We owned one of these until very recently and it just kept on going so reliability gets five stars! We recently changed to a newer Megane because we found we didn’t need the space anymore.
I’ll get performance and handling out of the way first but remember this is a people-mover and not a supercar! As I say, the engine went for ages and we found that it was going just as well on the day we got rid of it as it had been on the day we got it. It has more than enough power to blast around town, up the motorway or anywhere you like for that matter, it’s genuinely a very good engine but I give it three stars because it’s no sport’s car!
Dealing with this car on a day-to-day basis is probably the most important part of this review. On the inside, everything works and nothing ever broke, many people say we have been lucky here but I maintain that the Scenic is actually a very well built car. The cabin feels a lot bigger than it actually is and there is plenty of space all round, both upfront and at the rear. As with most cars of this class, the seats do many things to maximise luggage space or passenger legroom although generally not both at the same time. The boot is a decent size and we never found it fell short of our requirements but in addition to the boot, there is a whole host of storage areas in the cabin including many under the seats and in door pockets.
The Megane Scenic is a really sound buy even if the looks are somewhat dated nowadays!
We had our Renault Megane Scenic for about six years and it really did us proud.
We got it when our third child came along and it had three seats big enough for them in the back. We decided on the larger 2 litre engine because we often tow a caravan and so it made sense to opt for a larger one. That's paid off really, as it towed our 4-berth quite comfortably across France. I think the French react better to a Renault as well! Those long journeys were really comfy too, and I've got a back back so I'm hard to please. The driver seat (that's me most of the time) has good lower back support which I found really important. You can move the steering wheel up and down as well to get the right position, that was a really good detail. The kids in the back were happy too, they had a little flipout tables for their games and things. There were cup holders everywhere in it too, which made feeding them less of a nightmare.
I say the Scenic comfy but it really has some quite noticeable limits to that. I seldom drove fast, but occasionally played around at faster speeds - got it above 100 on the odd occasion - and it really didn't feel happy then. I had one really worrying time when I was going quite fast and the wind picked up, really nearly felt like it would tip over. At more normal speeds it's fine really, but don't buy it expecting to be able to zoom around. Also, on that note, it's pretty sluggish with overtaking. The 2 litre came into its own there but even so, it felt like a lot of effort to get past lorries up hill.
I saw we had a caravan, but when we didn't take that with us (sometimes went camping) it was a bit annoying how little overall space there was inside. The boot on the Renault Megane Scenicjust ends about half a foot before you want it to. In the end we got a roof rack, but that was a bit pricey and felt like we shouldn't have had to get it.
It's pretty economical (we had the diesel Megane Scenic which got about 50-60MPG I think ), and insurance was ok. Replacing parts on the Scenic got a little tiring after a while though. That was eventually why we sold it - that and we were expecting a fourth baby. In the last year we had it we replaced the exhaust, the battery, the sunroof seal, even had a little bit of welding done on the bodywork (we did leave it outside though). The plastic panelling inside had started to come away in places as well, and not only where the kids had been tugging at it. I just thought the bodywork could have been quite a bit better, it seemed a shame to see it falling apart when it was only about 8 years old in total. In fairness I think Renault have raised their game with later versions, so maybe look out for one of those. I was otherwise pretty pleased with it as a family car.
I bought this car from new from a Renault dealership. I chose this car because all three of my children were still living at home, and I was the family taxi. I had this car for 8 years and did about 100,000 miles, and it didn't let me down once. I'm a big believer in if you look after your car, it will look after you.
I always made sure that car was fully serviced every year, the only problem I had was a faulty ignition coils, apparently a common fault, everything else has just been wear and tear problems such as new brake pads and shoes,tyres, new seal for sunroof.
This car is a great family car as it is so versatile. When I bought the car I thought the removable back seats wouldn't really be much use to me but I couldn't have been more wrong. I think there was at least one seat out of the car more than it was in. I've had bikes, picnic tables pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. There is bags of storage in this car with loads of little storage bins and cubby holes. As the car is quite high up you get a really good driving position, visibility is also really good with the car having large windows.
The fuel consumption was also pretty impressive with this car getting around 52mpg. The handling isn't great especially around corners but I never had any major problems with it, another negative is the road noise on the motorway was pretty loud but to turn a negative into a positive it did drown out the noise from the children in the back. this car was never bought because of its looks or because it would be fun to drive, if it was it would of been a massive let down, But if you are looking for a comfortable practical car then this one is for you. I only got rid of mine because the kids grew up and moved out (thank God).