. In addition, unlike some classmates, the Scenic steering wheel is not too faded, which, coupled with the telescopic and height of the steering column, significantly increases the convenience of driving a car.
 
The electronic instrument panel taken in the middle of the torpedo is perfectly visible in any light, and everyone who is inside. The driver, on the driver, should not be delivered to the driver of special inconveniences somehow you get used to grabbing the necessary information out of the corner of the eye. Almost under the dashboard, the gearbox lever is placed on the central console. Here is the climate control unit in the cabin and an audio system with a compact drive player. It sounds good, and an additional joystick on the steering column allows you to control the musical center blindly, not being distracted from the road. Large side mirrors and a huge glazing area solve all issues with visibility and allow you to perfectly control the entire space around the car. Before moving on to the running qualities of the model, I note the markedly improved quality of finishing materials. The plastic has become softer, the upholstery is more pleasant to the touch, and the color is more fun.
 
Improved drive
 
After the SCENIC update, it changed a little in technical terms. The range of power units remained the same buyer offers two gasoline engines with a volume of 1.6 (115 hp) and 2.0 (130 hp) liters, as well as 5 or 6-speed mechanical or 4-speed automatic Transmission. The test got a version with the weakest engine aggregated with the manual transmission. But the main thing that has changed in the car is the steering and pendants. Both mechanisms received other settings, which, in my opinion, affected the best way as possible.
 
Firstly, steering. The new electrical power has significantly improved the process of interaction with the car. At low speeds, his intervention is large, which makes the steering wheel easy. By the way, Scenic has a very good maneuverability of the diameter of the turn is 10.7 m. Therefore, it is easy to park that in urban conditions it is extremely important. But with an increase in speed, the intervention of the amplifier becomes less and less, and the steering wheel, as it should be, is poured with a pleasant weight. In this case, feedback is quite noticeable.

 
Secondly, pendants. They were redesigned, which made it possible to improve the smoothness and stability. The car is now struggling with flaws of the roadway, it does not pierce the suspension. As a result, riding at Renault Scenic has become noticeably more comfortable, and in dynamics the car is quite comparable with classmates.
 
Despite the modest 1.6 liters under the hood, Scenic is quite spore accelerate and allows you to move quite dynamically. Properly selected transfers of the manual transmission, a clear move of the lever itself, soft, but, moreover, quite informative adhesion allow you to feel quite confident both in the city and beyond. Yes, and there are no complaints about the car brakes.
 
How?
 
Not cheap, I’ll tell you. From $ 22,799 for the basic 5-seater version (and there is also Grand Scenic with a 7-seater layout of the cabin), in which there are no rear electric windows and audio systems. It seems to me a little expensive. As clearly not cheaply, the car will cost the maintenance in the next issue an AI-Market application, where the cost of ownership is calculated, including Renault Scenic. And she, alas, does not look too attractive. In a word, the company still has something to work on.
 
 
Text: Oleg Osipov
Photo: Renault
 
 

Source: Newspaper "Automobile Izvestia" [No. 8 (120), 2007]