What they said when the Renault Grand Scenic was new… ( Mar 29 2004)
FIVE seats in your MPV, or seven?
It's a dilemma which has split the motor industry since Renault first invented the compact MPV class with the original Scenic back in 1997.
Caught out, other manufacturers sought to regain the high ground by offering seven seats to the Megane's five and the Vauxhall Zafira's clever extra pair of hide-away seats made it a popular choice for family buyers.
But who really needs them; do buyers actually ever use them?
Ford thinks not and neither do Citroen nor Nissan. The Focus C-Max, Xsara Picasso and Almera Tino all come with seating for five.
Toyota reckons that seven seats provide that extra versatility so will launch the new Corolla Verso with a pair of flip-up seats in the back in a couple of months' time.
Volkswagen initially hedged its bets by launching its Touran as a five seater with an extra two available as a £500 option, although it has now decided to make it a seven seater as standard.
Would it be a tad cynical to suggest that VW's decision just may have something to do with the impending arrival of yet another new player in the midi-MPV sector?
Enter the Renault Grand Scenic and the most decisive answer yet to the five versus seven seat debate.
Build both.
The Grand Scenic, which goes on sale on Friday, April 2, is basically a stretched version of the five seater Scenic which was launched last year.
It has an extra five cms between the wheels and a further 18 in the rear bodywork which is used to provide the two extra seats. They pop up individually out of the boot floor allowing the Grand Scenic to be used as a six or seven seater while still leaving a decent amount of space for luggage behind them.
The seats are easily pulled into place or hidden away with a tug on a red cord. But even though they're well shaped and come with proper seat belts, to be frank you'd be hard pressed to describe them as anything more than dicky seats.
With the back two in place, the middle row of three can be moved forward to create additional knee room, but there's precious little space to put your feet and even the smallest of adults would end up with their knees tucked under their chin.
In reality, the Grand Scenic is a five-plus-two with the rear pair best kept purely for the kids who will not find access - achieved by folding forward the outer center seats - or space, so much of a problem.
With the back seats in place, the Grand Scenic will still swallow 200 litres of luggage but fold them away and there's a huge 550 litre load space which can be extended to 605 litres by sliding the middle seats forward. Remove those seats altogether and you have a veritable pantechnicon with an astonishing 1,920 litres of stowage capacity.
The Grand Scenic's extra length has no discernible affect on the competent if slightly bland handling qualities of its shorter sibling and the newcomer comes with pretty much the same engine and power train line-up as the standard Scenic and in the same trim levels.
That means you'll get plenty of kit for your money including keyless central locking and start-up, trip computer, front, side and curtain airbags, ABS braking, powered front windows and heated door mirrors, steering column audio controls, height adjustable driver's seat, rake and reach adjustable steering column and plenty more besides.
Prices start at £14,613 for the 1.6 litre petrol Authentique model and rise to £19,313 for the Privilege 2.0 Auto, making the Grand Scenic £1,000 more across the range than the Scenic.
Up until a couple of weeks ago, Renault could have claimed that this gave the Grand Scenic a distinct price advantage over the Volkswagen Touran, but, stung by slow sales, VW has slashed the price of its entry level Touran 1.6 to £14,495 and made seven seats a standard fitting instead of an option.
A clear case of two-upmanship in the face of such a Grand threat, perhaps.
Words: David Whinyates
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