Renault Scenic Dynamique TomTom 1.6 VVT 110 5dr Car Review - March 2012

The 1.6 litre four cylinder engine produces 110 bhp and 112 lb-ft of torque and feels reasonably refined. It doesn't have the low-end grunt of its diesel siblings and you have to rev it hard to make adequate progress. 0-62mph in 11.7 seconds and a top speed of 119mph mean that there are no everyday situations for which the Scenic is unsuitable.

The Scenic’s ride comfort is generally fine although potholes and larger bumps can send a jolt through the cabin. For a car of this height, it grips well in corners and body roll is kept in check but the steering doesn’t provide much feedback through the front wheels. On the open road and at cruising speeds wind and road noise become apparent.

There’s plenty of adjustment in the driver’s seat and the steering wheel so most drivers should be able to find a decent position. The dashboard has a centrally mounted information screen in place of the traditional dials and, whilst it is easy to read for the most part, it can get a little complicated navigating through the various menus. The dashboard also looks a little dated when compared to some of the Scenic's more modern rivals.

The cabin feels well put together but some of the interior plastics feel a little flimsy.

The Renault Scenic Dynamique TomTom 1.6 VVT 110 5dr is a neat-looking car and details such as the chucky side sills inject a certain amount of style into its appearance.

Inside, you get a stereo with CD and MP3 connectivity, Bluetooth connectivity, a built-in sat nav, cruise control, electric front windows, electric door mirrors and air-conditioning as standard. Alloy wheels, an alarm and immobiliser to protect against theft, and front fog lights are also standard fittings.

Optional extras include metallic paint (£455), climate control (£410), electric sunroof (£620) and rear parking sensors (£310).

There is plenty of headroom and legroom for five people and the cabin has a number of handy storage spaces. The boot offers 437 litres of space with all the seats in place and a good wide opening for easy access. For those with larger storage needs the rear seats can be folded to increase the load capacity to 1,877 litres should the need arise.

The Scenic is right up there with the safest family cars on the market and so it comes with a total of six airbags as well as ABS, stability control and ISOFIX child-seat mountings. This helped the car to achieve a five star rating in the NCAP crash tests for overall safety, making it one of the main contenders in its class.

Renault have a questionable reputation for reliability and this could be a concern for family buyers, however the car comes with a 3 year/100,000 mile warranty.

At £18,115 the Renault Scenic Dynamique TomTom 1.6 VVT 110 5dr is cheaper to buy than many of its rivals. It has a roomy, comfortable cabin with a good level of equipment and offers a reasonable, albeit uninspiring, drive for the money.

The diesel models offer better efficiency than the petrol versions, making them a wiser investment for buyers.

The Scenic Dynamique TomTom 1.6 VVT 110 achieves 38.2 mpg on the combined cycle which is pretty poor by modern standards - the diesel models, while more expensive, will top 60mpg. CO2 emissions of 174g/km put the Scenic into VED band H - high for a car of this type. Insurance should be reasonable, however, with the Scenic in group 15.