Skip advert
Advertisement
In-depth reviews

Renault Scenic - Design, interior & technology

The interior of the Renault Scenic is functional and neat, but lacks any pizzaz

Interior, design and technology rating

4.0

How we review cars
Find your Renault Scenic
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car
Advertisement

The exterior of the Renault Scenic taps into the themes of the Scenic Vision concept of 2022, designed by Gillas Vidal. The light units front and rear adopt an aggressive and bold design, and unlike the black-painted concept, the lighter colours available on the Scenic show up the car’s sharp surfacing very well. The selection of alloy wheel designs is interesting. If you don’t like the Iconic’s 20-inch wheels, you can take the covers off them to reveal a different style underneath. Be warned, however, doing this will lose you 12 miles of range due to losses in aerodynamic efficiency. 

What is the Renault Scenic like inside?

While you’ll find a lot of controls in the Scenic are located on the central touchscreen, the climate and heated seat controls are still physical switches. The overall layout of the Scenic cabin is neat, rather than eye-catching in the way that a Hyundai Ioniq 5 is.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Something that helps the Renault Scenic stand out is its ‘Solarbay’ panoramic sunroof (offered as standard on the range-topping Iconic) which has segments that can be adjusted from opaque to transparent using liquid crystals. The level of shading can be varied between rear and front occupants, all controlled via the overhead button or using the Google voice assistant. This works well, although you'll find yourself looking up to double-check that the sequence has started. 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Range-topping Iconic trim cars feature a digital rear-view mirror with a feed from a camera placed on the rear of the roof. The image quality on the screen is good, with only a little graining in the resolution. It won’t be for everyone and you can switch it back to a normal mirror instantly - our car had a shaky rear-view mirror, which turned out to merely be a loose fitting. We kept it in digital mode where there was no shakiness apparent.

What is the interior quality like? 

The materials feel like they’re of a good quality with frequently-used parts like the steering wheel and door cards covered in bio-sourced materials - there’s no option for leather with the Scenic, backing up the firm’s commitment to sustainability. There were no creaks and rattles during our time with the Scenic as well.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

Sitting on the dash are a 12-inch central touchscreen and a 12.3-inch driver’s display utilising Renault’s OpenR digital cockpit layout, which is based on the Android Automotive system. As standard, you get Google sat-nav and account integration with the Scenic. This enables the use of Google Maps for EV route planning, plus a preconditioning feature for the battery so that when you start charging, the battery should be at an optimal temperature to provide a faster recharge speed. 

The infotainment system layout is simple enough to navigate with the submenus readily available - we also didn’t find any noticeable lag in its readouts, although to make the whole system quicker we’d like the ‘home’ button to be fixed in place.  

Renault requested the help of musician Jean-Michel Jarre to develop some sounds for the Scenic. The first is a ‘VSP’ (vehicle sound for pedestrians) that warns people when the car is approaching at speeds under 18mph, and the second is a welcome sound sequence when you turn the car on. Sadly for 1980s electronica fans, Jarre was not involved in developing the nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system which is found as standard on the highest-specification Iconic trim.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Our latest car deals

Audi A3

Audi A3

RRP £28,920Avg. savings £1,458 off RRP*Compare Offers
Renault Clio

Renault Clio

RRP £18,395Avg. savings £2,695 off RRP*Compare Offers
Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo

RRP £21,210Avg. savings £1,862 off RRP*Compare Offers
Skoda Kodiaq

Skoda Kodiaq

RRP £36,645Avg. savings £2,892 off RRP*Compare Offers
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Car Deal of the Day: new MG4 long-range EV for a ridiculously low price
MG4 - front cornering

Car Deal of the Day: new MG4 long-range EV for a ridiculously low price

The MG4 is one of our favourite EVs on account of its sheer value for money. It’s our Deal of the Day for 11 December
News
11 Dec 2024
New Mercedes CLA will do 800 miles with just 20 minutes of charging
Mercedes CLA prototype - full front action

New Mercedes CLA will do 800 miles with just 20 minutes of charging

Cutting-edge charging tech and a slippery body allow the new Mercedes CLA to cover over 1,000km with two brief stops
News
13 Dec 2024
Extreme Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be built! Limited production run for 500bhp, rear-drive EV
Renault 5 Turbo 3E - front

Extreme Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be built! Limited production run for 500bhp, rear-drive EV

Outrageous electrified hot hatch gets the green light, with supercar performance and £100k-plus price tag
News
13 Dec 2024