RENAULT SCENIC

After falling out of favour as a pure MPV, it has been reinvented as a family-focused electric crossover

- VICKY PARROTT

what's that? You thought the MPV was dead? Yeah, us too. But it seems there's hope for those who've been yearning for a modern family-mover that isn't a high-riding SUV, because Renault is breathing life back into the class with an all-new, all-electric Scenic.

Well, sort of, anyway. The fifth-generation Scenic hasn't entirely avoided SUV-itis and is (predictably) billed as a crossover, even though Renault is also very quick to point to roominess and functionality as its chief selling points.

It's a "new form of family vehicle", it said when unveiling the 4.5-meter long five-seater in September, that offers "family solutions" inside and SUV desirability outside.

That's all well and good, but a walk around the outside leaves questions as to whether the swoopy window line and fairly narrow rear screen can really bode brilliantly for the airiness and visibility that you might want of something claimed to be a family specialist, even if it leaves no doubt as to the modern, SUV-ish style traits.

Is there more than a dash of Peugeot-like styling to that front end? Hmm. Well, these things are always subjective. Regardless, the Scenic looks fresh and modern, and the Renault badges on the front and back are certainly big enough that you won't mistake who makes it.

Based on the same CMF-EV platform as the Nissan Ariya and Renault Mégane E-Tech, both also electric crossovers, the Scenic gets a single permanent magnet motor on the front axle, which delivers 167bhp in the Comfort Range version or 215bhp in the Long Range that we're testing here. There's no dual-motor, four-wheel-drive model planned.

The batteries are 60kWh and 87kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt packs that are good for WLTP combined ranges of 267 and 388 miles respectively. Their LG-sourced cells are said to achieve 6% better energy density than in the Mégane, which itself was launched as recently as the beginning of 2022.