Renault has an EV superstar on its hands: A design marvel, multi-award winner and selling like hot baguettes. But it’s not this car.
Europe has fallen in love with the cute and joyful Renault 5 EV hatchback, but alas, the brand’s Australian importer has launched this new Scenic electric medium SUV instead.
Why? Because it appears too risky selling anything here that’s not an SUV or ute (as we near refuse to buy sensible city cars), and the poor Renault 5 falls foul of Australia’s outdated child seat rules necessitating a middle chair top tether strap.
The fix apparently costs $5 million and would therefore push the R5’s price here well beyond the roughly $45,000 Brits pay for right-hand-drive versions. So Aussies miss out on Europe’s third best-selling EV, and a car that could give the French brand the turbocharged sales boost it dearly needs.
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Renault Australia’s GM Glen Sealey says the brand is “in a good position to survive” Australia’s harsh market. A statement hardly brimming in confidence.
Positively, this battery-powered Scenic is a talented electric Euro. It’s a sharp-looking and well-equipped family EV with a rewarding and non-nannying drive experience.
That matters more than ever these days. Countless EV rivals – mainly of Chinese origin – have paint-by-numbers design, are as fun as standing in dog poo, and are forever bonging, beeping and correcting the steering wheel.
Our stylish Scenic’s also not daftly expensive. But Aussies are proving they value cheap over all else in belt-tightening times.
A BYD Atto 3, Leapmotor C10, Geely EX5 and fellow Euro Skoda Elroq all start some $10,000 cheaper, while many slightly smaller Chinese EV SUVs cost well below $40,000.
The segment is bulging with rivals, so the Scenic has its work cut out, no matter how good it is.
An entry-level Techno Standard Range has a 125kW/280Nm motor over its front wheels, and 430km range from a 60kWh battery.
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A Techno Long Range ($59,990) has 87kWh battery, massive 625km range and beefier 160kW/300Nm motor, while flagship Esprit Alpine ($65,990) uses the same, but with a serious cabin luxe glow-up.
When the French put effort into interiors the result is often marvellous. The Espirt Alpine – our sole test car – oozes design flair, clever controls, seat comfort and a soupçon of human artistry rather than the suspect AI design commonplace in cheapie rivals.
Think red white and blue steering wheel stitching, French blue trim spilling across dash, doors and door bin carpet; an open centre console to chuck a bottle of Malbec, and Harman/Kardon audio delivering sound modes designed by 1970s electronic music titan Jean-Michel Jarre. Magnifique.
Infotainment and driver display screens feature glorious graphics; climate’s controlled with proper buttons and there are goodies like Google built-in, over-the-air updates, six USB-C ports and wireless CarPlay, Android Auto and charging.
Our fanciest grade scores ribbed leather-like seat bolsters, and heated, memory and massage (but not ventilated) front chairs. Rear seats are properly roomy, there’s a giant centre armrest with clever holders for tablets and smartphones, and the boot’s a deep one.
There are a few too many hard plastics and rear visibility’s not great, but it’d be a sad day if the French ever placed practicality over style.
Class spills into the drive. The ride’s firm but not uncomfortably so, it sits neatly through corners and is quiet and smooth to punt along. And as the French really don’t like being told what to do, the driver assist gear stays mute unless you really stuff up.
It’s not fast – 0-100km/h in 7.9 seconds – but the electric motor’s lively with torque. Sport mode sharpens steering and throttle response, while steering wheel paddles have multi-level regeneration levels, adding more driver involvement.
It’s a confident and solid feeling thing to steer, but true personality and fun is missing in action.
Biggest win is the range. Anxiety’s kept at bay with 600km+ between recharges, and even after a morning of enthusiastic driving, our energy return was close to Renault’s quoted 16.8kWh/100km.
