SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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2008 Renault Mègane Scenic Navigator

“Mummy bus” favourite

First Posted: March 13, 2008

There are various soft-roaders, crossover SUVs and mini MPVs quite capable of tackling occasional awful roads without resorting to the unnecessary expense of full 4x4 capability and the resulting tar road discomfort.  Add the price premium you pay for the 4x4 image, and you’re probably wasting money.
 
Renault recently launched its mini MPV, the Mègane Scenic Navigator. Known as Conquest overseas, this top-of-the-range 2.0-litre Scenic has an extra 20mm of ride height, a more compliant suspension setup with long-travel shocks, electronic stability program, traction control, reverse assist and scuff protectors on the sides and underneath. It also comes with a Nokia cell phone-cum-street pilot.

Much is made in road tests and company literature of the “extra 20mm,” but no mention can be found anywhere of what its ground clearance actually is. Ever in search of The Truth, your loyal scribe interfaced with the vehicle at grassroots level in order to find out. What that means is that he parked the car on his front lawn and scrambled underneath with a measuring tape.

Apart from suspension components that move with the wheels, all other parts of the underbelly are 200mm or more above ground level, while the tender bits are well tucked away between body cross members or protected by the front and rear skid plates.

What we have, after this build up, is a very capable family or corporate transporter with enough power to tackle hills and suspension to deal with Pietermaritzburg’s humps and whatever rough surfaces you are likely to find on the Meander.

Inside, the car is upholstered in leather, is nicely carpeted and boasts twenty storage compartments apart from the boot. Two compartments in the floor in front are capable of swallowing a Jilly Cooper novel and some oddments each, while those in the back can each accommodate the final three hard covered Harry Potters without even trying. There are also four drawers of reasonable size, under the seats.

My personal “mummy bus” favourite item is the extra mirror, rotatable through a wide range, that is just the ticket for keeping an eye on the real trouble maker in the back seat. It probably has an official use, but I like my version better.

I also like the electronic parking brake that sets itself automatically when you switch off the engine, provided you have the brake pedal depressed as you do so. For stopping on hills, you pull a square handle on the dash next to the steering wheel and when you drive off again, the brake releases itself just as the clutch takes up – no feeling for the clutch to reach its critical point before releasing the brake lever by hand.

Head- and leg room is plentiful, while Dominic Raw, the service manager at Renault PMB, told us that older clients like the branch’s Navigator courtesy vehicle because one sits up high in the car, which is more comfortable than having to get down into it.

Apart from that, it has a very nice sound system, automatic aircon and electrically operated power steering that works very well. All in all, the Navigator is a very competent people mover with a certain amount of class, which feels compact and stable with none of the top-heaviness found in some of its contemporaries.

Test unit from Renault SA press fleet

The price of R238 000 includes a 5 year/60 000km service plan and a 5 year/ 150 000km warranty.

Vital statistics from Car magazine
Engine: 1998 cc, inline four-cylinder, naturally aspirated
Power: 99 kW @ 5500 rpm
Torque: 191 Nm @3750 rpm
Gears: Six-speed manual
0 – 100 km/h: 10.7 seconds
Top speed: 195 km/h
Fuel consumption Index: 9.7 l/100 km
Luggage: 360 – 1248 dm3
Tank: 60 litres
Airbags: 6


What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.