The 2024 European Car of the Year is the Renault Scenic which is now only available as an EV. It’s a deliberate choice that the French brand fully assumes. Renault thinks it’s the ideal product to reclaim the lead  in a segment close to its heart : the family lifestyle car. With its new crossover styling, the 2024 Scenic hopes to be as successful as its forerunner which was the 1997 Car of the Year.

Like all previous Scenics models, this fifth generation is built in Douai, Northern France.  The Ampere factory is now completely dedicated to electric models. It joins the Megane E-Tech and the 5 E-Tech there. Renault boasts that 54% of the Scenic’s parts are manufactured by French suppliers, more than half of them being located less than 60 miles away from the factory. We won’t bore you with the usual claims about recycled components and other environmentally-friendly materials. From a distance, the electric Scenic is quite charming, with taut lines and fairly smooth surfaces. The front end is particularly well designed: the brand marketers call daytime running lights « air curtains » ! These go along with the fake honeycomb grille. All the design details give the car some character: the sculpted rear section is also designed to improve airflow. The 19‘ and 20’ wheels are also very distinctive were thought out to be quite aerodynamic- efficient, those featured on the Esprit Alpine version being much more aggressive too.

Neat clever interior

Quite logically, the interior is reminiscent of that of the Megane E-Tech launched two years ago. It features the famous OpenR cockpit with its two L-shaped panels, a 12.3-inch screen facing the driver and a 12-inch vertical touchscreen tablet in the middle of the console. The steering wheel is easy to grip and use. The buttons on the two spokes of the steering wheel are easy to understand. We’re more dubious about the Iconic seats, though: they badly lack lateral support and time is needed to get the right driving position. We would recommend the Esprit Alpine trim seats, which are much more supportive without being too sporty. The Scenic can be very dynamic: it’s not too heavy and features a perfectly-tuned chassis. However, we’ll come back to that later.

Among the Scenic V new features  is the opaque glass roof which can be used to isolate the entire cabin, just the front seats or just the rear ones on demand. Interior space takes full advantage of the 2.78 m wheelbase and the rear seat is particularly spacious. Rear passengers will be delighted to discover the clever rear armrest with two removable arms that point towards each passenger to hold a tablet or smartphone. Two dedicated spaces for storing drinks and two USB-C sockets complete it wonderfully. Passengers can have up to 38 litres of storage space at their disposal. Boot capacity is 545 litres and can be upped to an enormous 1,670 litres ! Sure that these assets were meaningful in the Scenic Car of the Year title. However, how does it drive ?

Driving pleasure

We tested the most expensive and most powerful versions, namely the Iconic and Esprit Alpine, versions offering 220 bhp and backed up by an 87 kWh battery lending the car with a 388 miles range, according to the WLTP cycle. All good, but what’ the car’s real range ? The proposed 125 miles route favoured trunk roads and a few mountain roads rather than motorways. The Scenic E-tech is firmly planted on its 4 wheels positioned at the 4 corners and swallows fast bends with alacrity, never putting its passengers at risk. Its dynamism is quite impressive, even if the steering lacks feedback, as is often the case with EVs. At first, there’s an over-steering tendency but you get used to it as the miles go by. The 4 levels of regenerative braking are easy to monitor and allow to take advantage of this artificial engine braking and relieve the brakes.

The Michelin E-Premacy tyres get the job done, and it’s only when a curve closes very hard that they call for mercy. Weighting less than 1,900 kg, the electric Scenic proves to be really dynamic to drive and another 45 mile test session confirmed it. This time, we chose the Esprit Alpine car which, as we said earlier, has more supportive seats. They urge you to up the pace, choosing the ‘Sport’ mode of the Multi-Sense system. The Scenic is a bit like Dr Jekill and Mr Hyde, something that most owners will probably never discover. It flies through the curves and accelerates inevitably very hard, always increasing the pace. Such a road behavioour highlights a chassis that is particularly well tuned, something the French manufacturer has always been known for throughout its history. Even more unbelievable,  we got out of an EV with a broad smile on our face, hard to believe…

A serene partner

The icing on the cake ? During this 45 mile test, average energy consumption was only 26.1 kWh/100 km, which is still very reasonable. At the end of the 125 miles test, it was just 15.7 kWh/100 km. The remaining range was 270 miles. In other words, the claimed 385 miles range is quite real. What’s more, Renault has created a new screen in the dashboard menus which projects the remaining range based on journeys in town or on the motorway. On its website, Renault has set up a range simulator that takes into account all driving conditions. By selecting the battery type and entering the operating parameters (average speed, outside temperature, etc.), customers can directly simulate the range of their Scenic E-Tech. As a reminder, the Scenic E-Tech is available with two power levels: 170 or 220 bhp, with 280 and 300 Nm torque values.

There are two batteries available : the first one is a 60 kWh with a 267 miles range while the other one boasts 87 kWh. The new Scenic range comprises 4 trim levels. The first is called Evolution, and is only available with the small battery, from €39,950. The second trim level is called Techno and can be combined with both the small and more powerfull batteries. The Esprit Alpine and Iconic trims are only available with the most efficient battery. The top of the range Iconic retails from €51,450. All models feature 30 driving aids and safety functions, including the temporary manual off-centre driving feature, which allows you to move out of your lane to let an ambulance pass, for example. There’s a special mode for the brakes in the event of a multiple collision and, above all, there is a dedicated knob to easily deactivate the most irritating aids each time  the car is started.

The colleagues who are members of the Car of the Year jury were right to select the EV Renault Scenic E-Tech. Firstly, because it offers a usable and realisitc range, making it possible to plan family journeys in total peace of mind, enjoying a particularly generous living space. Secondly, because it boasts carefully thought-out dynamic qualities that are truly uncommon for a vehicle of this size and weight. Eventually, Renault managed to keep its prices as low as possible, hoping to have a strong case in the company car market. The only let-downs are the firmness of the running gear- something essentialfor  its roadholding, and the disappearance of some of its historic assets, such as the length-adjustable bench seat and the aviation-style shelves in the front seatsbacks. However, life is often made of compulsory  choices.