The crossover craze continues to emanate from Europe with Renault’s new Scenic XMOD. The Renault Scenic XMOD will officially debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March and will take over the reigns of locally available crossover variants, like the Renault Scenic Navigator from a few years ago and the RX4 from even further back. Renault envisages this to be the trendier alternative to the regular Scenic MPV.
If you’ll recall, Renault South Africa actually ran a competition to name what would later become the ‘Scenic Navigator’. Perhaps they could do the same thing again with Renault’s MPV-cum-crossover vehicle, considering the rather vague name it has at the moment. The Geneva debut of the Scenic XMOD also coincides with the unveiling of the facelifted seven-seater Grand Scenic MPV model.
To differentiate the Renault Scenic XMOD from its otherwise typically MPV-shaped body, is the fact that it now has Renault’s new family face. This renders the previously non-descript face with a more angular, narrowed, front grille and an enlarged Renault badge, like the one you get on the front of the new Clio hatchback.
To execute the crossover makeover, the XMOD also benefits from a raised ride height and new protective dark body panels to safeguard it from all that off-roading it’s unlikely to do throughout its life. This is teamed with chrome-finish roof bars and some new LED daytime running lights framing the bottom of the bonnet line.
Renault has also given the front-wheel drive Scenic XMOD a token 4WD gesture with something they’re calling a ‘Grip Xtend’ traction control system, which allows the driver to alter settings depending on the road conditions. The system has three modes, with ‘Normal’, ‘Loose Ground’ and ‘Expert’ controlling braking and torque to make the most of available grip.
Renault will introduce a new engine to the Scenic XMOD and Grand Scenic range, with the Energy TCe 130 Stop & Start introduced to a Renault for the first time. The new petrol powered 1.2-litre TCe 4-cylinder makes 96 kW and is 15% more efficient than before.
The old Scenic had a boot capacity of 522-litres, the XMOD model offers 555-litres. The seats are independent and can be folded or removed. The cabin boasts a TFT digital display and a multi-directional joystick for controlling the multimedia system. A new seven-inch R-Link touchscreen is offered along with a Bose sound system and the top-spec XMOD model benefits from premium upgrades like leather/Alcantara upholstery, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and aluminium pedals.
