Item: Used Renault Scenic 2016-present
Rating: 2
Author: What Car? Team

The most obvious alternative to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/renault">Renault</a> Scenic is the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/golf-sv/hatchback/used-review/n971">Volkswagen Golf SV</a>. While it doesn’t look as stylish, it’s far nicer to drive and more spacious, and also benefits from a higher-quality interior.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/c4-picasso/mpv/used-review/n901">Citroen C4 Picasso</a> is also worth a look. With its emphasis on comfort, it rides even more smoothly than the Scenic, yet it manages not to be quite as dishevelled in corners. It’s much cheaper to buy too.

You could also have a look at the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/vauxhall/zafira/mpv/used-review/n973">Vauxhall Zafira Tourer</a>. It, too, is inexpensive to buy, and comes with the added benefit of two extra seats, which fold away into the boot when they’re not needed. It, too, is better to drive than the Scenic.

<a href="http://www.whatcar.com/classifieds/used-cars/renault/scenic">Find a used Renault Scenic in the What Car? Classifieds here</a>

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

Unfortunately, we can’t say with any certainty as we haven’t collated enough data on the Scenic’s reliability to date – it’s still too new. But we wouldn’t count on it, because Renault as a manufacturer finished in 20th position out of 32 manufacturers in our 2017 Reliability Survey – below average, in other words.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2018-what-car-reliability-survey/n17798">To see the full results of the survey, click here.</a>

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Hatchbacks, SUVs, fast cars, electric cars: Renault makes them all, in a variety of shapes and sizes, so it has a line-up designed to tempt pretty much everyone.

From the roadside, the standout feature of them all is the design, with its cars now having a distinctive look that has won the firm a legion of fans for its flair and charm.

To drive and to own, the line-up is typically decent rather than outstanding. Best of the cars when they are rated against rivals are the Kadjar SUV, the fast RS models and the electric Zoe.

With new and used pricing also keen – and Target Price discounts through our New Car Buying marketplace usually more generous than most – there is the opportunity to negotiate an appealing price.

RENAULT

SCENIC

The Renault Scenic’s handsome looks might turn your head, but its more humdrum rivals do the job of a five-seat MPV much better

Used Renault Scenic 2016-present

The 1.5 dCi Hybrid Assist is the most efficient version in the Scenic range, with an official average figure of 78.5mpg – making it one of the most economical MPVs you can buy. Even without the hybrid element, the standard 1.5 dCi is very efficient, with an official average of 70.8mpg. The rest of the range tends to be roughly as efficient as rivals, if not marginally less so; of the petrol models, the 1.3-litre versions are the ones to go for.

If you’re buying a car registered before 1 April 2017, you’ll pay nothing to tax a Hybrid Assist model, £20 a year to tax a standard 1.5 dCi or £30 a year for a 1.6 dCi. Tax costs then range up to £135 a year for the 1.2-litre petrol versions. Cars registered after 1 April 2017 cost a flat rate of £140 a year to tax, no matter which model you choose.

Renault’s servicing costs are about average, so you won’t pay over the odds but neither will you save on maintenance. Once your Scenic hits three years old, it’ll be eligible for Renault’s special fixed-price servicing for older cars; this should help keep costs down if you want to take your car to a main dealer.

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The Renault Scenic’s handsome looks might turn your head, but its more humdrum rivals do the job of a five-seat MPV much better

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/renault">Renault</a> Scenic’s still relatively new, so prices have yet to settle down fully, but at the time of writing, you’ll need to spend at least £13,000 to get yourself into a Scenic of this generation. That’s as much as you’ll pay for a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/golf-sv/hatchback/used-review/n971">Volkswagen Golf SV</a>, and considerably more than a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/c4-picasso/mpv/used-review/n901">Citroen C4 Picasso</a>; in short, the Scenic doesn’t come cheap.

If you want to check that a Grand Scenic you’re hoping to buy is worth the money that’s being asked, why not try our free valuations tool at <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/car-valuation/">What Car? Valuations</a>?

Our favourite engine is the 1.5-litre diesel in 108bhp form. It represents the best blend of performance, efficiency and refinement of all the engines in the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/renault">Renault</a> Scenic range.

However, in light of the current backlash against diesel engines, you might prefer to go for a petrol, in which case the later 1.3-litre versions are preferable. Trouble is, you’ll have to choose between the sluggish 113bhp version and the rather thirsty 138bhp option.

Whichever engine you go for, Dynamique Nav gives you a good selection of equipment, should be cheap to buy, and as it was very popular when the Scenic was new, is easy to find.

Our favourite used Renault Scenic: 1.5 dCi 110 Dynamique Nav

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of space for all the family and their paraphernalia</li> <li>Comfortable ride for everyone inside</li> <li>Seats with plenty of adjustment and versatility of layout</li> <li>Engine that can cope with a full load of people and luggage</li> <li>Excellent efficiency to avoid big fuel bills</li></ul>

Practicality is king in the MPV market, which has taken a hit as buyers have turned towards trendier SUVs. There are still plenty of decent offerings to suit most budgets, though, with Citroën fielding a particularly strong line-up. The French manufacturer’s Berlingo offers bags of space for not much money and you can easily haggle off thousands of extra pounds in discounts, too.

Citroën also scores with the larger Grand C4 Spacetourer, which offers seven seats, lots of oddment space and appealing running costs for something so large. A similarly priced and even better option is the Volkswagen Touran. Meanwhile, if you prefer a premium badge, there's always the BMW 2 Series Active and Gran Tourers or Mercedes B-Class and V-Class.

But for something sizeable that's still decent to drive, we’d recommend you check out the Ford Galaxy, which can offer three rows of seats and decent luggage space at the same time. It’s not that much pricier than the smaller S-Max.

We haven’t heard of any major issues afflicting the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/renault">Renault</a> Scenic thus far – though as it’s still relatively new, you’d rather hope that’d be the case. But there are still things you should check before you buy. Most importantly, have a thorough look around inside the car for signs of less-than-sympathetic use; family cars like these will get kicked, scraped and spilled-on more than most, and with the Scenic’s rather brittle plastic, chances are wear and tear will show up quite obviously.

Also keep in mind that even the cheapest version of the Scenic came with massive 20in alloy wheels. Even with careful driving, wheels of that size are easy to scuff and kerb, and expensive to refurbish, so check them carefully for signs of damage.

The idea of a stylish MPV might sound counter-intuitive, but the Renault Scenic is intended to be just that. With smooth lines and stylish touches on the outside, it’s a world away from the utilitarian boxiness of most MPVs, with the result that it stands out from the crowd. Some might even call it handsome.

But buyers value flexibility, versatility and space in this market, so good looks are only advantageous if they don’t compromise practicality. So can the Scenic hold its own in matters of the head, as well as the heart?

At launch, the Scenic was available with a slightly complex engine range consisiting of two basic engines: a 1.2-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel. The former was available in 113bhp and 128bhp forms, while the latter came in 94bhp, 108bhp and 158bhp outputs. A <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/which-type-of-automatic-gearbox-should-i-buy/n17022">dual-clutch automatic gearbox</a> was available on the latter two engines. There was also a Hybrid Assist variant based around the 108bhp version, with a small electric motor and battery that provided an extra boost to the diesel engine, improving efficiency and performance.

In 2017, the 1.2-litre engines were replaced with more responsive 1.3-litre versions, of 113bhp and 138bhp power outputs, and an automatic gearbox was made available on the more powerful of the two.

Four main models make up the range. Expression+ is the cheapest, with dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth and a digital radio all coming as standard; Dynamique Nav adds, as its name suggests, sat-nav, as well as folding picnic tables and front and rear parking sensors; Dynamique S Nav then gives you a colour, touchscreen infotainment system and a panoramic roof, while Signature Nav tops out the range with such refinements as leather seats and LED headlights.

The Scenic’s huge windows make it feel very spacious up front, but further back things aren’t so good. The floor is strangely high and the rear seats are mounted low, which means if you sit in them, your knees are forced upwards and your legs feel cramped – there’s certainly less space back here than you’ll find in a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/golf-sv/hatchback/used-review/n971">Volkswagen Golf SV</a> or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/c4-picasso/mpv/used-review/n901">Citroen C4 Picasso</a>.

The portrait-oriented touchscreen you get on higher-spec Scenics is a sensible idea because it gives you a great view of the way ahead when you’re using the sat-nav. Sadly, the menus you use to navigate the system are labyrinthine and tricky to use, and there are only a couple of shortcut buttons, meaning you find yourself having to chop and change between menus whenever you want to adjust something.

Similarly flawed is the dashboard itself. It’s quite nicely styled, which means it looks good at first, but look closer and you find hard, cheap-looking plastics lower down. And while you get smart-looking TFT screens instead of traditional gauges, you can’t change their function like you can in the virtual cockpits you’ll find available on some rivals.

The news doesn’t improve out on the road because, in both petrol and diesel form, the lower-powered engines struggle to lug the Scenic’s heft around, even when it’s empty. Upgrading to a more potent version helps but, even then, there are rivals that do it better.

The same goes for the ride and handling balance too, because the Scenic has been given very soft suspension, presumably in order to compensate for the thin, bump-transmitting tyres fitted to the massive alloy wheels. It does its job reasonably well, but the problem is it also results in sloppy behaviour in corners, where the Scenic pitches and rolls like a brigantine on a storm swell. Together with the numb steering, this makes for a car that’s rather unpleasant to drive at anything other than a pedestrian pace.

One thing the Scenic does have in its favour, though, is a good safety record. Under the 2016 Euro NCAP test regime, its five-star score is a strong result, bolstered by impressive ratings of 90% and 82% in the adult and child occupant tests respectively.

<a href="http://www.whatcar.com/classifieds/used-cars/renault/scenic">Find a used Renault Scenic in the What Car? Classifieds here</a>

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Used Renault Scenic 2016-present review

Alternatives

What alternatives should I consider to a used Renault Scenic MPV?