Renault Scenic review

As mentioned the Megane, a car we like very much, doesn't have the rear-seat space of an ID.3, never mind the crossovers that dominate the family market. The Scenic fully corrects that. There's always plenty of legroom in the back, the more so when the front seats are raised slightly so the rear riders' feet can move forward underneath.

The boot is big too, at 545 litres including three good-sized bins underneath for cable or other guff. The floor board itself can be shifted into two levels.

See the main intro section for details of the rear armrest/device holder, which 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 front seats are supportive without being bulky. While you're charging, you can recline the seat into a 'relax' position and the infotainment will keep running for 45 minutes.

All UK versions get both a driver's screen and a vertical 12-inch touchscreen. The voice recognition is provided by a Google assist. We couldn't get much luck with it, but in a family car you feel ridiculous talking to the dashboard anyway. Fortunately the screen controls are easy to fathom and there are plenty of physical buttons too. The touchscreen has Waze built-in, plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The driver's screen has graphics inspired by Renault's corporate ID. Lots of diagonal slashes. So unlike the related Megane you can no longer switch to calm clear round dials.

Trim materials are very good, and they come in interesting materials, colours and textures, not just black grained plastic everywhere.