Renault Grand Scenic (09 on) - Review

There's a good choice of engines in the Grand Scenic range offering an impressive blend of performance and economy. The entry-level option is the 1.6VVT petrol with 110bhp and a six-speed gearbox which averages a useful 38mpg. For more power there is a 2.0-litre engine with 140bhp but it is only available with a CVT automatic gearbox. The best petrol choice is the newer 1.4 TCe which uses a turbocharger to produce 130bhp. It may only be a small engine but it's good to drive with plenty of low down pulling power and a smooth nature. 0-62mph takes 11.5 seconds - as quick as the 2.0-litre. It's also economical and can average 40mpg. It's the diesels that are more popular in the Grand Scenic however, starting with the 1.5 dCi with 106bhp. It's not especially quick but will happily keep up with motorway traffic and best of all can return 55mpg. The 1.9 dCi 130bhp engine is noticeably quicker and a better choice if you regularly intend to carry a full complement of passengers on long journeys. It manages the 0-62mph benchmark in 10.7 seconds while still averaging 50mpg. The top diesel is a 2.0 dCi which is also used in several Nissan models. There are two versions - the 160bhp comes with a six-speed manual gearbox while the 150bhp unit comes exclusively with an automatic. These are the quickest models, the 160bhp model managing 0-62mph in 9.1 seconds.

Thanks to a smooth and forgiving ride, the Grand Scenic is excellent on the motorway and ideal for long journeys. It's also surprisingly agile on more demanding roads with well controlled lean in corners and a predictable, reassuring feel. As a result those in the back won't feel ill on twisty country roads. And even with a full quota of passengers, the Renault copes very well with sudden changes of direction while the steering is pretty direct and well-weighted.