Renault Scenic E-Tech Reviews

On the same day Mitsubishi confirmed its new Renault-based ASX, the French brand’s Captur version of the light SUV is coming back to Australia. 

Australia’s new car market rose very slightly in volume in 2024 compared to 2023 - but it wasn’t good news across the board.

This new mid-size SUV could be the car to put Renault back on the map in Australia and it isn’t even really from the French brand. The Dacia Bigster is a stretched version of the Romanian budget marque’s latest Duster small SUV. Measuring 4.57 metres long, the Bigster is a direct rival to the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, BYD Sealion 6, Nissan X-Trail and Mitsubishi Outlander. Plus, the Bigster is said to pack a hybrid system not unlike the RAV4’. Australian plans are not concrete, but Renault importer boss Glen Sealey previously told CarsGuide that Dacia is “going to happen” and they’ll probably wear Renault badges Down Under. Beneath the Bigster’s bonnet is a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (from a previous project between Renault and Geely) paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and electric motor on the front axle, the cumulative output is 114kW. Like its Duster brother, Dacia has confirmed an all-wheel drive hybrid version of the handsome Bigster will be available. Like the Toyota RAV4 hybrid, it adds a separate motor on the rear axle not connected to the front via a differential or transfer case. A plug-in hybrid is a possibility in the future thanks to parent company Renault having “all the solutions”, said Dacia CEO Denis Le Vot to AutoExpress. “We recoup the assets developed by the Group… We put them back and make our own soup with the leftovers. We make good business with that for us, and for the clients and we manage, as a whole, the CO2 emissions of the Group,” Le Vot told the British publication.  While Dacia is seen as a budget brand in the UK and Europe, helping drive its success, in Australia it won’t be quite so bargain basement. A combination of Australian Design Rules and market forces mean they’ll be closer to existing Renault products in price. “The specification we will take for Australia will be vastly different to what they perhaps take in the UK,” Sealey admitted to CarsGuide. “There’s certain features and requirements that we will have that the UK are happy not to have.”Think automatic transmissions, advanced parking cameras, sound systems, alloy wheels and the like. Looking at the related Duster in the UK, the upper-mid Journey trim looks like it would suit Australia with large alloy wheels and all the usual creature comforts. Compared to an equivalent Mazda CX-30, the Dacia is around £5000 (A$10,000) cheaper. It is worth noting that UK buyers typically pay much higher prices for their cars than Australia. Stiff competition from China’s GWM Haval, MG, Chery and more is keeping prices lower Down Under. “In Australia, the Chinese pay zero per cent duty and we have to pay five per cent to get Duster here. So already, before we even start, there’s a 15 per cent differential,” explains Sealey.In other words, don’t expect a base model Bigster to compete with a Haval H6 Premium ($30,990, drive-away). Instead, expect a similar price to a base grade RAV4 GX ($42,260 before on-road costs) but with more value-oriented features, just like Skoda used to offer.As for models it makes sense to bring, the Bigster fights in Australia’s biggest market segment, the medium SUV, which made up 22.8 per cent of sales in 2024. The smaller Duster’s segment accounts for nearly 15 per cent of the market, so both are prudent choices. Sales of the ageing Renault Koleos that the Bigster may effectively replace were down 67 per cent last year. Importer Ateco is remaining quiet on plans for Dacia for now but we expect movement this year. 

Renault's Kangoo has for many years been a popular choice for small van buyers in Australia. The 2024 release of the third-generation model was keenly anticipated, but does the latest petrol-powered model set a new benchmark?

Renault’s fourth-generation Twingo light car has been shown off in a close-to-production form at the 2025 Brussels Motor Show, with a seriously competitive target price.The true-to-original styling for the electric car should have fans of the original Renault Twingo excited, but the announcement that its entry price will still be below the originally promised €20,000 (A$33,100) means there’s potential for the Twingo to be more than a niche Euro offering.For reference, some of the most affordable electric cars on sale in Australia are the BYD Dolphin (currently $29,990 before on-roads), the GWM Ora ($35,990 drive-away) and the MG4 ($39,990 DA).Part of the plan, and the reason for its expected low entry price, is that Renault is partnering with a Chinese manufacturer (so far unnamed) to develop and build the new Twingo. As such, it could debut as early as next year thanks to the speed and resources of the assisting OEM.Of course, the Renault Twingo isn’t confirmed for Australia — and it might never be.According to CAR magazine in the UK, the Twingo isn’t locked in for right-hand drive production as it’s set to cost around £1 million (A$1,974,700) to engineer it and so it might not make it to the UK where the model has a bit of a cult following.Given Australia shares its driving side of the road with the UK (but not so much its excitement for small French cars) the chances of the Twingo EV landing in Oz are slim.Still, Renault’s Ampere electric sub-brand is developing the new electric Nissan Micra and another model for Mitsubishi — which will both be related to electric Renaults.The Twingo is to be the third electric retro Renault reboot after the Renault 4 and 5 — both likely for Australia — and the engineering underneath it could be used in models that do eventually hit our shores under any cars from the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance in the future.Renault says the Twingo will have a “best-in class” power consumption efficiency of 10kWh/100km, though its technical specifications are yet to be finalised as the model is still not production-ready.To give context on the efficiency, if Renault can achieve that number the Twingo would be able to travel 450km from the same 44.9kWh battery capacity that take a BYD Dolphin 350km in the WLTP combined cycle.In terms of design, quirky features inside and out that could make it to the finalised model include three small air intake scoops on the bonnet, magnets on the back of the headrests for rear passengers to mount devices, and colourful trims and shapes inside that nod to the original Twingo.

Want a plugless hybrid RAV4 alternative which isn't from China? Renault could have an answer in 2025.

We've passed the mid-point of our three-month stint with Renault's pure-electric Megane and in this second instalment Senior Journalist Tom White hits the freeway and carves some corners.

It feels like, in recent years, all we talk about is the take-over of the dual-cab ute. The idea of a ute is nothing new but since the Toyota HiLux took over the best-selling accolade in 2016, they have changed dramatically in how they’re used. It isn’t farmers, miners or road-workers driving the Aussie ute boom, it’s those who use these vehicles for both work and play. For family duties and forest exploration, but the current crop of utes are tied to their commercial heritage and compromised as a result.Over the years there have been some takes that simply wouldn’t have flown here: the hideous 207-based Peugeot Hoggar, the Golf-based VW Saveiro and Chevrolet Montana don’t get the blood rushing like a Ford Ranger Raptor, that’s for sure. But this “half SUV, half dual-cab ute,” Ford bosses told CarsGuide of back in 2020? That could be revolutionary. About a year later, the new Ford Maverick was born based on the same underpinnings as the Escape and Bronco Sport SUVs. Pretty much since then, we’ve been asking why Ford hasn’t been able to bring Maverick Down Under. The Ranger is still the one to choose if you need carrying capacity, towing ability or extreme off-road ability but for city and suburban folk, the cleaner burn petrol engine and more SUV-like ride of the Maverick could be the perfect tonic. Oddly, Ford Australia is keeping very quiet about the Maverick. Apparently it’s too popular in the US to consider right-hand drive, for now. Hyundai, however, has trickled the scoop down to dealers that its Santa Cruz pick-up, based on the Tucson mid-size SUV, is coming to Australia some time in 2026. Like the Maverick, the Santa Cruz has proved a hit with US pick-up buyers, combining car-like comfort with outdoorsy styling and carrying ability in an affordable, fuel-efficient package. The other benefit of SUV-based utes is the ease of engineering a hybrid system. For Hyundai and Ford, plug-in and plugless hybrids already exist in their passenger cars. Next stop, funky utes.The Maverick and Santa Cruz could pave the way for Honda’s entrant, the Ridgeline. A tough-looking SUV-based ute.With a bit more size and punch, the Ridgeline is aligned more closely with Ranger and HiLux, rather than the smaller Santa Cruz and Maverick. That could change come 2026, when its expected replacement arrives.Then there are the models we haven’t seen yet. Most exciting might be the Renault Duster Oroch — otherwise known as the Dacia. The budget-oriented brand is eyeing an Australia launch in the near future and a ute could be the ticket to instant sales success. Gawky in its first-gen form, the new Duster design lends itself perfectly to a ute version. Just look at this speculative render by Kolesa of the Renault pick-up. A 650kg payload is targeted, about 300kg down on the dominant dual-cab segment but still plenty more than your average medium SUV. Finally, we’d love to see Subaru return to this segment with a Brumby revival — or Brat, for you North Americans. The ute name is an icon here and abroad and, with Subaru’s latest Outback taking a step closer to ruggedness, it would be the perfect spin-off. As always, we’re talking about this ‘new breed’ of utes as if they’re groundbreaking. They aren’t so much in Australia, with Ford and Holden both famous for car-based utes.Holden even tried to steal a bit of rugged HiLux love, dipping its toes (rather unsuccessfully, mind you) into the segment with the lifted Crewman Cross 8 and its HSV Avalanche relation. Toyota also toyed with a car-based ute with the vibrant X-Runner concept of 2003. 

Australia has a very, very competitive new car market.  Our total new car sales each year is dwarfed by other nations around the world, but there are only a handful of countries where there’s as much choice for new car buyers as here.

Renault importer Ateco has confirmed Australia is getting the giant slaying Renault 5 Turbo 3E electric hatchback.With two rear-mounted motors delivering 375kW, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E’s targeted 0-100km/h time of 3.5 seconds would make it as almost as rapid as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (3.4 seconds), though still over a second shy of the wild Porsche Taycan Turbo S (2.4 seconds). Australian details of the '80s-inspired hyper hatch, including arrival timing, pricing and allocation size, are yet to be confirmed. Expect an ultra-limited run with a price tag beyond A$200,000. Expressions of interest are now open ahead of a 2026 production start. The Turbo 3E is the new electric Renault 5 flagship, sitting above the cooking hatch and its 160kW Alpine-fettled version. It has a carbon fibre body wrapped around a bespoke carbon fibre ‘super structure’, though, sharing little with the regular 5. There are massive side intakes to cool the e-Motors, one of which houses the charging port. Regarding the huge wide-body kit, rear diffuser, wings and bespoke front bumper, Renault CEO Luca De Meo’s design brief was “Make me a little beast”.The Turbo 3E is expected to have all sorts of driver-centric features, including drift modes, doughnut settings and a physical handbrake — though whether it’s a cable pull or more like the Ford Mustang’s electro-hydraulic ‘Drift Brake’ is unclear.Renault has promised an “outstanding driving sensation, something completely unexpected” with agility “like nothing else”.The Turbo 3E is a nod to the Renault 5 dynasty. The hatch started with the regular range, with the 5 GT Turbo added as the mass-production hot model — akin to today’s Alpine A290 — with the mid-engined Renault 5 Turbo 2 as the limited-run flagship. The recipe was repeated in the early 2000s on the second-generation Renault Clio. Cooking regular hatch, big-engined attainable hot hatch (Renault Sport 172 and 182) and super-limited, borderline insane mid-engined rear-drive Clio V6 at the top of the tree. It also seems, strangely, as though the Turbo 3E will be a Renault product, rather than Alpine. Suppose that is the difference between outright punch and Alpine’s bent for low weight and overall balance. Further details such as driving range, battery size and recharging times remain a mystery for now. “Renault head office in France has been very supportive of Australia. The fact we’ve been able to secure the Renault 5 Turbo 3E for our customers so soon after it was confirmed for production in Europe, shows how committed Renault is to the Australian market – with this and other exciting models around the corner,” said General Manager of Renault Australia Glen Sealey. Those other ‘exciting models’ are yet to be detailed. Renault has expressed interest in both the regular 5 electric hatchback and its R4 small SUV sibling. Neither model is confirmed for Australia yet.