I have photographs on my mobile phone of most of the cars I have owned or tested in recent years. But I couldn’t find a picture of the Renault Scenic I bought in 1998, which I now realise was the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the French company by brothers Louis, Marcel and Fernand Renault.
The Scenic, which was voted Irish Car of the Year in 1997, was one of the first really popular people carriers in Ireland. I reckon that the Nissan Qashqai is the only other people carrier that has been as popular here over the past 26 years.
On a very wet day in July, Renault chose the scenic Orlagh House in Rathfarnham to launch three new cars, new versions of the Scenic and Captur and a brand new car, the Rafale. But it was so wet that morning you could just about see the cars out the windows from the new hotel in the foothills of the Dublin mountains.
Last week the weather was better and I was able to reminisce with my family about the nineties and enjoy the comforts that the new electric version of the Scenic offers.
As usual with electric cars the first question I was asked was about the range. Well, it depends on the size of the battery, the 60kWH battery should get you approximately 420km, while the larger 87kWh battery promises 625km. I drove the version with the larger battery and you should get over 550km, depending on the weather conditions etc.
As it’s an electric you don’t get a grille at the front, but the front of the car is still very attractive. At first you I thought there was a bit is a bit of an overhang of metal the back, but it all ties in with an unusual rear design incorporating the tail lights.
You get a massive deep boot, the official capacity is 545-litres, but no frunk space at the front. As usual with electric and indeed most new cars nowadays, no spare wheel is provided.
Inside, it’s really spacious with plenty of room for five well-built adults. Like most new cars, an infotainment screen dominates the dash. I found the infotainment screen user-friendly, which was good news as some screens in modern cars do take some getting used to.
I also liked the material used on the dash and there is plenty of storage spaces and charging points for mobile phones around the cabin.
My test car came with a plethora of extras including a back seat arm-rest and cup holders. Overall, the interior is very bright thanks to bright seat covers and a Solarbay sunroof which you can darken or brighten the by using Google voice control. Most of those extras will add to the cost of the car.
The seat coverings are so bright and they might be difficult to keep clean if you are transporting children or teenagers to sporting events.
Nineteen-inch diamond-polished black alloys complete a classic look to a car that is fairly long at 4.47 metres.
The stalk to select drive and reverse is tucked away to the right of the steering wheel, an area that seems a bit cluttered. But of course you do get used to it after a day or two and I really liked the stalk on right that provides finger-tip control for the radio volume.
Prices start at €39,995 for the 60kWh version and from €48,995 for the version with the larger 87kWh battery. Road tax is €120.
I remember back in nineties, the Scenic that I owned was blue and last week the colour of my test car was Midnight Blue with a diamond black roof and two silver roof rails.
The E-Tech Scenic was voted Car of the Year at the Year at the Geneva Motor Show in February, so that’d definitely a good recommendation.
I liked it, a lot. We didn’t have smart phones back in 1998, but I made sure to take a few pics of the Scenic on my iPhone last week.
