29 Mar 04
Renault has added yet another bodystyle to its burgeoning Megane range. The Grand Scenic brings the number of Megane-based cars to seven, an easy fact to remember as this one has seven seats. To create a true seven-seater, rather than just adding a couple of nominal seats in the boot, the Grand Scenic has been stretched by 23cm compared with its regular Scenic sibling. The wheelbase has been boosted by 5cm and the rear overhang by 18cm. This creates the room for the extra seats while maintaining decent load-carrying space.
To use the rear seats, just fold back the segmented boot carpet and pull a red toggle to release the spring-loaded seats, which rise up from the floor and lock into place. This leaves behind two useful cubby holes, each able to fit in a large briefcase. Restoring the Grand Scenic to its five-seat arrangement is as easy as pulling the toggle again and guiding the seat back into its hole. You can do it all with just one hand.
Climbing into the rear seats is fairly straight forward, too, as just one of the middle row of seats needs to be tipped over (as opposed to the whole bench in a Vauxhall Zafira). However, it's not the most dignified way of travelling for anyone over 4ft tall as legroom is limited, even with the middle row moved forward its maximum 120mm travel, which would then compromise the middle row passengers' comfort.
