2000 Renault Scenic Alize 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Ideal for most needs

Faults:

I have had no problems so far with the car.

General Comments:

I had to reluctantly change to a family car, but now I'm glad I did. This car is comfortable, loaded with toys and is nearly as quick as my fto (doesn't quite corner the same though)

I'd recommend a Scenic to anyone, but I suggest you go for the 2.0 or 1.9d as the 1.4 & 1.6 are underpowered.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th October, 2003

2000 Renault Scenic 1.4 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Could have been the ideal family car if reliability is sorted out

Faults:

Ignition coils have blown 3 times.

General Comments:

Very spacious car, which is practical for families with kids and the accessories that go with them.

Comfortable on long journeys and seems to eat up the miles while having only a 1.4 engine.

Main problem is reliability, having broken down on motorways with kids is not fun at all.

Servicing costs seem high (well over £1000 for 3 services and parts).

Build quality is on the cheap side with plenty of rattles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th July, 2003

2000 Renault Scenic RX4 Monaco 2.0 litre 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

The best car I've ever owned

Faults:

Noisy cam belt at 18000 miles. Fixed by local Renault dealer (after 3 days!).

Central locking failed on one door. Fixed same day by Renault dealer.

2 ignition coils failed simultaneously at 20000 miles. Fixed it myself, but coils are over £50 each!

Currently suffering from a strange squeak when turning left at under 40 mph. Brakes? Ball joints? Bearings? Prop shaft? Someone please tell me!

Update 28/02/2007 (period from 34,000 to 103,000 miles):

The squeaking noise turned out to be the prop shaft on the way out. Renault dealer in Stockport replaced it within 24 hours, but it wasn't cheap (£650 fitted). Apart from that there have been no problems and I still love the car.

General Comments:

Wonderful driving position with extremely comfortable seats.

Not exactly neck-snapping performance, but totally acceptable for a vehicle weighing in at close to 1500Kg.The ability to deal with 90% of what a Range Rover can do for 30% of the price is good too.

32 mpg on long runs isn't tragic.

OK...so we'd all like it to be available with a 240 bhp V6 3.0 litre... but what we've got isn't bad. Just a shame that repairs at Renault dealers are so expensive and take so long.

Update 28/02/2007 (period from 34,000 to 103,000 miles):

It wasn't until I bought myself a Citroen Xantia as a runaround that I realised just how good the road holding on the RX4 really is. It pulls off of wet roundabouts without the slightest twitch. Even in the ice the handling is totally predictable. You have to be a card-carrying idiot to lose control of one of these.

If you're new to the vehicle then the greater body roll compared to a conventional car may take some getting used to, but after nearly five years and 90k miles I don't even notice it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd May, 2003

12th Jan 2008, 05:58

I very much agree with most of the comments. I would add, however, the de-misting function seems crazy. You can hear the fan blowing, but very little seems to come out of the windscreen vents, unless I'm missing a trick?

26th Aug 2008, 04:31

My scenic's air-flow was appalling too - until I had the cabin/pollen filter changed. Works as good as when new now.

20th Oct 2008, 15:55

Hi, had RX4 now for 6 years, not too quick, but then you know that when you buy one. Still nice to drive and you should keep your driving license no problems.

Coils are very expensive through Renault, but much more realistic on e-bay; search for Renault ignition coils.

De-misting has been a problem, but under the dash passenger side is the pollen filter housing... remove the pollen filter and throw it in the bin, de-mists just fine.

Front disc brakes are really great to work on the best caliper assembly, so well designed.

I have a cooling problem now; the fan won't cut in, hopefully just the switch, but I will let you know if I find out.

13th Apr 2010, 08:35

I've had my RX4 for just over 7 months now. I love it, but why why do garages always send the wrong parts; do they not know the difference?

I've had my share of faults into the garage. It goes, you get a quote and time to pick it back up or to take back late, only to be told it's the wrong part they sent.

Or it's a little extra for that part, or they say they don't do that model if the price is a lot higher.

It would be great just to get the correct part at the price quoted; even asking if it's for the RX4 4 wheel drive model.