Renault Scenic E-Tech vs Mazda CX-80

What's the difference?

What’s 15 years between friends? Well, in this instance quite a lot because this is the all-new, pure-electric Renault Scenic E-Tech small-medium SUV.

The Renault Scenic we knew here until the late noughties was a petrol-powered, five-seat family car or an upright, seven-seat people mover.

But this is an altogether sleeker proposition, priced and specified to compete with other electric SUVs like the BYD Sealion 7, Hyundai Elexio, Kia EV5, Skoda Elroq and Zeekr 7X.

So, could this fresh Euro contender have what it takes to steer you away from such an impressive set of pure-electric competitors?

We attended its local launch to find out.

Despite the similar naming conventions, the new Mazda CX-80 large SUV isn’t a revamped version of the popular CX-8 model even though it technically replaces it.

The CX-80 is actually a seven-seat version of the mid-size CX-60. If you're confused, you're not the only one. The CX-80 joins a loooong list of SUVs that Mazda has brought to our market (including the CX-80 and 90) and while it offers more passenger space than its predecessor, does bigger mean better when it comes to family hauling?

My family of three have spent three weeks with the one-up-from-entry grade Touring G40e to find out for you.