Peugeot 408 vs Renault Scenic E-Tech

What's the difference?

The Peugeot 408 GT Hybrid delivers heaps of standard equipment and safety tech for what is now a much more competitive price. It’s also super fuel-efficient, which is right for these turbulent times, offers thoughtful practicality and the wagon-fastback-crossover-SUV look is striking. The price paid for miserly economy is a peaky small-engine powertrain and the ownership promise isn’t exactly class-leading. That said, it deserves consideration in its new, even more competitive under $60K mid-size SUV segment.

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.

Peugeot Design Director Matthias Hossann has been guiding the brand’s look and feel since 2020 and the result is a recognisable approach across the range with enough flexibility to give each model its own personality.

Recurring themes include the dramatic, fan-like grille with body-colour elements, narrow angled LED daytime running lights (DRLs) slicing through the outer edges of the nose and sinister tapered headlights set into the front corners.

The rear end maintains the visual drama with a stacked, angular treatment sectioning off the ‘Claw Effect’ LED tail-lights (the Peugeot brand mark is a Lion), chamfered mid-section and chunky bumper.

And among what increasingly feels like a mass of same-same newcomers the 408’s sloping turret and high, wide haunches give the car a distinctively sporty fastback look.

The interior is classy and clean although the almost uniformly grey colour palette is unrelenting.

The two-tier dash adds visual interest and a combination of sweeping curves and clean, straight lines around the cabin lift the tone. Nappa leather trim with the ribbed seat centre panels using perforated hide also looks classy.

But then we come to the ‘iCockpit’ instrument display and steering wheel combination. It’s based on the idea that reducing the size of the steering wheel and lowering its position while flattening its top and raising the location of the instrument binnacle is a better solution than the traditional look-through-the-steering wheel approach.

It doesn’t work for everyone and it doesn’t work for me. As noted in previous Peugeot reviews, after more than a decade in existence various members of the CarsGuide editorial staff continue to struggle with the arrangement, while others love it. 

For me, the wheel feels too low, yet the top of it obscures the lower part of the instrument panel. While it may work well for others I see it as the answer to a question no one was asking.

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.

At close to 4.7m long, around 1.9m wide and a bit less than 1.5m tall with a 2790mm wheelbase, the 408 sits in the middle of the typical mid-size five-seater footprint.

Ample room in the front, although the lower section of the two-tier dash protrudes a fair way towards the driver and front passenger and the centre console is broad so it feels snug rather than airy.

Storage includes generous door bins with room for larger bottles, a lidded (and illuminated) bin between the seats that doubles as a centre armrest, two cupholders in the console with an oddments tray ahead of them and a decent glove box with an extra pocket built into the lid.

Switching to the rear, sitting behind the driver’s seat set for my 183cm position, there’s loads of leg- and headroom and enough width for three adults when required and more than enough for a trio of up to mid-teenage kids. Centre rear is less of a short-straw position, too, thanks to a relatively low and flat central tunnel.

The lack of a fold-down rear centre armrest is a miss mainly because it means there are no cupholders in the rear. But there are decent door bins with a space for smaller bottles, netted map pockets on the front seatbacks and a storage cubby at the back of the front centre console.

Speaking of which, individual air vents in the back of that console are a welcome addition.

 The boot is large for the class at 508 litres (VDA) with the rear seat upright and 1583 litres with the 60/40 split-folding backrest folded down. The power tailgate (with foot sensor and pedestrian detection) also makes life easier.

Other thoughtful touches include four load tie-down anchors, a netted pocket on the right-hand side, elasticised straps on the left-hand side, specific lighting and a pair of bag hooks.

Power and connectivity options include two USB-C sockets, a 12-volt outlet and a wireless phone charging pad in the front, another two USB-Cs in the back and a second 12V plug in the boot. So no problems with charging capacity for phones and other devices.

Maximum braked trailer towing capacity is a useful 1300kg (750kg unbraked) but we have to put a big black mark against provision of a repair/inflator kit rather than a physical spare. Not good enough for the Aussie market. 

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 Peugeot 408 Hybrid is powered by a 1.2-litre, turbo-petrol, three-cylinder engine producing 100kW at 5500rpm and 230Nm at 1750rpm.

This compact, all-alloy, direct-injection unit works in concert with a single 15.6kW/51Nm 48-volt electric motor integrated into the six-speed dual-clutch auto transmission and energised by a 0.9kWh lithium-ion battery.

Drive goes to the front wheels only and Peugeot claims a 0-100kmh sprint time of 9.4 seconds.

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.

The 408 Hybrid’s official fuel consumption figure for the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle is 4.5L/100km, the 1.2L turbo triple emitting 102g/km of CO2 in the process.

And it’s important to point out those official (ADR 81/02) numbers for the 408’s consumption and emissions are better than any of the direct competitors we’ve called out in the ‘Price & Features’ section above. 

Over a week of mainly city and suburban running with some freeway sections thrown in, we recorded an on-test average of 6.0L/100km. Impressive for a mid-size crossover weighing in at a bit over 1.4 tonnes.

Brim the 52-litre tank with minimum 95 RON premium fuel (ethanol blends not recommended) and using our real-world figure you can expect a handy driving range in excess of 860km.

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.

Even with the assistance of an electric motor in the transmission and a turbo on the engine, a 1.2-litre, petrol three-cylinder powering a more than 1.4-tonne five-seat car is always going to be an interesting equation.

And in practice, although the small triple’s peak torque (230Nm) is available from just 1750rpm it lacks the smoothness of larger capacity mild- and full-hybrid combinations. Especially at slower speeds, the powertrain feels relatively edgy and agitated.

Outright acceleration is fine (claimed 0-100km/h acceleration is 9.4sec) with decent mid-range pulling power for confident overtaking or decisive lane changing (a 15.6kW/51Nm boost from the motor playing its part) and the dual-clutch auto is a more polished example of what can be a fractious device. 

But engineering and tuning for maximum fuel-efficiency has an impact on driveability. For example, we noticed the air-conditioning system’s output softened at standstill, which led to some mild window fogging in stop-start traffic on a particularly humid morning. Haven’t seen that for a while. 

The strut front, torsion beam rear suspension delivers a compliant ride and responsive handling in classic Peugeot fashion. The steering in particular points accurately and provides good road feel. 

We’ve covered the intricacies of the i-Cockpit instrument and steering wheel configuration in the Design section as its shortcomings (for me, anyway) are more ergonomic than dynamic.  

The car is relatively quiet, thanks in part to sound-dampening acoustic glass and the Michelin e.Primacy tyres (205/55) which also grip persistently if you decide to slice through your favourite set of corners. Push the engine harder and it’s revvy note and exhaust rasp will start to make their presence felt. 

Regenerative braking is helpful and the physical brakes (ventilated discs and the front and solid rotors at the rear) are nice and progressive.

The front seats are firmer than the Peugeot norm but remain comfy enough and they provide enough side support to keep you well located. 

Despite the swoopy fastback design, all-around vision is surprisingly good and an overall length under 4.7m, an acceptable 11.2m turning circle, a clear reversing camera and a 360-degree camera view make parking straightforward. 

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.

Peugeot covers the 408 with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is perilously close to sub-par in 2026 with an increasing number of brands at seven, eight and up to 10 years conditional. The battery warranty at eight years/160,000km matches the market.

Roadside assistance is included for five years, service is recommended every 12 months/15,000km and pre-paid servicing is offered across three-, four- or five-year plans, with the latter at $2070.

That’s a not insubstantial average of $414 per workshop visit, which Peugeot says will save you $893 compared to pay-as-you-go over the five years.

For reference, a Toyota RAV Hybrid service for any of the first five years is $260, although pricing steps up after that period.

Peugeot has a well established network of 31 dealers mainly covering major cities and key rural areas, primarily on the east coast. Currently, no presence in Tassie or the Northern Territory, while Perth and Adelaide are the only representation in WA and SA. 

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.