Renault Scenic review

As mentioned the Megane, a car we like very much, doesn't have the rear-seat space of a VW ID.3, never mind the crossovers that dominate the family market. The Scenic corrects that. There's plenty of kneeroom in the back, although anyone with big feet will be relying on those in front to raise the seat high enough to free up some foot room. If they don’t… it’s a squeeze.

The boot is big too, at 545 litres. That includes three good-sized bins underneath the floor for cables or other guff. The floor board itself can be shifted into two levels, and there are hooks on the sides for shopping bags.

The rear armrest/device holder is a genuinely clever and useful thing. There are also multiple pockets in the backs of the front seats.

And in the front?

Moving forward, there's lots of usefully divided storage up front, taking advantage of the flat floor and the positioning of the bulky a/c unit away under the bonnet. The main cubby between the seats is a bit poky, mind. And who in their right mind would put the USB-Cs under the lip of the lid? Someone at Renault, apparently.

The front seats are comfortable, but not terribly supportive round a tight bend. While you're charging, you can recline the seat into a 'relax' position and the infotainment will keep running for 45 minutes.

Quick word on visibility: the A-pillars are quite thick, the rearview mirror is obstructed by the middle back seat headrest, and the (quite small) mirrors get pretty fish-eyed at the extremes. You’ll be relying on the rear-view camera in a busy car park, and that makes everything look half a mile away.

Gotcha. Tell me about the tech.

All UK versions get both a driver's screen and a vertical 12in touchscreen, which runs Google-based software with a voice assistant. We’ve had mixed results with it - “Hey Google, open the Solarbay” quickly wears off - but in a family car you feel ridiculous talking to the dashboard anyway.

Fortunately the screen controls are easy to fathom, the graphics are crisp and the response immediate. Could the screen be a little closer to the driver for easier reach? We’re nit-picking. There are plenty of physical buttons too. The touchscreen has Waze built-in, plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Fit and finish is very good, and there’s a variety of interesting materials, colours and textures, not just black grained plastic everywhere. The Peugeot e-3008 employs a similar approach.