Renault Scenic E-Tech review: R5VOLUTION SUV

With the Scenic E-Tech, Renault is bringing the classic family car into the era of electric mobility. A long range, modern design, and a well-thought-out interior concept make it the ideal companion for everyday use. But how well does it perform in practice? We've put the Scenic E-Tech through its paces!

tl;dr: well-thought-out family SUV

The Renault Scenic E-Tech proves to be a well-designed electric SUV with high everyday usability. Its long range, modern infotainment, and generous space make it particularly attractive for families. Its handling also impresses with its comfort and efficiency. There are weaknesses in the charging performance, which could be faster. Anyone looking for a practical and well-equipped electric car should definitely consider the Scenic E-Tech.

Video report:

https://youtu.be/RLUcAuTHDHQ

Design and interior: built to be family-friendly

The Renault Scenic E-Tech features a futuristic, aerodynamic design, particularly striking thanks to its flowing lines and striking LED light signature at the front. Its compact dimensions also make it a manageable vehicle that's easy to drive both in the city and on longer journeys. The chassis is very comfortable and softly tuned; more on that later.

In the interior, Renault does notproMisse ein: The space is generous, with 545 liters of storage space in the trunk and a very flexible interior concept. Particularly noteworthy is the use of sustainable materials, which lend the vehicle a modern yet environmentally conscious character. The seats offer good comfort, and the panoramic roof creates a bright, open atmosphere. The SolarBay glass panoramic roof, which can be gradually darkened, is optionally available in the new Scenic. Such a feature is currently only found in the new Porsche Taycan or Audi RS e-tron GT.

With the patented tablet and mobile phone holders integrated in the middle seat, iPads and smartphones can be proEasy to attach for the kids. The whole thing is pretty well thought out.

Technology and infotainment: powered by Google Automotive

The heart of the Scenic E-Tech is the Google-based infotainment system, which has been perfectly integrated into the vehicle. Operation is intuitive, and via Google Maps and the Google Assistant, the driver is connected to the digital Google world at all times. Connectivity also leaves nothing to be desired – both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wirelessly integrated as standard. However, the horizontal display layout is rather suboptimal for apps like YouTube.

Thanks to Google's integration, software updates can also be installed directly over the web, which is particularly convenient, as new features can be added without a visit to the workshop. At least, that's what Renault promises. Whether this will actually be the case in practice remains to be seen in the coming years. Thanks to official support from Google, however, we expect a relatively long support span.

Unfortunately, there's currently no digital car key in Google Wallet. A shame for an otherwise pretty smart vehicle.

Harman Kardon sound system

The Harman Kardon sound system in our test vehicle is quite good. However, if you turn the bass up a bit too high, you'll hear distortion or plastic popping. Therefore, it's recommended not to turn the bass up too high. If you don't mess with the equalizer anyway, you'll get a balanced, good-sounding sound system in the new Scenic.

Charging power and efficiency: hungry in winter?

One area where the Scenic E-Tech still has room for improvement is charging performance. While it can charge from 150% to around 30% in 10 minutes at fast-charging stations with a maximum charging capacity of 80 kW, this could be faster compared to other electric cars in the same price range. Especially when we take a closer look at the XPENG G6 with its 200 kW+ charging capacity. At least there's battery preconditioning, which is automatically activated when a charging station is selected via the navigation system.

In urban areas, however, the Renault proves to be very efficient. Especially in city traffic, the Scenic E-Tech consumes little power, making it a cost-effective everyday companion. On country roads and highways at -1 degrees Celsius, however, it consumed more than 26 kWh per 100 kilometers, which is quite high for its class. The heat pump also appears to be quite loud, causing the steering wheel to vibrate slightly even when stationary.

Safety and assistance systems: nothing special, but good

Renault equips the Scenic E-Tech with a host of modern safety and driver assistance systems. These include emergency braking, lane keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. Of particular note is the parking assist with a 360-degree camera system, which makes parking and maneuvering significantly easier, even in tight spaces. There's also an automatic parking assistant, although you still have to operate the brake pedal yourself at times, which seems a bit outdated.

The adaptive cruise control works satisfactorily. There's also an option for it to automatically detect speed limits and even brake and accelerate beforehand. It's similar to VW's Travel Assist, which we like to use as an example of a successful assistance system. Unfortunately, with Renault, this option has to be activated before each trip via a complicated menu; strangely, it can't be permanently activated.