I still claim my Renault Scenic was the best longterm test car I was ever given custody of. It was 1997, when its features – including sliding and removable seats, a deep, aircraft-style windscreen, a twoposition parcel shelf and sundry storage bins – were all novel. Soon, Scenics were popping up all over my neighbourhood, many bought by young families keen to inject some Gallic flair into their humdrum motoring lives.
Forward to 2016, when the model’s fourth-generation successor was launched and those early adopters had drifted away, tempted by crossovers and SUVs. Recognising this, Renault served up a Scenic intended to appeal to the eye as much as the brain – a handsome thing with a high waistline, deeply scalloped sides with sill finishers, a curving roof, distinctive…