Volkswagen California vs Renault Scenic E-Tech

What's the difference?

A van like this is the envy of campgrounds, and with a fully warranted set of cosy extras, it’s ready to roll from day one, too.

As a weekender the California Beach is ideal, and one of its most appealing attributes is how easily it can also be packed up and used for day-to-day duties when you’re not out adventuring on the road.

Keep in mind for longer term touring you’ll need a fair bit of extra kit to make this California as capable as some rivals, and there’s always Trakka waiting for you if you want to spend more coin.

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 California Beach does offer an iconic slice of VW’s historic Kombi aesthetic, modernised to its current range. While the two-tone paint is a remarkably expensive option, it does seal the #vanlife deal.

Two-tone paint or not, though, you could do much worse in terms of aesthetics than the Transporter 6.1, which is about as graceful as commercial vehicles come with its now-giant chrome embossed grille, matching painted bodywork, appealing little alloy wheels, and with the LED light package fitted, a contemporary shine profile at night.

The California Beach also hides its status as a camper well, blending in with other people movers and commercial vehicles in traffic with the slight hint given away by its branding and the awning hanging off one side.

The pop-up tent option in our test car is invisible from the outside, and with the seats in their default position, it could be any passenger-oriented van on the road.

More on that later, but the interior, too, brings much of the comfort and aesthetic from the rest of VW’s passenger car range.

Those who want to use this as a multi-role vehicle when they’re not camping will be pleased by its up-to-date interior appointments, with the pragmatic but attractive leather-bound VW wheel shared with other current products, as well as the option of the ever-impressive ‘Digital Cockpit’ dash.

The seats are aesthetically pleasing, with the only giveaway this is a commercial vehicle being the hard plastics with a more rugged pattern across the dash and doors in place of the usual soft materials which adorn Volkswagen passenger cars.

As subtle and sensible as the California may be though, there was no doubt it was instantly recognised at the campground, with owners of other Transporters, Trakkas, and other campervans coming to have a look at a model they clearly knew of.

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.

Interior space in this camper is one of its key highlights. As a van it has a huge and versatile cargo area behind the front seats, with the fold-down rear row on rails to maximise cargo capacity if need be.

A rear shelf at the back can be used for all your storage needs, with a compact space underneath for securing everything from camping equipment to shopping bags on the day-to-day and there are even little draws underneath the sliding seat row for the storage of small items (it was handy to use these for the awning’s winder and pegs, the luggage net which we weren’t using, and other things you don’t want to lose.

VW doesn’t quote a VDA number for the total luggage space given how versatile the load area is, although it does state there is 4.3 square metres of space in the cabin.

As already mentioned, the key advantage of this camper over others is its ease of use. Setting it up and packing it down is a 10 minute affair, allowing you the flexibility to be ready to camp or explore the local area in a pinch.

The California we tested sits five and even has ISOFIX mounts on the outer rear seats, but for larger families, there’s also a seven-seat option, with the extra seats folding down to make for a larger bedding area.

The awning itself is manually operated with a winder and pop-out legs. The front two seats are ‘captain’s chairs’ which can rotate 180-degrees to face back into the cabin.

It’s a neat and sometimes necessary addition to allow for a seating area if the bed is deployed, but they are a little fiddly to operate.

To swivel them, you need to fully fold the steering column away, move the seat all the way forward, rotate it half way, then move it forward again to clear the wheel in the driver’s position.

Practicality for the driver and front passenger while on the move is excellent, with two sets of huge cutaways in the doors for the storage of objects, cupholders seated atop the dash, a big bay for books or laptops which also houses a 12V outlet, and there are adjustable-height armrests attached to the seats.

The seats and wheel are also very adjustable, and the roof is high allowing plenty of space for people of all heights.

A small issue I ran into was the awkward lack of a place to put my phone. The most obvious location seemed to be the cupholder next to the shift lever, especially since this is where the USB-C connections were located, although it was a bit awkward, and my phone and wallet would easily fall out onto the floor, from where they could simply disappear into the rear of the cabin under acceleration.

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 version of the California Beach we tested for this review was the mid-grade TDI340 4Motion.

This means it is powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine producing 110kW/340Nm. It’s paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, and in the case of this model, is capable of driving all four wheels.

It’s not much for power, but with the large amount of torque available, pulls strongly even when loaded up.

While it’s nice to have the all-wheel drive for loose surfaces and the like, clearance is limited so I wouldn’t venture into the rough stuff, even with the optional differential lock.

For those looking to fit further enhancements, or tow, the California Beach’s GVM is 3080kg leaving 623kg for payload, and it can tow 750kg unbraked or 2500kg braked.

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 California Beach TDI340 4Motion has an official combined fuel consumption figure of 7.5L/100km and a relatively large 80-litre fuel tank, allowing for a healthy cruising range for those more distant camping locations.

Our camping journey (a roughly 600km return trip) meant the California travelled mostly freeway kilometres on our week with the car, and it produced an overall figure of 7.4L/100km. It takes diesel and also has a 13-litre AdBlue tank.

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.

One of the California's more appealing features is the way its camping features can be minimised. Unlike some fit-outs which feature built-in fittings, once you pack the rear bed away and fold everything up, it makes for an appealing five-seat van for driving around in day-to-day traffic.

The diesel engine offers a rugged soundscape but plenty of pulling power once you overcome a moment of turbo-lag for cargo, people and equipment, and visibility is great out the front and sides.

The dual clutch transmission behaved well in my time with the van, although like many cars which use this transmission it can occasionally cost you a second at an intersection as it combines with the stop-start system to make for a moment of delay.

The California is a relatively easy van to park and live with when you’re not out on the road, and features a nice organic steering tune to give you plenty of confidence in the corners, bolstered by the addition of all-wheel drive in the van we tested.

The ride when empty is quite rough, like many vans in this segment. With the diesel engine, this can make for a bit of a noisy experience on coarse-chip freeways, and especially gravel roads. Potholes can also be cringe-inducing.

 As always one of the biggest advantages of VW commercial products is how closely they can be specified to VW’s passenger vehicles.

With the right option boxes ticked, for example, our car had the very welcome digital dash, and the multimedia suite.

While not the latest fully touch unit you can experience in cars like the Golf 8, it has the welcome addition of tactile shortcut buttons and dials for ease-of-use while driving.

With the fold-away roof, the California also isn’t bigger than a regular Transporter van. At 1990mm high it should fit in most parking lots and garages.

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 California Beach is covered by a five year and unlimited kilometre warranty like the rest of the Volkswagen passenger car range, which includes one year of roadside assistance.

The prime advantage of buying a first-party Volkswagen camper is the entire vehicle is covered by this warranty, as opposed to needing to deal with two warranties if you were to buy from a brand like Trakka.

There is also the option of a five or three year service plan. At the time of writing, the five year service plan was running at the price of a three year plan, valued at $1850 for this 4Motion variant, or just $370 a year for the life of the warranty.

This is a claimed saving of $2302 over the cost of regular scheduled maintenance. Visits to the workshop are required once every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

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.