My, aren't you a big boy? (Renault Scenic in general)

Member Name: Nolly

Product:	Renault Scenic in general
Date:	04/05/01 (1421 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Space, Practicality, Punchy

Disadvantages: Phew, what a scorcher!

I've never had much luck with cars, they are just like the romance I have had in my life. At first it's fun, full of passion and excitement, and then the niggles start to set in, the endless recriminations and wishing I hadn't bothered in the first place.

Such was the problem when I had my Fiat Bravo (Fiat Bravo? I thought this was about the Renault Scenic! - Hold your horses, we'll get there eventually!) It was love until the fuel economy and lack of space started to get on my nerves. I tried to go to various garages with regards to trading it in for the car I wanted, a car that could accommodate my six foot eight inch frame quite commodiously- the Renault Megane Scenic.

Russells, the Renault dealer in Eastbourne were dismissive and off-hand. It was almost as if they would be doing me a favour by selling me a car. 'Nowt down for pal' I thought. So I spoke to my Uncle Alan in Portsmouth, a man who woned a Renault megane classic. He suggested I should speak to John at Liningtons in Portsmouth the next time I was down that way....

And so I went to Liningtons. I test drove the Scenic 1.6 Alizé, but in the end for reasons only best known to my frame and to my bank balance, I opted for the 1.6 RN. The frame problem was simple. The Mark I Scenic did not have a height-adjustable driver's seat, as the battery was inexplicably located underneath it. If the car had a sunroof there was not sufficient headroom for me, and so I had to buy the base model, and I mean the base, base model- the one without a sunroof.

It was the first brand-new car I had bought. I had it in Pacific Blue, and I picked it up 10 days after my initial visit, and the salesman was happy to take my Bravo off my hands!I even got to choose what Reg number I had: S795 JRV (well, the choice was rather limited!).

PART TWO- THE CAR AND LIFE WITH IT

The car was everyhting I needed. There was opulent space- I could have held a s
mall rave inside it. The boot space was huge and the removable rear seats meant that there was enough room to carry a mini or four. But as it was the base spec model, what did it actually have:

No Sunroof
Power Steering
4 speaker radio cassette with steering wheel controls
Manual windows
Oh, and 5 seats


That was about it. The 1.6 litre engine was punchy and gave me around 40mpg on average. However there are one or two things that need to be said about this car.

DO NOT BUY A SCENIC WITHOUT AIR-CON OR A SUNROOF IF YOU INTEND TO DRIVE IT DURING THE SUMMER!

The large amount of glass led me to believe that, if it had been my wont, the car would be hot enough to have grown cannabis plants, or even coconut palms within it's frame.

But was the car practical? When I met my wife to be, and we decided to set up home together, we went to IKEA, and bought all that we would need, including a king-size bed frame. before we went I removed the three back seats. It all fitted beautifully inside the car. It was the best load lugger I have ever had, adn would be an ideal family car.

The headroom problem is now no longer an issue. No, I haven't sawn my head off, the new model has the adjustable driver's seat and the battery can be located under the bonnet. Just never buy a bog-standard base-spec model. They don't call them orphans for nothing. After 3 years it had a trade in value of £6000- It had lost over half it's value!

But overall I would not hesitate to recommend the car- it was innovative when it first came out, and there isn't much to rival it still. How do I know this, well let's just say I can't get my legs under the steering wheel of a Picasso, and I can't get any headroom in an Almera Tino at all!

Summary: