Renault debuts Scenic electric compact SUV, with 620-km range

MUNICH -- Renault has launched its first full-electric compact SUV with the Scenic E-Tech, offering more than 620 km (385 miles) of range with two battery and two motor choices.

The Scenic E-Tech, making its debut at the 2023 Munich auto show, will reach the market at the start of next year.

It will give Renault three distinct offerings in the compact SUV segment, joining the new Austral, a traditionally styled SUV that replaced the Kadjar, and the Arkana, a coupe-style design that has been something of a surprise best-seller.

It will be built on the Renault-Nissan Alliance CMF-EV platform, which also underpins a sibling model from Nissan, the Ariya SUV, as well as the Renault Megane E-Tech compact hatchback.

The Scenic is the fifth major compact or midsize launch for Renault since 2021. CEO Luca de Meo is pushing sales of larger, higher-margin vehicles over small cars, where Renault has had a leadership position at the expense of profit margins.

The Scenic nameplate was used for more than 25 years as a minivan variant of the Megane. Along with Espace – now a seven-seat midsize SUV based on the Austral – Renault has repositioned the Scenic as an SUV.

Stellantis found success with a similar tactic for the Peugeot 3008 and 5008, onetime minivans that are now SUVs.

The main styling points of the Scenic E-Tech were revealed in 2022 in the Scenic Vision concept. Similar to the Megane E-Tech, broad surface areas are set off by high-tech, jewel-like details.

The Scenic E-Tech features a 2780 mm wheelbase, which is 100 mm longer than the Megane E-Tech. Overall length is 4470 mm, 40 mm shorter than the Austral (and relatively short for the segment), but 260 mm longer than the Megane. Similar to the Megane, the Scenic has short front and rear overhangs, which Renault says emphasize the robustness and athleticism of the design, as do flared wheel arches.

Aerodynamic details include flush door handles, 20-inch wheels with inserts that reduce the surface area and low-profile roof bars.

Inside, the driver’s user interface is Renault’s OpenR Link, which arranges two screens in an upside-down L-shape oriented toward the driver, a 12-inch diagonally measured instrument panel screen and a 12-inch vertical infotainment screen.

Renault’s Multi-Sense system, which allows adjustment to the user experience (UX) and human-machine interface (HMI) emphasizes personalization, including a “Personal” drive mode that allows micro-adjustments for suspension, regenerative braking and acceleration settings. Other modes include Sport, Eco and Comfort. Other customization options include interior lighting and dashboard displays.

A key comfort feature is the Solarbay glass roof, which can switch between opaque and transparent in segments. Renault says it is the first automaker to use the system, which was developed with glass supplier Saint-Gobain. A technology called polymer dispersed liquid crystal darkens the segments on demand, using an electric field to move molecules.

Four Solarbay settings are available: Fully transparent, fully opaque, and half transparent/opaque front or rear, and vice versa. Renault says the sunroof takes up less headroom than a sliding one, and saves energy that would be needed for heating or cooling the cabin.

There will be two batteries offered, one with 60 kilowatt-hours and a range of more than 420 km, and another with 87 kWh and a range of more than 620 km.

Two electric motors are available, one with 125 kilowatts (170 hp), with a top speed of 150 kph and a 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) time of 9.3 seconds; and one with 160 kW (220 hp), with a top speed of 170 kph and a 0-100 kph time of 8.4 seconds).

Renault says the energy density of the batteries are 6 percent greater than on the Megane E-Tech, using LG Chem’s nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry.

With preconditioning the battery to the ideal temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, Renault says 50 kWh can be added in 30 minutes at a maximum charge rate of 150 kW. That is equivalent to two hours of highway driving at 130 kph, Renault says.

The compact SUV segment, the second-largest in Europe, remains dominated by internal-combustion based models. Through July, the Volkswagen Tiguan led the segment, with 98,446 sales according to figures from Dataforce. The Hyundai Tucson was second with 86,058 sales. Neither the Renault Austral nor Arkana was in the top 10.

The Scenic is the first full-electric model in the segment from a large, European automaker. Current EVs in the segment include the MG Marvel R, the BYD Atto 3 and the Mazda MX-30.

Key EV launches in the segment through 2024 include the Ford Explorer, the Peugeot 3008, the Skoda Elroq, the Opel Grandland, the Cupra Tavascan and potentially a SUV replacement for the Nissan Leaf.