scenic tft display free sample

RENAULT SCENIC MK3 SPEEDO TFT DIGITAL DISPLAY SCREEN SAT NAV 248104342R. SHOP. FULLY TESTED AND COMES WITH THE SD CARD. I AM REGISTERED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCY. Registration number is WEX277096. PLEASE CHECK WITH https://environment.data.gov.Uk/public-register/view/search-waste-exemptions If you have any problems with your part, or change your mind. PLEASE MESSAGE ME THROUGH EBAY BEFORE OPENING A CASE. THANKS I have the full car IN parts, which can be listed on eBay for you. Q IF THE PARTIS TO BE DELIVERED TO SCOTLAND NORTHERN IRELAND ROI CHANNEL ISLAND ECT. PLEASE MESSAGE ME FOR A REVISED DELIVERY COST. I have the full car IN parts, which can be listed on eBay for you.

Let’s start with TFT (Thin Film Technology) - exclusive to the New Grand Scénic. Behind these three letters lies the future of the dashboard. Turn the ignition on and

the colour screen offers a clearer, more detailed range of information than the traditional dials and indicator lights, automatically displaying the right information

visual parking systems. The reversing camera displays an image on a colour screen to pinpoint any obstacles accurately. Then, radar sensors signal the presence

, Renault displays its environmental commitment at every stage of the life cycle of the vehicle. The vehicle has been designed in such a way that 95% of

Within the broader people carrier market it’s probably the compact MPV that represents the sweet spot in terms of value, comfort and spaciousness. Renault, of course, has long been a trail blazer in MPVs and pretty much invented the compact variant, known in the industry vernacular as C-segment MPVs, in 1996 with the original Megane Scenic.

In 2003, Renault upped the ante with the Grand Scenic, a stretched version of the Megane-based MPV with a longer wheelbase, larger rear overhang and seating for seven. All told, Renault has flogged no less than 3.2 million Scenics. It’s an extremely important model for the French manufacturer, in other words.

Earlier this year, Renault rolled out an all-new Megane and that means there’s also a new Grand Scenic. With the latest model, Renault is aiming to lift its compact MPV game even further with more comfort, more space, better driving dynamics and an infotainment upgrade that leverages its new partnership with aftermarket navigation specialists TomTom.

For our first taste of the new Grand Scenic, Renault gave us access to a fleet of test cars in 2.0L diesel and 1.4L petrol trim. The latter engine is new to Renault and sports soft turbo charging designed to fill out the torque curve while keeping emissions and fuel consumption under tight control.

First impressions are of a more substantial, up market car inside and out, even if it’s hardly a beautiful vehicle in conventional terms. Still, the premium vibe is probably just as well, what with prices starting well north of £15,000 and extending beyond £20,000. As a private purchase, the latest Grand Scenic is a significant investment.

A pair of dash-mounted LCD screens forms the centerpiece of the Grand Scenic’s upgraded infotainment kit. The first display is an extremely wide and shallow panel and replaces what would be the instrument cluster in most cars. That means everything from the speedometer to the rev counter and fuel level gauge are rendered virtually.

Done well, this approach can be extremely effective as Mercedes recently proved with its latest S-Class. Indeed, it’s very likely more and more cars will feature it in future. In the new Grand Scenic, however, it’s rather less successful. For starters, the screen installation looks a bit cheap. Partly that’s thanks to the rather mean proportions of the panel itself, but the excessive amount of dead space surrounding it hardly helps, either.

Unfortunately, Renault decided to cheapen things further with a chintzy “TFT DISPLAY” graphic below the panel. Frankly, it’s redolent of 1980s boom boxes and their ubiquitous “graphic equalizers”. Renault would be well advised to realise that in 2009 nobody is impressed by the mere presence of a TFT display. Making matters worse, the on-screen graphics also smack of cheap hi-fi rather than high end automotive fare. Overall, the look is dated and messy, which is never a good thing for a brand new product.

Nor, sadly, is it terribly easy to read, despite the fact that Renault has provided several colour and contrast options for users to choose from. Not only is the interface visually noisy, but the meager vertical size of the display also creates problems, particularly when accessing the Grand Scenic’s multimedia functions.

That’s a shame, because the latest Grand Scenic is fairly well specified when it comes to digital music playback. Okay, it doesn’t have a hard drive for local storage of music files. It doesn’t support video playback, either. But when fitted with the optional USB port (located in the centre console), it does boast both native iPod support and the ability to play music files from a mass storage device.

Strictly speaking, the system does an effective job on both counts. It correctly recognised our USB memory stick and first-gen iPod Nano and we like the fact that it immediately takes users to the playback interface upon connection. The problem comes when you attempt to navigate large libraries of music. There’s only enough space on the main display for three rows of text, forcing you to scroll, scroll and scroll again.

Then there are the slightly fiddly, cheap and confusing dash mounted infotainment controls. If there’s a logic and consistency to them, we failed to uncover it during our relatively brief time with the car. Users are further confused by the fact that the controls for and the display of the optional sat-nav system are located entirely separately from the rest of the infotainment system – the sat-nav control stick is found on the central sliding arm rest while the screen is situated to the right of the virtual instrument cluster. This, therefore, is no unified iDrive- or MMI-like in-car infotainment system.

For the record, the Grand Scenic also comes with a Bluetooth phone kit including the obligatory support for contact databases. It’s standard on the Dynamique trim level and upwards and a £200 option when combined with the upgraded USB-enabled sound system on the remainder of the Grand Scenic range.

In car-tech aside, the big news with the latest Grand Scenic is improved accommodation. The really important feature is seating and here Renault has strived to make the Grand Scenic more spacious and flexible. All three of the second row seats slide and adjust individually. Moreover, Renault claims a best-in-class 275mm of knee room for second row occupants and 102mm for those seated in the optional third row. Renault also reckons that the third row seats are more comfortable, less upright and offer more headroom than the competition. Nevertheless, we found they remain rather more suitable for kids than adults.

Further options of interest include the split/sliding panoramic sunroof and the rear mounted parking camera. Renault charges £600 for the sunroof and if you can stretch to it we reckon it’s well worth the money for the sense of spaciousness and airiness it brings to the cabin. As for the parking camera, it wasn’t fitted to any of the test cars at the launch. Keyless go is also a £275 option on low end models (it’s standard on most mid-range and up Grand Scenics) while Xenon headlamps can be had for £650. Note that it’s worth looking out for the option packs that shave a few pounds off the overall cost of selecting various extras individually.

Renault also claims the new Grand Scenic’s taller, wider windscreen gives drivers a superior view of the road, though we found that the blind spots from the A-pillars at junctions had been repositioned rather than eradicated. Nevertheless, should the worse happen we doubt there’s a car in this segment that would offer better protection given Renault’s strong track record in crash safety.

Overall the new Scenic is spacious, substantial vehicle and certainly feels a class above the Megane hatch upon which it is based. That’s particularly true of the 2.0L diesel dCi 160 test car which had the full £900 leather interior complimenting the standard soft-touch interior plastics. The result is a surprisingly up market interior ambience, so long as you don’t inspect the detail trimmings too carefully.

For any MPV, comfort inevitably takes priority over outright dynamics. However, with the latest Grand Scenic, Renault has decided to shift the balance slightly in favour of handling. Saloon levels of body control are the target and the tools are stiffer subframe mounts, tweaks to the steering and much stiffer anti-roll bars. In terms of body roll during the cornering, it’s certainly mission accomplished. You can throw the Grand Scenic into corners as hard as you like, roll remains very well controlled for this type of vehicle. So while it’s unlikely that many owners will give this car a proper thrashing, but there’s no doubting it’s up to the job.

However, the downside is ride quality that suffers occasional choppiness. The car’s springing and damping remains very much comfort orientated, so full-width transverse lumps and humps are still handled with aplomb. But thanks to those stiff anti-roll bars, pot holes and other laterally asymmetric surface imperfections (i.e. bumps – ed) smoothed out as much as you’d hope. Hence, while the tighter roll control certainly makes the new Grand Scenic a much more effective vehicle for covering ground at pace, we wonder whether buyers would prefer the chassis was optimised for maximum comfort.

More in tune with the Grand Scenic’s overall remit are the two engine options available at the launch event. The torque, free revving power delivery of the refined new 130hp 1.4L petrol turbo engine in the TCe 130, which is based on a four-cylinder Nissan unit, suits the car perfectly and combines with a new sound-deadening plastic floor coating to deliver impressive noise suppression. Rated at 42.8mpg for the combined cycle, it’s also adequately economical.

The 160hp 2L turbodiesel option is not quite so well isolated, but does provide a bit more shove along with superior 50.4mpg consumption on the combined cycle. However, it doesn’t feel capable of anything like the 280lb/ft official torque output, perhaps because in 2.0L diesel trim the Grand Scenic rocks the scales at a hefty 1,628kg.

If you’ve read this far you’ll know the new Grand Scenic is largely a success. It is bigger and better all round compared to the outgoing model and benefits from a well specified infotainment system with an intriguing TomTom navigation twist, even if it does suffer a few flaws involving the control interfaces and display quality. The car’s handling has also been tightened up, though somewhat at the expense of ride comfort. What’s more, Renault has successfully lifted the latest Grand Scenic up a notch or two in terms of perceived quality inside and out.

For the record, therefore, if we were buying a new Grand Scenic, our preference would be to go with the seven-seater Privilege TCe 130 with the impressive new 1.4L petrol turbo engine, which comes with bi-zone climate and parking sensors as standard. To that we’d add the Comfort Pack with the panoramic sunroof and TomTom nav for £900, bringing the on the road price to £20,695. We’d probably have a go at convincing our Renault dealer to throw in the leather seats gratis. The resulting car would be an effective and comfortable family workhorse.

Admittedly, the pricing and availability of the Grand Scenic’s automatic and CVT gearboxes are very much in line with the competition in this segment. You’ll pay dearly if you specify the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso or Vauxhall’s Zafira with one of the few non-manual gearbox options available on either. Nevertheless, we reckon the first company to break the deadlock and make a more affordable automatic option available will be onto a real winner.

The initial Renault Scenic was introduced in 1996 and was the first car in Europe to be labelled as a small multi purpose vehicle (MPV). It has had four generations in its lifespan and the current version of both the Scenic and Grand Scenic have been discontinued as new vehicles to make way for a fully electric version of the model to be launched in the coming years.

Our Renault Scenic review will cover the latest models to have been sold in the UK and guide you through those as you look to choose your next new car.

The Renault Scenic and the Renault Grand Scenic are both striking cars from Renault with their rounded front and incredibly high windscreen, which has been copied by numerous MPVs. It"s a little softer at the back and complimented by curves and creases in the right places around the rest of the body. It"s stylish looks still hold up against any new model of people carrier or large MPV that comes onto the market.

The latest iteration of the Renault Scenic MPV has been vastly improved on the inside from it"s predecessor from overall build quality to the layout of the console controls being much cleaner and user friendly.

This is matched with a 7 inch TFT screen in place of traditional counters and gauges although this isn"t customisable like it is in other models, which is a disappointment but not a deal breaker in our opinion.

The Renault Scenic MPV is 4406mm long whilst the Renault Grand Scenic is 4634mm long to accommodate the additional row of seats. Both models have 56.9 litres of storage space throughout the cabin space which is phenomenal.

There"s plenty of room for five adult passengers to sit comfortably and if you opt for the Grand Scenic you have an additional row of 2 seats which are, probably, best suited to smaller passengers. As far as passenger space goes in a people carrier, it"s not necessarily the largest in passenger room (the Ford C-Max offers more headroom) but it is an ideal option for a growing family who need lots of room for passengers.

As a five seater, the Renault Scenic MPV offers 572 litres of boot space before looking at folding anything for additional room. The 3rd row of rear seats understandably take up room in the rear of the car in the Grand Scenic which reduces it"s boot space to 233 litres when all seven seats are in use.

Folding the seats down in either model will give you more room with up to 1723 litres in the Scenic and a massive 2063 litres in the Grand Scenic. Using the Grand Scenic as a five seat MPV will still give you a big boot, with 755 litres of cargo space.

The Renault Scenic MPV and the Renault Grand Scenic have two options available in the engine range: the TCe 140 and the dCi 120 which are a petrol and diesel engine respectively. Reducing the number of petrol and diesel engines to choose from makes it much easier to understand which is best for your needs.

Its well controlled body roll and well weighted steering means that you can comfortably drive on winding roads and tighter bends with no worry that the Scenic will lose any of its grip or ride quality. The extra torque that the diesel engine offers over the petrol is really useful if you"ve got the small MPV loaded to the rafters for a family getaway.

The entry trim level for the Renault Scenic MPV is the Play which has 20 inch wheels, front fog lights, rear parking sensors, LED daytime running lights, automatic LED headlights, 7 inch digital driver"s display, height adjustable front seats, tinted windows, automatic dual zone climate control, automatic wipers, cruise control with a speed limiter, a multi position boot floor, and a 7 inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The Grand Scenic has a 3rd row of 2 seats with 3 point seatbelts, cupholders and reading lights.

The Signature trim level adds a head up display with adjustable brightness, a rear parking camera, chrome detailing to the boot and front grille, a contrasting roof and door mirror colour, a fixed panoramic glass roof with electric sunblind, LED reading lights throughout the cabin, an auto dimming rear view mirror, one-touch folding rear seats, puddle lights, an 8.7 touchscreen system, and upgrades the sound system again to the BOSE pack which includes 11 speakers with a digital amplifier.

The Renault Scenic and Grand Scenic have a five star Euro NCAP rating which was issued in 2016. This outperforms the Ford C-Max and Grand C-Max, which both have a 3 star rating, and is on par with others like the Volkswagen Touran.

Some used Renault Scenic"s will still have some manufacturing warranty on them depending on when they were first registered. Those registered after 18th December 2019 came with a 5 year/100,000 miles warranty that stays with the car so you can still have some support from a Renault dealer if you have any issues during that period and keep running costs down.

There are also no known ongoing issues with the Renault Scenic of Grand Scenic models although there have been two recalls: one for the NOx sensor which was not correctly tightened during production and a second where certain models with a pre-catalytic convertor fitted may have had a lack of braking assistance.

The Renault Scenic MPV is a really good car for families thanks to the copious amounts of room that it offers over other cars. The good news is that there are usually a good selection of used Renault Scenics for buyers to choose from, particularly as some models come out of their manufacturing warranty period and owners look for another brand new replacement.

Keith Adams looks back on 12,000 miles in his 110hp Renault Scenic, and concludes that although it’s far from perfect, it can be very rewarding to live with in the longer term…

So, six months and 12,000 miles on, it’s time to wave goodbye to our Renault Scenic. It’s averaged a whisker over 50mpg, and cleared 12,000 miles in our care. We’ve been pleased, frustrated, and locked out of it – but seldom have we been bored.

The first thing to say right now is that styling is subjective, and I generally like to avoid raising the subject. But on a car like the Scenic, which has clearly been styled to be eye-catching, as well as banish the utilitarianism of the MPV genre as a whole, I can’t go without saying that I love what they’ve achieved with it!

Okay, you don’t buy an MPV for driving excitement, but at the same time, just because you have a family or loads to shift, you shouldn’t enjoy yourself in the process. And so, it’s a blessed relief that the Scenic drives as well as it does.

The steering is quick and accurate, the gearchange is lovely and the high-speed body control is deeply impressive. In short, if you’re a keen driver, there are genuine back-road rewards to be had from the Scenic, once you’re tuned into the way it goes round corners.

Family cars are supposed to be practical, and the Scenic falls down here. The rear legroom is average at best, and the headroom on my panoramic roofed example is tight for anyone over six-feet tall.

As I’ve said many times before, I love the Scenic. It’s a car that sticks two fingers up to convention, and in many ways is an antidote to the waves of facsimile Volkswagen Group cars that are currently flooding our shores. As a design statement, it certainly makes the grade.

Keith Adams is back in his 110hp Renault Scenic, and he’s missing the extra power of the 160hp DCT version. Being spoiled is never nice, and it doesn’t help that he’s been driving a new Koleos…

Perhaps it’s down to the fact that I was on a quick squirt down to Gloucestershire from my base in Middle England to attend the launch of the Renault Koleos. Traffic was its usual claggy self on the A43, and although the Scenic was as surefooted as ever, its lack of muscle was proving annoying – especially when merging into fast-moving traffic.

At the Koleos event, it’s great to see how good the Scenic MPV looks against this lumpy SUV (once again, forcing me to ask myself why so many people are obsessed by owning an SUV). But on the road, the new challenger – which is only availble in 160 and 175hp diesel form – feels far more solid and dependable. No doubt, it’s aided by all that extra grunt.

Despite my harping on about my Scenic’s relative lack of power, especially when lined up against its punchier cousins, I still really like the way this golden nugget drives.

Keith Adams loves his Renault Scenic, but wishes it had more power. After taking a 160hp DCT version for a week, he’s more convinced than ever that more power perfects the breed…

I think I’ve made my feelings clear many times about our Renault Scenic long-term test car. It pretty much answers all of the questions I’ve asked of it – from running up and down the country to taking on the role of temporary removal van – via a polished performance on some very nice B-roads.

Although the car industry now treats the MPV as a zombie format, with the SUV sweeping all aside, I can’t help but think that I’d have a Scenic over a Kadjar any day of the week. On that basis, you can keep your SUV!

At the heart of this more powerful Scenic is a 1.6-litre dCi power unit that develops 160hp. That’s a lot of grunt for what is effectively quite a small power unit, but to avoid any peakiness it’s mated-up with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. In theory, any holes in the power band are compensated for by the auto box’s management system.

But after a fashion. Because the 110hp Scenic has such a delightful throttle action, it flatters you into believing it’s quicker and more responsive than it is. That means that initially you might think that there’s little difference between the two cars.

Without options, the Scenic Signature Nav we drove was £30,805. Considering our 110hp Dynamique S was more than £29,000 optioned up, that difference is not a huge one. Given you’ll get most of the equipment you need as standard in the more expensive car, this seems like a bit of a no-brainer to us.

Professional photographer, technical journalist and classic car enthusiast Richard Kilpatrick takes the Parkers Renault Scenic on a trip to Stonehenge for the summer Solstice… via Scotland.

It has been a while since the excitement of an actually new car has been something to enjoy. So, getting the opportunity to take the Scenic up to Scotland for Retina photo festival and a family catch up was much appreciated.

Other reviewers have commented on the placement of the cruise control switch, yet despite being thoroughly acclimatised to a dedicated stalk the rocker below the handbrake button made perfect sense – also providing a tactile feedback in addition to the amber or green symbol on the dashboard and heads-up display.

You don’t sit any further forward, the windscreen is just further away. The windscreen also provides my one real complaint about the Scenic; the expanse of graphite plastic, particularly where it transitions to a harder material around the heads-up display, is constantly reflected in the windscreen.

Those 20-inch wheels often result in a compromised ride, and despite some excellent work on isolation, the Scenic struggles to mask the ripped-up asphalt of Peterborough’s HGV-battered roads.

The sheer competence of the Scenic comes through when you find a familiar A-road and let it all flow together. Being aggressive won’t help here, just let it build speed and you’ll see the heads-up speedometer displaying a pace through bends that is more akin to an ’80s hot hatch.

The bright, colourful two-tone finish helps, accentuates that Renault’s premium offering adds more than just equipment here; the Scenic’s style and personality are extremely appealing and I’ve enjoyed every mile in it – from Stonehenge to the Scottish borders.

More than halfway into our time with the Renault Scenic, and it’s occurred to me that I’ve become so used to all the tech in it, that I’m now taking it for granted.

Given that this is a mainstream car – an MPV that’s aimed at families – being able to spec this car with such things as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control and a head-up display is seriously impressive. Automatic parking? Not so sure on that, but many people love it once they’ve worked out how to use it.

But once you’re underway, the active cruise works seamlessly, maintaining a safe gap between the car in front and you. This gap can be programmed via the steering wheel, so if you’re an impatient type, or someone who doesn’t like letting people in, you can set it to sit quite close to the car in front. The head-up display keeps you well informed.

Halfway into our tenure of our Renault Scenic, and I’m still as wedded to it as ever, and that’s despite it sharing drive space with our new Skoda Superb Estate. That particular car might have more than twice the power of our trusty Renault, but in the cut and thrust of day to day driving, our golden nugget MPV still manages to impress.

Or more precisely, more torque. The Scenic’s 110hp isn’t particularly generous in a car of this size and weight. When you drive it initially, it feels sprightly and long-legged, but hit a hill on the motorway or go for an A-road overtake, and that lack of power can’t be disguised by clever throttle mapping.

We’ve been carrying some big and heavy loads recently. Shifting my gear from one house to another has been an interesting experience in testing the relative load capacities of various cars – and the Scenic does very well indeed.

Going through the Parkers Price and Specs pages for the Scenic, an obvious choice springs out at me. The 160hp Dynamique S gets the bigger 1.6-litre dCi diesel engine, and a walloping 50hp more power.

After almost three months behind the wheel of our Renault Scenic, I’m still as impressed as ever. If that sounds like faint praise, it shouldn’t – I have a famously low boredom threshold, and the average length of tenure of any of my cars tends to run to days…so here we are. Even after driving some very powerful and desirable cars, I jump back in the faithful Renault, and just think, ‘this is nice’.

And that’s the thing – you can become blind to a car’s failings when you bond with it, so a long trip after some time away can be very valuable. Equally, comparing it with rivals cars is also very instructive. Even more so, when it’s an in-house relative. Which got me thinking – is the Scenic worth the £1,420 extra over the equivalent Kadjar?

But, given that the Kadjar and Scenic are both touted as roomy family five-seaters, is there room in the range for both? Yes, the Kadjar has a lower starting price, and marketing types will tell you that one is a SUV, and the other is an MPV – but functionally, both cars do pretty much the same thing.

So why choose the more costly Scenic? Why indeed. If you value ride quality, you’d definitely choose the cheaper car. Whereas the Scenic is fidgety, and clearly set up to be a laugh in corners (yes, seriously), the Kadjar is softer and smothers motorways, A roads and back lanes with ease.

Not a great deal in this case. Inside, the Scenic’s quality is on a far higher level. The trim materials are on an altogether higher plane, it’s far more stylish, and it’s brighter all round. In short, the Scenic feels far more special, premium, even. Yes, really.

There’s little in it in terms of room, practicality, and family appeal. And it probably comes down to personal preference, and the availability of a 4×4 Kadjar. But for me, the Scenic is a fabulous looking car, and thanks to its rarity, far more interesting. You can’t move in suburbia without tripping over a Kadjar – as for the Scenic, when did you last see one?

So, at the end of the day, probably not a rational decision. But as I said at the top of the piece, I do like the Scenic. If you are thinking rationally, however, you can save £2,925 by going for the equivalent Megane Sport Tourer over our Scenic.

Speaking of long trips, I’ve been clocking up more miles, and the Scenic continues to impress. Inside, there’s a lovely feeling of space and airiness, helped by both the generous glass area and high seating position. Even one-up, the benefit of this MPV-style car on long-distance comfort is undeniable.

I should have been in a mood with our Renault Scenic. After all, it had put a dampener on a recent weekend by locking me out (below). An important message has been learned, which I will carry over to all the keyless cars I drive – always keep the key in my pocket! But when it came to it, all it took for me to fall back in love with it was a long drive.

Other than that, the Scenic proved a brilliantly capable long-distance cruiser. With 110hp and fully-laden, it still handled motorways extremely well – you can spend all day at the legal limit and thanks to its 2,000rpm 70mph gearing, it’ll leave you unstressed doing so. There’s some wind rustle around the door mirrors, but that’s a new occurence, so I’ll get that checked out by a dealer as soon as I get the chance.

Our Renault Scenic might have been winning (some) friends among the Parkers team, but it has also managed to impress its keeper with its ability to leave him stranded. Providing a great example of what happens if you don’t read the manual – carefully – before using your car.

Rewind a couple of weeks to a very early Saturday start, and a very sulky Scenic. Keith WR Jones and I had arranged to drive the new Vauxhall insignia Grand Sport to Keith in Scotland. It involved a 5.00am rendezvous in Peterborough – in order to get from Luton to Keith, via Ellesmere Port.

So, at 4.45am I’m outside my house packing the Scenic with all the bits and bobs I’d be needing for our upcoming 20-hour working day. Piece by piece, I placed my stuff on the back seat – laptop bag, reading material, wallet, keys…

As usual, my keycard (below) was in my jacket pocket alongside my (two) mobile phones, and placed on the back seat. I closed the door to get into the driver’s seat – and before I’d opened it, there was the beep-beep of the alarm system, followed by the clunk of the central locking. The Scenic’s perimetric locking system had locked me out.

The Renault Scenic has been piling on the miles with the Parkers team. Mainly, but not entirely me – and as is the way with cars I like, they can be a bit of an aquired taste for other people. It’s not that the Scenic is a bad car – far from it – but if you’re not in the family way, you might struggle to see its appeal.

Despite the niggles from the other members of the team, I continue to really rate the Renault Scenic. I have a very long history of extended ownership of French cars, and what you need with the best ones is a little patience and understanding.

So, I really like the way the Scenic works, the elastic pull of its dCi engine (it feels way more powerful than its relatively modest 110hp rating), keen handling and pliant damping. I’ll agree with Chris that using the touchscreen control for just about everything is completely stupid – but I’ll counter that somewhat with the excellent voice control system.

The head-up display (above) also works a treat. And when used in conjuction with the adaptive cruise on a long journey, light work can be made of big distances. I still haven’t tested its family-swallowing capabilities, and that’s because I’ve chosen the Scenic on purely aesthetic grounds (I love the way it looks). That will come – probably in the next long-term test report.

The Renault Scenic has been impressing me with its ability to get on with the many, many jobs that I’ve been throwing at it over the past few weeks. Although it’s an MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), and one that’s been designed with families in mind, most of the time I’ve spent in it, the Scenic has been one up.

But thanks to its tautly-damped chassis set-up and huge 20-inch wheels, there’s no lack of grip in the corners. Our full review says this: ‘If hustled along in a manner likely to rapidly leave the cabin flecked in toddler puke, the Scenic acquits itself perfectly well, with no unpleasant surprises lurking at the extremes of grip. It is, however, at its best loafing through rather than leaping at corners.’

Our new Renault Scenic proves that just because you’re a family car driver, you don’t have to settle for something lacking in style. Given that the latest addition to the Parkers long-term test car fleet has been touted as the last stand for the medium-sized MPV, it’s fitting that Renault has decided to make its third-generation Scenic a hugely stylish car.

The innovative monospace (as they say in France) – a boxy car with a short, stubby bonnet has been given the full designer treatment, with swooping flanks, dramatic side windows, and huge 20-inch wheels across the range. And yet, inside it’s as fully family-friendly as every Scenic that’s come before.

This latest Scenic was launched in 2016, and first came to the UK early in 2017, and currently, it’s a rare sight on the roads. Which means our car, which was supplied with a little less than 1,200 miles on the clock, and finished in Honey Yellow, turns heads. And we rather like that.

Our Dynamique S Nav model sits in the middle of the Scenic range, but you’d never guess, looking at it. The on-the-road list price was £25,445 at the time of writing, but for your money, it’s packed with kit.

Inside, the Scenic is just as intriguing. The portrait-format Renault R-Link media system works well, although with so many screen functions, it will undoubtedly take time to master. The rest of the controls are familiar to those fluent in Renault, and the panoramic roof is a timely reminder that brighter days are on their way.

We’re running the Scenic for at least six months, and in that time, fully expect to put it to some serious use. We’re likely to lend it to some of our workmates in the leisure sector, and will undoubtedly take it overseas for some decent trips. More than likely, it’ll see the odd school run, and trip to the supermarket. Just like any other Scenic.

3 Stalk for: switch. 19 Gear lever. – direction indicator lights; 11 Location for radio, navigation system, 20 RENAULT card reader. – exterior lights; etc. 21 Cruise control/speed limiter control. – front fog lights; 12 – Display of the time, tempera- 22 Heating and ventilation controls.

INsTRUmENT pANEL: display and indicators (1/4) Rev counter (rpm × 1,000) This is displayed according to how the instrument panel is customised. speedometer (km/h or mph) fuel gauge The remaining fuel level is shown in yellow. If the level is at the minimum, the warning light integrated in the indicator comes on, accompanied by a beep.

INsTRUmENT pANEL: display and indicators (2/4) Instrument panel in miles Overspeed buzzer (option to switch to km/h) Depending on the vehicle and coun- – With the ignition off, press button 3 try, a buzzer sounds for approximately or 4 and start button 5; 10 seconds every 40 seconds, as long as the vehicle is travelling in excess of –...

INsTRUmENT pANEL: display and indicators (4/4) Instrument panel in miles Engine oil level low warning (option to switch to km/h) When the engine is started, the instru- – With the ignition off, press button 3 ment panel display alerts you when the or 4 and start button 5.

TRIp cOmpUTER ANd WARNINg sysTEm (2/9) Interpreting some of the Automatic resetting of the values displayed after journey parameters resetting Resetting occurs automatically when the maximum value of any of the pa- The values showing average fuel con- rameters is exceeded. sumption and average speed will become more stable and reliable the further you have travelled since the last...

TRIp cOmpUTER ANd WARNINg sysTEm (3/9) The display of information shown below dEpENds ON ThE VEhIcLE EQUIpmENT ANd cOUNTRy. Examples of selections Interpreting the display selected a) Total mileage and trip mileage recorder. b) Journey parameters. fuel used. Fuel consumed since the last reset. Average fuel consumption since the last reset.

TRIp cOmpUTER ANd WARNINg sysTEm (4/9) The display of information shown below dEpENds ON ThE VEhIcLE EQUIpmENT ANd cOUNTRy. Examples of selections Interpreting the display selected current fuel consumption. This value is displayed above a speed of approximately 18 mph (30 km/h). Estimated range with remaining fuel.

TRIp cOmpUTER ANd WARNINg sysTEm (5/9) The display of information shown below dEpENds ON ThE VEhIcLE EQUIpmENT ANd cOUNTRy. Examples of selections Interpreting the display selected c) mileage before service. Distance remaining until the next service (displayed in miles (kilometres) and months), then when the service nears, several scenarios are possible: –...

TRIp cOmpUTER ANd WARNINg sysTEm (6/9) Journey parameters The display of information shown below dEpENds ON ThE VEhIcLE EQUIpmENT ANd cOUNTRy. Examples of selections Interpreting the display selected d) Tyre pressure monitor. Refer to the information on the “Tyre pressure monitor” in Section 2. e) cruise control/speed limiter programmed speed (only for vehicles which are not equipped with a “TfT display”...

TyRE PRESSURE MONITOR (2/4) “Tyre pressure sensors absent” or “Check tyre pressure sensors” One wheel B disappears, indicating that the sensor on this wheel is missing or faulty (e.g. if the emergency spare wheel is fitted). vehicles without “TfT “Inflate tyres for motorway” The tyre pressure is not suitable for the display”...

AuToMATIc clIMATE coNTRol (3/5) The displayed temperature values show a comfort level. When starting the engine, increasing or decreasing the value displayed will not allow the comfort level to be reached any more quickly. The system will always optimise the tem- perature increase or decrease (the ventilation system does not start in- stantly at maximum speed: it gradu-...

Simply use Bluetooth to connect with your motorcycle—which is equipped with Connectivity and TFT—and establish a connection to your communication system, if present. No matter whether you select winding or direct routes, verbal announcements and arrow indications that are easily visible in the TFT ensure that our app and your motorcycle will safely get you to your destination. Thanks to operation on the handlebars, you not only have navigation, telephony and music right at hand, but you also get an overview of the most important riding or vehicle data at the same time.

•The app is part of BMW Motorrad Connectivity and can only be used actively in combination with vehicles with a TFT display. The connection between smartphone, vehicle and communication system, if present, is established wirelessly via Bluetooth. Operation is possible using the multicontroller on the handlebars. To output music, telephony and navigation information, the use of the BMW Motorrad communication system is recommended.

Having heated grips is definitely not a must in Mexico, but, even though Mexico has a warm climate in general, the early mornings can be quite cold, against freezing temperatures in winter. I opted for the KTM OEM (KTM powerparts) heated grips, as those don’t require an additional switch to be mounted to the handle bars. They can be controlled by a setting in the TFT dash that is enabled by the dealer upon installation.

Of course your mileage may vary. Wether this screen works for you depends on many things, including your height. I’m 1,79 (5’10”) with a 32″ inseam. If you’d like to know more about helmet noise and how to reduce it… have a look at my very detailed and scientific article: https://scenic.app/windscreens-and-other-causes-solutions-for-noise-and-buffeting-in-motorcycle-helmets/