Renault Modus

Road test

There aren't many things less sexy than the Grand Modus. Except perhaps a nude calendar of Britain's top darts players. But if that sounds like a criticism, it isn't meant to: in fact, there's a strange, spinsterly charm to the Grand Modus, with its wide-eyed gormless face.

With the exception of a couple of worrying flashes of chrome around the grille, it's much the same story as the outgoing Modus: upright, boxy and as practical as Tupperware, but a whole 16cm longer.

The Tupperware comparison is apt, as that extra overhang is filled with dozens of neat storage spaces, cubby holes and bins. If you hide your phone somewhere in the Grand Modus for safekeeping, don't expect to find it again in a hurry.

The 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine is a pleasant surprise, too. Despite its modest displacement, it easily handles the bulk of the Grand Modus, zipping along with disarming ease and resolutely refusing to run out of puff.

But for all its charm, there's the niggling concern that Renault might have out-niched itself here. How many punters wandered around Renault dealerships in search of a mini-MPV and declared the standard Modus just too petite and the Scenic just too gargantuan?

But, like Cinderella's slipper, there must be someone out there who'll find the Grand Modus a perfect fit. That's what Renault hopes, anyway.

Sam Philip