ROAD TEST:LONG GONE are the days when it was something of a social stigma to be seen driving a large people carrier. Now, having a large family doesn't mean that you need to be burdened with an ugly vehicle that drives badly, writes PADDY COMYN
The modern MPV is more car-like, better looking and more fuel-efficient than ever. The Renault Scenic has a very long period of success in Ireland, although ownership in many cases has been blighted by patchy reliability and questionable residual values. This isn’t a problem that faced owners of the Toyota Corolla Verso, which was reliable, had good residual values, but just wasn’t big or useful enough.
Can both of these brands right the wrongs of previous models and produce one which will compete properly with the Ford S-Max, acknowledged by many, including the Irish buying public, as the best in class?
STYLING
Grand Scenic ***
Verso **
When dealing with the styling of an MPV, you are never really talking about beauty in the way you might with a normal family car or a sports car.
By their very nature they are a little awkward, with their high roofs and long sloping bonnets. But the French brands have done a good job with the MPV and the likes of the Citroen C4 Picasso and Renault Grand Scenic look quite well. By Grand, in the Scenic, we mean the longer seven-seat version and this new model looks way better.
The same can be said of the Verso (don’t call it the Corolla Verso any more, since it is based on the Auris) but Toyota had more work to do to drag this model up in terms of styling. Again, it has improved but few would say it’s better looking than the Renault.
Toyota is still a toddler when it comes to making pretty cars, while Renault is quite accomplished. Yet Toyota has managed to disguise the Verso’s extra bulk quite well. A criticism of the previous Verso was that it wasn’t big enough, something that Toyota has addressed, yet it still looks more car-like.
Ultimately Several features on the Verso look a little dated and while it’s a better looking car than the one it replaces, the Grand Scenic is just that bit prettier.
RELIABILITY AND QUALITY
Grand Scenic **
Verso ***
This is where Renault is going to have to work harder to improve its image, as the previous Scenic and Grand Scenic performed very poorly in reliability surveys, finishing 88th out of 100 models in a 2008 survey. But Renault says it has worked very hard to improve this new model and with the new Laguna and Megane models showing fewer faults than previous versions, thanks to more vigorous testing in the car’s development, things bode well for the future of the Scenic. But this has yet to be proven. The signs are good from this model, though, with better plastics and few of the squeaks and rattles that we might have experienced with previous versions. Toyota has no such reliability issues: it consistently does well in the same reliability tests that Renault scored so poorly in. But there is still way too much black plastic in the cabin and this doesn’t make the Verso feel all that special and features like the door handles seem cheap.
DRIVING
Grand Scenic ***
Verso ****
If you are overly concerned with handling and agility then you probably should have had fewer children as very few of these sorts of vehicles could be described as anything other than purposeful to drive. But things are getting better and both of these models are much more car-like to drive than before. The Grand Scenic has less body lean and there is a fair amount of grip but all this is let down by fairly imprecise steering and sloppy gear change, which appear to be a hangover from the old model, and the braking is also a little on the sharp side. The diesel engine has to work fairly hard and we can only imagine that this might feel very anemic if it was loaded with passengers.
The Verso has much better steering than the Renault. It is sharper and more precise and while it might not feel as good as the Ford S-Max on a twisty road, it runs it quite close. The 125bhp 2.0-litre diesel feels more potent than the Renault and has more torque so requires less effort. Verso feels like a much more able vehicle.
ERGONOMICS AND PRACTICALITY
Grand Scenic ***
Verso ****
This is probably the most important consideration in this type of vehicle. The Grand Scenic has plenty of space inside, with huge amounts of knee-room in the front and second-row of seats. The back row is strictly for children but the space for them is adequate. With all the seats occupied you aren’t left with much luggage space in either car, but if you fold down the third row of seats and push the second row forward you get a huge 702 litres of luggage space and the second row can fold forward if you need more.
The Toyota is larger than before but the third row of seats is quite small. This row will only work for children. However all the seats now easily fold flat. The Easy Flat-7 allows all the seat combinations to be utilised using just one hand. As with Grand Scenic, there is an exhaustive amount of storage areas for everything.
ENGINES
Grand Scenic ***
Verso ***
It might seem a little unfair to compare these two models on engines because Renault has a 1.5-litre diesel, while Toyota has a 2.0-litre diesel. The difference is vast, with the Renault having 86bhp and 200Nm of torque compared to the 126bhp and 310Nm of torque from the Verso. There is a more powerful 1.5-litre dCi model in the range, which has a 106bhp 1.5 with 240Nm of torque, but the majority of sales are expected to come from the 86bhp version.
The 86bhp Grand Scenic takes 16.4 seconds to get to 100km/h, compared to the 11.3 seconds the Verso takes. The Grand Scenic is also 20km/h slower than the Verso at full speed. So the diesel engine in the Verso has much less work to do than in the Scenic and this makes for nicer driving.
RUNNING COSTS (ROAD TAX, ECONOMY, DEPRECIATION)
Grand Scenic ***
Verso ***
There is a significant price difference between the two, even before you take account of Renault’s current scrappage and trade-in offers that can shave €3,000 off the price if you have a nine year-old car to offload as well. Even without the scrappage offer, the Grand Scenic costs significantly less - and with higher specification.
This can be accounted for, in part, by the difference in VRT bands, with the 1.5-litre dCi engine in the Grand Scenic only putting out 135g/km compared to the Verso’s Band C emissions. Road tax is also less for the Renault. We would expect a better residual value in the Verso, but doubt it would equal the savings at the start by opting for the Renault.
EQUIPMENT AND SAFETY
Grand Scenic ****
Verso ***
For the price, the Renault offers an extraordinary amount of standard equipment and you can get the fully loaded model for a very reasonable price and the Dynamique model comes with air conditioning, Bluetooth handsfree phone kit built in to the audio system, rear parking aid, 16 alloy wheels, alarm, high levels of safety equipment, such as ESP and six airbags. There are also energy absorbing headrests, Isofix child-seat fittings, ABS and emergency brake assist. The Verso Luna model, the middle spec version, gets 16 alloy wheels, front fogs, Bluetooth mobile phone connection, dual-zone automatic air conditioning and a leather wheel with audio and phone switches. There are seven airbags, Vehicle Stability Control and ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution.
VERDICT
The huge improvements to both models mean that they are now serious contenders in this category. With discounts included, the pricing makes a huge case for the Grand Scenic, especially when you look at the safety and comfort equipment you get. While you pay quite a bit more for the Toyota, you know you are getting better build quality, a better diesel engine and a slightly better vehicle to drive overall. Many may go for the Renault simply on price, and they won’t feel hard done by, but we would just give the edge to the Toyota.
Factfile Renault Grand Scenic
- Engine: 1,998cc four-cylinder diesel
- Power: 126bhp,
- 310Nm torque
- Transmission: six-speed manual
- Acceleration: 0-100km/h 11.3 seconds
- Top speed: 185km/h
- Economy: urban 5.5l/100km (51.2 mpg); extra urban: 7.1 l/100km (39.7mpg); combined: 4.6 l/100km (61.2 mpg)
- CO2 emissions: 143g/km
- Tax band: C (302 p.a.)
- Boot: 178-1,696 litres
- Price: €31,210
Factfile: Toyota Verso 2.0 D-4D
- Engine: 1461cc four-cylinder diesel
- Power: 78bhp, 240Nm torque
- Transmission: six-speed manual
- Acceleration: 0-100km/h 13.4 seconds
- Top speed: 180km/h
- Economy: urban: 6.0l/100km (47mpg); extra urban: 4.6l/100km (61.4mpg); combined: 5.1/100km (55.3mpg)
- CO2 emissions: 135 g/km
- Tax band: B (156 p.a.)
- Boot: 208-2,063 litres
- Price: €28,590 (€25,590 after current discounts)