Renault also stops making family vans. The next generation of the Scenic, of which the brand has today unveiled a harbinger, will no longer be a so-called MPV (Multi Purpose Vehicle) with an above-average amount of space. The successor takes a completely different approach, and the French brand has good reasons for this.
Compact but spacious vans such as the Scenic are becoming less and less popular. Because more and more car buyers are opting for a tougher variant in the form of an SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle), the curtain is now also falling for one of the last compact MPVs. And that while this car model was once extremely popular in our country.
The current Renault Scenic is still available in two lengths: the short five-seater and the longer Grand Scenic, which can accommodate seven passengers if desired. That choice will therefore also disappear at Renault, after other brands also pulled the plug from their MPV range. Think of the once immensely sought-after Opel Zafira, the Ford C-Max and the Mitsubishi Space Wagon.
Cooler, but a less spacious interior
The car that Renault is showing today, going by the name Scenic Vision because it looks ahead to the future, is rather an SUV-like car in the spirit of the Peugeot 3008 and the Ford Mustang Mach-e. Compared to the outgoing model, we see a much longer hood and less space for the passenger area, while the car has very large wheels and cool details – including around the wheel arches. The next Scenic, which according to Renault will appear on the road in 2024, fits perfectly in the trend of the moment.
The downside of that hip appearance is that the next Scenic will have a less flexible interior than the current model. In this study model, Renault opts for four larger seats instead of five or seven seats. The brand says this is because modern families are smaller, so that most car buyers prefer four full seats. It is also expected that the production model will simply have room for five passengers.
Remarkably, the seats will no longer be removable. For a long time, that was a big plus of MPVs: because you could temporarily remove the seats from the car, there was a huge load space for the moments you needed it. Very flexible, but according to Renault those facilities are too heavy for modern cars. To make the folding and folding mechanisms of such furniture safe enough, a car manufacturer (in addition to mounting rails) must use sturdy materials that increase the weight of the car. In the age of electric models, every kilogram of weight gain is welcome.
Electric, but possibly also hydrogen
Like the new Megane E-Tech – which also takes a very different approach to the outgoing Megane – the next Scenic will be an all-electric model. It is on the same platform as the Megane (a competitor of the Volkswagen ID.3), but is considerably larger, making it compete with cars such as the VW ID.4, the Skoda Enyaq and the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
It is remarkable that Renault provides the study model shown today with a powertrain that is only partly battery-electric, as we are used to in modern electric cars. In addition, and surprisingly, the Scenic Vision can also run on hydrogen, according to Renault, making this a new kind of hybrid. Because a smaller battery pack is needed, Renault can save weight, while the capacity (40 kWh) should be sufficient for most trips. Those who want to drive further may in the future be able to refuel with hydrogen in a few minutes, which means that queues at fast chargers can be avoided.
‘Hydrogen remains music of the future’
However, Renault itself also admits that this combination is very much in the future for the time being. The brand says that there will be such a hydrogen system in 2032 at the earliest, although the technicians immediately add that it is questionable whether the French group will really deliver this in passenger cars.
As so often with concept models of this kind, the presence of an H2 powertrain is mainly to show what could possibly be possible in the distant future. As it looks now, the production version of the Scenic Vision will have the same electrical components on board as the electric Megane E-Tech. The final car will therefore be on the market in 2024 and will, according to Renault’s chief designer Gilles Vidal, resemble this study model for ‘more than 95 percent’ in appearance.
Also watch the Renault Scenic Vision in the AutoWeek video: click here
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