Used Renault Grand Scenic MPV 2016-2020 review

Is there such a thing as a stylish MPV? "No," you might say, but the Renault Grand Scenic would beg to differ. Its smooth, swooping curves are a marked departure from the more boxy lines of most of its rivals and, as a result, whether viewed from the front, side or rear it’s a distinctive alternative and – whisper it – maybe even an attractive one.

But style counts for very little in this part of the market. Any used MPV must first and foremost be deeply practical; everything else comes second. Unfortunately, that’s where things start to fall down a little for the Grand Scenic.

For starters, it isn’t the most spacious of seven-seaters. True, it feels very airy up front, thanks to the huge windows, but further back the high floor means sitting in the middle row of seats gives you a sense of having your knees up around your chin. Sliding these seats forward to give more space to the rearmost row makes things worse; but if you don’t, that third row feels rather claustrophobic – more so than the Volkswagen Touran’s and Citroën Grand C4 Picasso’s.

Higher-specification models get a portrait-oriented touchscreen for the infotainment system. It's a sensible idea because it gives you a great view of the way ahead when you’re using the sat-nav. Sadly, the menus for the rest of the system are rather complicated to use and the paucity of shortcut buttons means you’re constantly dipping in and out of menus to change settings.

The rest of the dashboard is a mixed bag. For the most part, it looks good, but the effect is spoiled a little by the cheap, shiny-looking plastics lower down. And while the TFT screens in place of traditional dials look smart, they don’t offer the same functionality as proper digital set-ups such as those you’ll find in modern VWs and Audis.

Out on the road, meanwhile, the lower-powered 1.2-litre and 1.5-litre engines struggle to lug the Grand Scenic’s heft around, even when it’s empty; if you plan on carrying passengers regularly, you might well want to upgrade to something meatier.

The Grand Scenic’s ride will be smooth enough for most, thanks to mallow-soft suspension that damps out most of the big wheels’ thumps and crashes, but the flipside to this is, of course, that it rolls heavily in corners. Allied to numb, remote steering, this leads to a car that won’t give you a great deal of pleasure to drive. The Grand Scenic feels bulky on the road, too, meaning parking can feel like a chore.

One thing the Grand Scenic does have in its favour, though, is a good safety record. Under the 2016 Euro NCAP test regime, its five-star score is a strong result, bolstered by impressive ratings of 90% and 82% in the adult and child occupant tests respectively.

If you're interested in buying a used Renault Grand Scenic, or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classifieds site here.

Prices start at around £13,000 for an early example. That puts it roughly on a par with rivals such as the Volkswagen Touran, meaning it’s quite a bit more expensive than the Vauxhall Zafira Tourer and Citroën Grand C4 Picasso. Spend between £14,000 and £18,000 on 2018 and 2019 models.

If you want to check that a Grand Scenic you’re hoping to buy is worth the money that’s being asked, why not try our free valuations tool at What Car? Valuations?

The most efficient engine in the Grand Scenic range is the 1.5 dCi Hybrid Assist, which achieves a deeply impressive average figure of 78.5mpg in official NEDC fuel consumption tests, making it one of the most efficient MPVs around. Even without the electric boost, the standard 1.5 dCi is commendably efficient, with fuel consumption of 70.8mpg. The rest of the range tends to sit on a par with or slightly behind rivals; of the petrol versions, it’s the later 1.3-litre models that prove to be the most efficient of all.

Correspondingly, if you’re buying a car registered before 1 April 2017, you’ll pay nothing to tax a Hybrid Assist model, £20 a year to tax a standard 1.5 dCi or £30 a year for a 1.6 dCi. Tax costs then range up to £135 a year for the 1.2-litre petrol versions.

Renault’s servicing costs aren’t the cheapest around, but neither are they the most expensive. Once your Grand Scenic hits three years old, it’ll be eligible for Renault’s special service pricing for older cars; this should help keep costs down if you want to take your car to a main dealer.

The wide range of turbocharged engines starts with a 113bhp 1.2-litre petrol and a 108bhp 1.5-litre diesel. The latter is the most refined diesel engine of the bunch and extremely efficient; however, as we’ve already mentioned, both of these engines struggle a bit to haul the Grand Scenic’s heft.

If you have lots of people to carry on a regular basis, we’d recommend an upgrade to the 128bhp 1.6-litre diesel, although you’ll have to live with the extra noise it makes. You could also go for a 158bhp 1.6-litre diesel, a 128bhp 1.2-litre petrol or a 138bhp 1.3-litre petrol, or there’s Renault’s 1.5-litre Hybrid Assist diesel, a mild hybrid that features a small electric motor to boost the standard engine’s fuel economy. If you can find one of these, it’s worth a look because it teams the 1.5-litre diesel’s refinement with a much-needed performance boost.

In terms of equipment levels, the cheapest Grand Scenic is the Expression+, although even this comes well equipped. The majority of Grand Scenics on the used market, though, come in Dynamique Nav trim, which will offer everything most buyers will be looking for, including satellite navigation. If you wanted to splash out, you could of course upgrade to Dynamique S Nav, which gets you the larger, portrait-format touchscreen, as well as a few other shiny bits, while the top-of-the-range Signature is the luxury option – although it’s too expensive and rare to really recommend.

Our favourite Renault Grand Scenic 1.5 dCi Dynamique Nav

We still reckon the Volkswagen Touran is one of the best used MPVs there is. It’s less stylish than the Grand Scenic, but it’s also better to drive, more comfortable, more versatile and, in most cases, more efficient too.

Another great option is the Citroën Grand C4 Picasso. An emphasis on comfort and space means it’ll be a winner with your passengers and, with a few wacky styling touches, it stands out from the crowd more than most of the Grand Scenic’s rivals.

Meanwhile, if you’re buying on a budget, you should have a look at the Vauxhall Zafira Tourer. It’s hardly the most exciting thing in the world to drive, but it’s comfortable enough, commendably versatile, well equipped and pretty well built – and all for bargain-basement prices.

If you're interested in buying a used Renault Grand Scenic, or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classifieds site here.

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