Kgm Rexton vs Renault Scenic E-Tech

What's the difference?

The KGM Rexton Advance is a large 4WD wagon packing an adequate amount of appeal.

It’s nice to drive on the open road, it’s comfortable and it signals continued incremental progress for KGM in terms of quality and functionality.

It’s fine for light off-roading but its 4WD efficacy is lacking. While it's not in the same class as something like the Ford Everest in terms of refinement, comfort, and general quality, ultimately, a lot of its rivals represent greater value for money and all-round driveability as family vehicles.

And even though it does offer owners a chance to take their urban-focussed SUV into the bush, its price is climbing, and other rival vehicles offer a more refined overall driving experience.

The Renault Scenic E-Tech is lining up against some heavy-hitting competitors, but Renault Australia admits it has one top of mind - the Kia EV5. The Kia’s a quality package and if you’re in the market for a mid-size electric SUV, you’ll no doubt have it on your shopping list. And you should have a look at this slightly smaller car, as well. It has the refinement, practicality and safety to stand up confidently in a rapidly expanding segment.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Rexton remains essentially unchanged from the previous generation and so it stays pleasant enough but generically inoffensive as are most other SUVs on the market.

Even for a city-focussed SUV, the body-on-frame Rexton looks low and while its 203mm of ground clearance is okay for daily driving it’s less than ideal for off-roading.

The only change to this Rexton over the previous generation? Pull-up sun blinds on the rear doors. Not a design change per se, but worth mentioning.

Does it set itself apart enough from other similar SUVs? Not really, but does that even matter to you?

There are some design tips of the hat to Scenics past in this latest electric version, including blacked-out door pillars and a recognisably angular C-pillar treatment.

But despite the fact it debuted at the Munich IAA Motor Show in late 2023, from its slimline headlights and jagged grille to its sculpted flanks and saw tooth rear end, this fifth-generation Scenic looks contemporary from every angle.

A highlight is the large Renault diamond logo sitting at the centre of a faux upper grille, surrounded by a multitude of the same elongated hexagon shape as a cool recurring graphic, the pattern merging neatly into the headlights.

Speaking of which, the LED beams can be set to produce an elaborate welcome sequence as you approach the car.

The interior feels slick and screen-rich but not at the expense of user-friendly physical controls for audio, ventilation and other commonly used functions.

Recycled fabric on the dashboard and headliner looks and feels good while doing its bit to suppress cabin noise.

Speaking of which, the Scenic is Renault’s poster child for the use of recycled materials in its construction and end of life recyclability.

Everything from ferrous components consisting of 37 per cent recycled materials to a bonnet and doors made of up to 80 per cent recycled aluminium.

The dashboard cowling is made from kenaf, a plant fibre similar to jute; the steering wheel cover is 51 per cent bio-sourced; the cockpit uses 26 per cent recycled plastic; the storage bins in the door panels are 45 per cent recycled fibre, the floor mats are 54 per cent recycled plastic bottles and the seat upholstery is 100 per cent recycled fabric. The list goes on and on, but you get the idea.

This Korean SUV has a nice but unspectacular interior, although it does have a low-key premium look and feel about it and the cabin is comfortable.

It has a familiar ease of functionality and there’s a family-friendly mix of durable plastic and soft-touch surfaces throughout the cabin.

The 2026 KGM Rexton range is a seven-seat 4WD wagon in a two-, three- (second row) and two-seat (third row) 50/50 configuration.

The leather-look seats are comfortable enough and the front seats are heated, ventilated and power-adjustable; the second-row outer seats are also heated.

The multimedia system with its 12.3-inch screen is okay to use, but I had no luck getting Apple CarPlay paired to my not-so-smart phone. And, believe it or not, that hasn’t happened to me for a long time. Note: other people were able to pair their phones to this Rexton with no problems during my week of testing.

Otherwise, functionality, storage and charge points around the cabin are satisfactory, including two USB-C ports up front (centre console) and a 12V power outlet.

The second-row seats – a 60/40 configuration, which folds, reclines and tumbles – are supportive without being overly so.

In the second row, as mentioned earlier, the only changes evident to this Rexton over the previous generation are the pull-up sun blinds on the rear doors.

There’s actually a decent amount of space for passengers in the third row here, but an adult still wouldn’t love to spend too much time back there.

The rear cargo area space of the 2026 KGM Rexton range is listed as 236 litres (with all three rows of seats in use), 641 litres (with third row stowed away), and 1806 litres (with second and third row stowed away).

There’s a 12V power outlet in the cargo area.

This new Rexton offers reasonable practicality but rivals such as the Mahindra Scorpio and LDV D90 offer just as much, sometimes more, all-round family suitability but for $5000-$10,000 less, depending on the variant.

In terms of how it all works in practice, at just under 4.5m long, close to 1.9m wide and less than 1.6m tall with a 2785mm wheelbase, the Scenic is more compact than the larger BYD Sealion 7 or Zeekr 7X, for example.

But there’s plenty of breathing room up front, with the centre screen angled towards the driver enhancing the cockpit feel for the one doing the steering.

There are large carpeted bins in the doors with room for bottles and a lidded storage box between the seats doubles as a centre armrest. That lid slides forward by 70mm to cover a small storage cubby under the front of it, which is a handy trick.

Locating the gear selector on the right-hand side of the steering column liberates extra space for a centre cupholder and large console storage bin. There’s a generous glove box and a wireless smartphone charger under the centre screen includes a rubberised base and two lugs to stop devices sliding around. Power and connectivity runs to two USB-C ports and a 12-volt socket.

Moving to the second row, sitting behind my 183cm driving position, while toe room is a little tight (with the driver’s seat set low down), there’s heaps of leg and headroom as well as enough shoulder room (and foot room thanks to a flat floor) for three adults on short to mid-length trips. A pair of adjustable centre air vents is also a welcome inclusion.  

Storage includes door bins (again with room for bottles), large and device-sized pockets on the front seat backs and the pièce de résistance is the evocatively named ‘Ingenious armrest’, which includes a storage area and two cupholders at the base of articulated horizontal arms that allow passengers to mount a phone or tablet at various angles in rubberised slots for joint or solo viewing.

It is, indeed, ingenious and four USB-C plugs (two in the armrest, two near the air vents) mean back-seaters won’t be short of power options.

Boot volume with the rear seats upright is useful at close to 545 litres (VDA), expanding to around 1670L with the 40/20/40 split-fold second row lowered. A power tailgate is standard across the range.

There are bag hooks, tie-down anchors, lighting and a 12-volt socket back there, although for V2L (vehicle to load) functionality you’ll need an accessory adapter to plug into the charge port.

Maximum braked trailer towing capacity is a handy 1100kg, but there’s no spare tyre, only a repair/inflator kit, which isn’t good enough.

The Scenic E-Tech starts from $55,990, before on-road costs, for the entry-grade Techno. Then there’s the Techno Long Range for $59,990, BOC, while the flagship Esprit Alpine comes in at $65,990.

That’s sharp relative to competitors and follows the brand getting a reality check with the Megane E-Tech after it launched here in late 2024, Renault shaving $10,000 off its price only a few months later.

Equipment highlights across the line-up include a 12-inch multimedia touchscreen, a 12.3-inch driver display, sat-nav, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree surround-camera view, all LED exterior lights, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and six-speaker Arkamys audio.

There’s also dual-zone climate control, an electric tailgate, auto-folding side mirrors, cloth upholstery, heated front seats and steering wheel, 48-colour ambient interior lighting, keyless entry and start and 19-inch alloys (on the Techno models).

Then you can fold in over-the-air updates, access to remote services via the ‘MyRenault’ app and Google In-Built that enables voice-control for up to 70 car functions.

The Esprit Alpine ups the ante with 20-inch rims, nine-speaker Harman Kardon audio, synthetic leather and cloth seat trim, six-way power adjustment (with memory settings) for driver and front passenger seats, a massaging driver’s seat, brushed metal pedal covers and facial recognition for seat and mirror settings.

In short, the Scenic is well-equipped relative to its competitive set and cost of entry, with Renault confirming there are mainly demonstrator cars in dealers at the moment, with the majority of stock landing in late May or early June this year.

There are three optional paint choices - metallic ($800), two-tone ($1000) and matt ($1200), the latter exclusive to the Esprit Alpine.

The entire KGM Rexton line-up has a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine producing 148kW of power and 441Nm of torque.

It has an eight-speed automatic transmission, part-time 4x4 with high and low range, and an auto-locking rear differential.

This is a sluggish combination and not a particularly efficient powertrain, but it does the job, albeit in a lacklustre fashion.

Drive modes include Normal, Sport and Winter modes.

Like its Megane E-Tech sibling, the Scenic E-Tech uses an excited synchronous motor which Renault says is more efficient than the more commonly used permanent magnet type, with the bonus that it uses no rare earth materials.

The entry-level Scenic E-Tech Techno's fitted with a 60kWh NMC battery. Its electric motor transfers 125kW and 280Nm to the front wheels and Renault claims a 0-100km/h time of 8.6 seconds.

The Techno Long Range and top-spec Esprit Alpine pack an 87kWh battery and a more powerful motor, raising outputs to 160kW/300Nm and lowering the 0-100kmh sprint time to 7.9 seconds.

Official fuel consumption for the Rexton is listed as 8.7L/100km.

On this test, I recorded 10.6L/100km, but I have done a chunk of high and low-range, four-wheel driving.

The Rexton has a 70-litre fuel tank. So going by that on-test fuel figure from a full tank, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 660km.

But remember, I'm travelling with just me and some vehicle recovery gear. You'll be traveling with your kids, your mates, your pets, your camping gear, your sporting gear, all that sort of stuff. And that extra weight will have an impact on the vehicle's fuel consumption, so just keep that in mind.

Official energy consumption numbers for the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle are close between the two powertrains at 16.3kWh/100km for the Techno and 16.8kWh/100km for the Techno Long Range and Esprit Alpine, which are bang on average for the class.

Range for the standard Techno is 430km, which is at the lower end of expectations for a medium electric SUV but adding the bigger battery pushes that number out to 625km, which is much healthier and useful day-to-day.

On the launch drive program, which took in some urban but mostly rural B-road running, we saw an average consumption figure of 17.1kWh/100km in the Esprit Alpine, which is pretty good in those conditions.

The car’s 400V electrical architecture allows for DC charging at up to 130kW for the entry model and 150kW for the bigger-battery variants.

At that speed, claimed 15-80 per cent charge times are 32 and 37 minutes, respectively. Not the best, not the worst. AC charge capability is 11kW on all models and a Mode 3 charging cable is included.

The Rexton is 4850mm long (with a 2865mm wheelbase), 1960mm wide and 1825mm high with a listed kerb weight of 2136kg.

With a turning circle of 11m, the Rexton is quite nimble around town.

On road, it’s okay. It's reasonably quiet and comfortable, and though it’s not particularly dynamic – the engine and auto make for a sluggish pairing – the Rexton is sufficiently driveable all round.

Its suspension – double wishbones and coil springs at the front, independent multi-link and coil springs at the rear – is firm, mostly controlled, but ride becomes jittery on irregular sealed surfaces and that characteristic is only amplified on even mildly corrugated dirt tracks.

And it’s in the dirt where the Rexton’s limitations are quickly exposed.

The Rexton is best considered a light-duty four-wheel drive: it is quite low; its stock tyres – Nexen NPriz RH7 (255/60R18 108H) – though marketed as “all season” aren't well suited for four-wheel driving. And the Rexton’s 4WD mechanicals and off-road traction control feel dated in operation, they just don't feel as effective as they should in a very competitive SUV market.

It doesn't have a lot of ground clearance or wheel travel and its shallow off-road angles – approach (20.5 degrees), departure (20.5) and ramp over (20) – are best suited to light-duty off-roading (i.e. well-maintained tracks in national parks in dry weather).

There's a decent spread of revs here, but there's not a lot to work with in terms of how effective the Rexton is as an off-road package so if you are here for a hardcore 4WD review with tyres-ripping-the-dirt action you're in the wrong place, because the Rexton just isn't up to that. And that's perfectly fine because people won't be using it for that purpose.

Having said that, the Rexton does reasonably well with what it has on board: there’s a decent amount of torque across a spread of revs; steering has a direct feel and nice liveliness to it; throttle response is quite sharp; and there is plenty of visibility forward over the bonnet.

Its auto rear diff lock is clunky in operation, disengaging abruptly, sometimes when you’re not even up, over or through the particular off-road challenge you’re tackling. I’ve noted similar issues with the Mahindra Scorpio in the past.

But driven with careful consideration the Rexton may do – at a stretch – the type of terrain you might not think it would be capable of.

And a decent set of all-terrain tyres would also help the Rexton, but it is what it is: a light-duty, four-wheel drive.

If you're thinking of using your family go-mobile as a touring vehicle, it’s worth noting the payload is 824kg, gross vehicle mass is 2960kg and gross combined mass is 6460kg.

Towing capacity is 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked).

The GWM Tank 300, Mahindra Scorpio and LDV D90 have similarly old-school type powertrains and 4WD set-ups, but the Tank is more comfortably capable off-road and yields a better general driveability than the Rexton and those others.

Renault says the entry-grade Scenic Techno will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 8.6 seconds with the more powerful Techno Long Range and Esprit Alpine lowering that number to 7.9sec. So, it’s quick without being scary fast.

It’s certainly nippy in traffic and at the risk of stating the bleeding obvious, quiet. Even in the context of premium EVs the Scenic is quiet and refined.

Suspension is strut front, multi-link rear and the car feels super planted. The launch drive took in some reasonably rapid twisting corners and there’s no hint of lateral movement in the car. Body roll is minimal, too.

Tyres are energy-efficient Michelin e.Primacy (Techno - 205/55x19 / Esprit Alpine - 235/45x20) and the steering is quick with a relatively low number of turns lock-to-lock. It’s never jerky or too sharp. Rather, it means the car starts to turn into a corner the instant you apply steering lock.

That said, the feel between your hands on the wheel and the front tyres on the road is less than intimate.

There are four drive modes - ‘Comfort, ‘Eco’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Custom’. None of them adjust the suspension tune, it’s more about accelerator response and we found Comfort delivers the best blend of right-foot urgency and overall composure.

Most of the braking you’re going to do will be courtesy of the regenerative system and there are five levels, adjustable via steering wheel paddles, including the most aggressive single-pedal mode.

The one-pedal setting pulls the car up nice and progressively and if you do need to use the physical brakes, they’re ventilated discs all around. Some bite on initial application, but even on downhill corner sections, leaning on them quite hard, they perform well without drama.

Under the heading of miscellaneous observations, you can sense the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) including functions like lane-keeping assist doing their thing occasionally, but it’s all quite subtle, which is a good thing.

The Esprit Alpine’s sports front seats remained grippy and comfortable after a couple of hours behind the wheel. And it’s worth noting the Scenic’s relatively compact 10.9-metre turning circle helps in slow-speed manoeuvring.

Speaking of which, some of the modes in the audio system and external warning sounds for pedestrian safety have been designed by French composer and performer Jean-Michel Jarre, noted for his electronic, ambient-style music. Hats off to Renault for commissioning him.

The Scenic E-Tech has a maximum five-star ANCAP rating from assessment in 2022 with active crash-avoidance tech including AEB (with pedestrian and cyclist detection and junction assist), adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and lane-keep assist, blind-spot detection, traffic sign recognition, a 360-degree camera view, rear cross-traffic alert, driver fatigue monitoring and tyre pressure monitoring as well as front, side and rear parking sensors.

If a crash is unavoidable, there are seven airbags onboard including a front centre bag and for child seats there three top-tether points across the second row with ISOFIX anchor in the outer positions.

The MY26 Rexton range is covered by a seven-year/unlimited kilometre new-vehicle warranty, and five years of roadside assistance.

A service is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs soonest with cost per service either $418 or $522.

KGM Australia has more than 50 dealerships across the country with a decent spread across metro and regional areas. Rextons can be serviced at those dealers or at approved workshops.

The Rexton offers a competitive warranty when pitched against the likes of the GWM Tank 300 (seven-year/unlimited kilometre), Mahindra Scorpio (seven-year/150,000 km) and LDV D90 (seven-year/200,000km warranty).

Warranty is five years/100,000km, which is well off the market pace with many competitors at seven, eight and up to 10 years conditional. The battery warranty at eight-year/160,000km matches the market.

Roadside assistance is included for five years, service is recommended every 12 months/30,000km and fixed price servicing is available at a reasonably sharp average of $325 per workshop visit for the first five years.

Renault has 52 dealers across the country covering major cities and key rural areas.