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our test drives or view them all

Renault Grand Scenic 7-seat 1.9 dCi 130

THE stretched Renault Grand Scenic won’t win any beauty prizes – but if you need to move seven people in comfort on a budget it’s a perfect choice.

The extra 22cm of length over the standard Scenic makes it a mighty 4.56 metres long – bulk that adds 110kg to kerb weight.

But the difference is hardly noticeable on the road. That’s the beauty of this scaled down Espace – it’s manageable and won’t betray its size under way.

For £20,745 before discount you get a lot of car, especially in Dynamique trim. It’s a practical MPV that shows off its functionality in many ways, like its ability to be turned into a huge cargo vehicle when you don’t need to ferry people.

You achieve that simply by pulling tags on the rear pair of seats to make them collapse and form a perfectly flat loading surface. You can do something similar with the middle trio but this time you will be left with an awkwardly uneven loading surface.

But it still leaves a huge cargo area and converts the Grand Scenic from family bus to family van in seconds, without the need to humph heavy individual seats out of the vehicle and store them at the back of the garage.

Then there’s the low floor. That means it’s easy to climb aboard. A pal of mine who’s waiting for a hip replacement operation was able to board and leave the Grand Scenic a lot more easily than some other machines I’ve tried recently.

This big Scenic is usefully spacious and very comfortable. Whether you are young or old it is a great way to travel and the visibility from the slightly elevated seating position and through the side windows is superb.

There’s more good news on the driving front. While I’m no fan of Renault’s digital and stylishly different interiors, the Grand Scenic functions well. Its instruments, including an odd mix of a digital speedo and analogue rev counter close to the centreline, are clear and the switchgear is intuitive and moves with a quality feel.

However placing a speedo so far from the driver’s sightline is crazy as is the otherwise excellent remote sat-nav controls that need to be further forward on the central console, especially as they are obscured by the armrest in its forward position.

There’s plenty of storage places around the front and, apart from the thick A-pillars that interfere with three-quarter visibility at junctions, the driving position is fine.

Because it’s front wheel drive and has a long 2.77 metre wheelbase the Grand Scenic feels stable and rides well. Like all Renaults it takes poorer road surfaces in its stride. It rides a bit firmly, but has a subtle edge to its suspension that is ideal for transporting people – especially children. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s smooth, but the Grand Scenic is one of the most comfortable volume people movers I’ve driven for some time. And that wasn’t just my opinion.

Passengers liked the Renault’s easy action on the road. It seemed to glide along with little fuss and soaked up the miles with ease. Even keeping its head down through torrential rain on the Kyle road through Achnasheen was no trouble – the wipers blatted the waterfall of water out of the way and the Grand Scenic literally sailed through deep standing water with no hint of snatch or steering tug. Impressive stuff and a tribute to its 1.5 tonne kerb weight.

On wet roads there’s a fair amount of water swish from the tyres but wind and mechanical noise are well subdued.

The lusty 1.9 litre dCi turbodiesel is an old favourite. In the state of tune I had it belted out a useful 130bhp with 300 Newton metres of torque to back it up from just 1750rpm. It’s not the smoothest or quietest of common rail diesels but I defy anyone to get annoyed with its decibel output.

Under harder acceleration it makes itself heard but slide into the cruise and it simpers away to itself with barely a murmur.

Overtaking power is good and I managed to close a 50mph to 70mph gap safely flicking through the slick six-speed manual gearbox. Getting off from rest to 62mph took just under 12 seconds with four people on board – not bad for a vehicle that faces a life of unglamorous family transport duties.

Handling is safe and sure, the ABS braking very powerful and fade-free while the standard electronic stability control delivers peace of mind in case of an extreme situation when panic takes over from sound decision making.

When I climbed aboard the Grand Scenic I was immediately put off by its electronic parking brake. But, unlike some, at least it functions logically – pull the little console lever up to engage and push down to release. Better still it will release the brake if you forget and drive off with it still applied. It’s OK, but I still prefer a good old steam handbrake – you know where you are with that simple device and can ease it off gradually in conditions where fine control is needed unlike the “on” or “off” character of the electronic breed.

Incredibly there are 54 Renault Scenic model variants – 27 ordinary Scenics and 27 Grand Scenics.

That means great choice and in the Grand Scenic’s case a price variation from around £15,803 to £22,455. You’ll get a wide choice of petrol and turbodiesel power, standard manual or optional automatic transmissions and three trim levels.

But here’s my advice – look no further than the model I had on test. The Dynamique is exceptionally well appointed and the punchy 130bhp 1.9 dCi is a well-tried and tested turbodiesel that will average around 50mpg. It has a big 564 litre boot that expands to a hangar-like 1863 litres with the seats down and it’s pleasant and comfortable to drive.

People carriers aren’t sexy, they are functional. But that does not mean they have to be clunky, basic and dull. The Grand Scenic Dynamique is none of these things and if I had a clan to carry this would be my good value choice.

As always my test car came with a selection of non-standard items to let me see what’s available.

It added up to an extra £2495 that included a £550 Convenience Park consisting of handy front and rear parking sensors, a sliding centre storage unit and adaptable headrests for the front and second row of seats; essential metallic paint at £395; a pricey £440 Arkamys RDS/CD radio with Bluetooth and a great value Comfort Pack costing £900 that not only includes a fine built-in TomTom full-colour sat-nav but also a panoramic glass sunroof with a powered sunblind with auto-close function.

Renault may have stretched things a bit to squeeze that extra pair of seats into the Grand Scenic, but it works. What’s more the additional centimetres pose no problems and this fine people mover drives exceptionally well given it’s rather modest role in life.

It’s a well turned out and sensible family transport that’s affordable – especially as you should manage to negotiate a good discount.

Rating: 7.5/10

FINAL THOUGHT: You pay around £400 more for the seven-seat Grand Scenic compared to the five-seat Scenic – but if you have people to carry it’s a spacious and versatile machine. In Dynamique trim it offers best value and the 1.9 dCi is both punchy and frugal. Comfort and general visibility are excellent.

Renault Grand Scenic 7-seat 1.9 dCi 130

• Price: £21,290 with seven seats
• Capacity: 1870cc
• Power: 130bhp
• 0-62mph: 11.9 seconds
• Maximum speed: 121mph
• Economy: Combined 50.4mpg; Urban 42.8mpg
• CO2 emissions: 145g/km
• ESP: Standard
• Insurance: Group 8