Renault’s journey into space
You might wish you’d splashed out on Renault’s stylish new Scenic to get the whole family — and all those presents — to their Christmas destination in one piece. This is the fourth generation in a range that defined the mid-size multi-purpose vehicle sector back in 1996.
It’s flexible. The rear bench seat slides back and forth to increase legroom or the amount of load lugging capacity you have in the boot.
There’s also a handy one-touch button in the back (as well as on the dashboard) that allows you to flip down and flatten the rear seats in an instant, thereby boosting your boot space. There are even flip-down picnic tables in the back for those mince pies.
I drove the Scenic Dynamique S Nav dCi 110 with a 1.6-litre diesel engine linked to a sixspeed manual gearbox offering a claimed 72.4mpg and Co2 emissions of 100g/km.
A trip from London to the Midlands and back barely nudged the fuel tank needle. It has 20in wheels and is packed with kit, including a helpful head-up colour display, rear parking camera, lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition, plus a panoramic sunroof with electric sunblind.
It tickles along on motorways, but it’s not the most responsive of drives and I did feel, at times, as if I was driving a minibus. Acceleration from rest to 62 mph is a toddling 12.4 seconds, with a top speed 114 mph.
Some of the technology can also be a bit confusing, though the satnav worked well, as did the music system.
So it’s a fair proposition for busy families on the move.
Prices start at £21,445, while the vehicle I drove kicks off from £25,445. However, those little extras — including self-parking and blind spot features, £500, metallic paint, £545, extra safety features including a safe distance warning, £500, and an upgraded Bose stereo, £500 — bumped that up to £28,080.
Still, not a bad choice for Santa’s little helpers.