Lexus UX300E vs Renault Scenic E-Tech

What's the difference?

The Lexus UX300e Sports Luxury nails the luxury and standard features list! It certainly feels like a premium SUV inside and the updated technology and driving range were sorely needed to keep this competitive, but once you start looking at its rivals, which all offer similar specs and better driving ranges, the price point starts to feel a smidge high. However, the ongoing costs and the complimentary bonuses that Lexus throws in, are great.

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 design hasn’t seen much change and Lexus seems to be encouraging an understated EV design as it looks just like its fuel-based siblings.

I don’t mind that it’s not as futuristic as some of its competitors and that, at first glance, there isn’t anything to set it apart.

The front sports a classic Lexus 'spindle' grille and the external lights are large but the rear side lights jut out rather severely, reminding me too much of its Toyota counterparts.

The rear features a cool LED strip light for the brakes, which elevates its night-time presence.

The sporty-looking 18-inch alloy wheels are a nice touch but the plastic mouldings around the base of the car detract from the premium-level this model sits in. It’s not as slick-looking as it could be.

Having said that, the interior earns back points courtesy of its premium feel with leather-accented trims and Japanese Washi paper influenced accent panels. But there is a lot happening with the dashboard.

It’s a little overwhelming at first because it protrudes well into the cabin and features multiple cutaways, but you get used to it after a while.

There are also little knobs on either side of the instrument panel that look out of place to me and resemble horns.

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.

As soon as you slide in, you’re reminded that the UX is a small SUV. Even with the driver's seat at its lowest position I still knock my knees on the steering wheel when getting in and out of the car.

The higher door sills also accentuate the penned in feeling despite there being plenty of head- and legroom in the front row! 

Then comes the back seat, which is super tight on space. I’m 168cm (5'6") and my headroom is fine but the legroom sucks. My knees press into the back of the driver’s seat (set for my driving position).

There’s also not a lot of space underneath the seat for toes, so I wouldn’t recommend the UX to anyone who regularly transports tall passengers. 

Having said that the seats in both rows are very comfortable and the leather trims feel lovely to touch. Both front seats are electric with heat and ventilation functions but only the driver’s side enjoys adjustable lumbar support. 

Storage is good throughout the car, which is not usually the case for the small SUV class. Up front you get a glove box, two cupholders, two drink bottle holders and a middle console that opens from both sides, which is handy and cool.

In the rear you get two cupholders in a fold-down armrest and map pockets but no storage bins in either door unfortunately.

Other amenities in the back are very good for this class with the heated outboard seats, directional air vents, reading lights and two USB-C ports.  

On that note, the upgraded multimedia system is now easier to use while on the go, is responsive to touch and looks great.

Some of the information on the system can be annoying to find but the customisations available on the 7.0-inch digital instrument panel more than make up for it.

There is a coloured head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto and satellite navigation.

All are easy to use and won’t confuse you too much!

The charging options are great with each row getting two USB-C ports but the front also gets a USB-A port, 12-volt socket and a wireless charging pad. You’re seriously spoilt for choice.  

The boot space sits at a small 314L, which is 100L less than the previous model but that’s because Lexus has made a little storage nook underneath the floor for the tyre repair kit and cable pouches.

It's a great boot because it sits high and is easy to access, and I have plenty of room for all of the gear needed for a week’s errands. The hands-free powered tailgate is great, too.

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 UX300e has a fully electric powertrain with a 72.8kWh lithium-ion battery that’s located on the front axle.

The power and torque remain unchanged at 150kW and 300Nm but that’s enough to produce a 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.5-seconds. Plenty of oomph for city-slickers and open-roaders to boot.

The update sees the battery increase in capacity by 34 per cent which means the driving range has jumped from 305km to 440km.

That's still a bit lower than some of the UX's competitors but it certainly helps ease range anxiety! And unlike some of its rivals, the UX300e only sports a front-wheel drive drivetrain.

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.

My energy consumption sat at an average of 19.5kWh, which is decent considering all of the open-road driving I did.

There are four levels of regenerative braking to help conserve battery percentage but even on the firmest setting, it’s not super noticeable.

When you’re at full charge, multiple notifications and sound alerts pop up on the instrument panel stating ‘Regenerative Braking Limited Press Brake to Decelerate’. It’s quite an intrusive feature but disappears after 20 to 30km.

Despite the bigger battery size, the UX300e can only accept up to 6.6kW on AC charging, whereas, all of its rivals can accept 11kW. On a 240-volt AC charger, expect to see a charge time of nine and a half hours to get to 80 per cent.

Curiously, the UX features two charging ports, on the right-hand-side, there is a Type 2 port and, on the left, a CHAdeMo port, which allows for faster charging.

You'd think it would be easier to simply add the CCS enhancement on the Type 2 port but still, expect to get from 10-80 per cent in 80-minutes on a 50kW fast charger.

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 UX300e comes into its own when you’re zipping around tight city streets. The power is responsive and the steering crisp with excellent cornering capabilities.

It feels well-placed on the road most of the time but can move around when it gets hit by high winds.

While the power is steady, the tyres can lose a little traction if you’re too quick to accelerate from a full stop.

The ride comfort is also very good with the new acoustic glass and extra insulation around the bonnet and wheel wells providing a whisper quiet cabin space.

The suspension is well-cushioned but not floaty and you won’t wince when you hit a bump, but occasionally you get a thump-thump shudder through the frame on certain rough road surfaces.

It’s not a massive size and you’ll be thankful for that when it comes time to park because it is seriously easy to slide into a spot!

The 360-degree view camera system is top-notch providing clear graphics and a cool feature where the car becomes invisible in the video feed, which makes it even easier to see all around you. Coupled with the front and rear parking sensors, you’re set.

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 UX comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty but the battery is covered by a 10-year or up to 160,000km warranty, which is better than most in this class.

This also comes with a five-year capped-priced servicing plan where services cost a flat $295, which is good but the servicing intervals are more in line with a fuel-based car at every 12-months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first. It’s typical to see intervals stretched out at every two years for an EV.

Lexus also throws in a few sweeteners for owners with three-year complimentary subscriptions to both ChargeFox and Lexus Connected Services, as well as, installation of an at-home wall charger. It’s not often you see the word ‘complimentary’ coupled with a luxury brand, so that’s a nice touch.

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.