Renault Scenic: invention and re-invention – episode 2

On-board pleasure, modularity, user-friendliness and brightness: the DNA of the first compact MPV   on the market had endured down the years. Scenic is synonymous with innovation. Its smart heritage has lasted to this day with a resolutely crossover 4^th generation to meet modern needs. The inspiration came from the Renault R-Space concept car. The then Design Director of the Megane Scenic family, Agneta Dahlgren, took part in this great adventure: the re-invention of the Scenic with an “MPV-crossover” exterior design.

We wanted to re-invent the Scenic to make it more sensual, sportier.

R-SPACE: A CONCEPT CAR, THE “FUTURE SCENIC”

Unveiled in 2011 at the Geneva Car Show, the R-Space concept car was the new vision that Laurens Van Den Acker, Design Director at the Renault Group, had for the compact MPV. Outside and in, the ambition was to combine family needs and sportiness, functionality and sensuality. The tight, sculpted lines, the honey-yellow colour and the modular cubes in the passenger compartment made a huge impression on the public. In the heads of the designers at Renault, the Scenic 4 was born.

When re-inventing the Scenic 4, Agneta Dahlgren tells us, the R-Space was more than a source of inspiration. Its design, its steeply inclined windscreen had to be retained on the future Scenic. Inside the R-Space, the passenger seats are as if entwined and the rear part is laid out for the children like a modular play area, thanks to 27 coloured cubes. To meet the new expectations of families, the Scenic 4 had to offer space for everyone.

“To create a production car that comes close to a concept car is no easy matter. It was hard but the result speaks for itself”, says Agneta Dahlgren.

SCENIC 4: THE COMPACT MPV, RE-INVENTED

The child of the R-Space concept car, the Scenic 4 has modern, dynamic exterior design. To please the whole family, it is a mixture of charm and sensuality.

The profile is more dynamic with re-worked proportions in both the short and long versions. The rear overhang is 16 mm shorter, whilst the width has increased by 20 mm and ground clearance by 40 mm.

To fill the wheel arches, like on a sports car, all versions of the Scenic 4 are fitted with 20” wheels with Tall&Narrow tyres. Replacing the 17” wheels of the previous generation, this feature is a huge first in the segment. It was a tough technical challenge to overcome, but the reward is a Scenic with an inimitable look.

Re-invented externally, the Scenic 4 remains true to its MPV heritage. Inside, it stills offer flexibility, space and, above all, on-board pleasure.

The passenger compartment is bathed in light with a steeply sloping, three-part windscreen and panoramic sunroof. The passengers benefit from 63 litres of storage space, including a sliding console with 13 litres and an "Easy Life" drawer-type glove compartment with an 11.5-litre capacity.
The boot space on the short version is 572 litres, whilst the boot on the 5-seater long version offers 596 litres.

For greater flexibility, the One Touch Folding feature, operated by a button in the boot or from the R-Link multimedia system touchscreen, folds the rear seats down to create a flat floor with a single touch.

“We are proud of the Scenic 4. It really is a beauty of a car, a fine-looking MPV”, says Agneta Dahlgren, happy to have participated in the re-invention of an iconic vehicle that today celebrates its 25^th birthday.