Minivan SUV — Renault Scenic RX4
Already in the 90s, SUVs were quite popular. Some manufacturers have invested in new models to compete in this class, others have taken a simpler path and "passed" the existing ones. One of them, however, took a rather mysterious path into the world of high ground clearance and 4x4 drives.
Off-road station wagon…
A lost station wagon is an interesting car idea for a family that likes frequent trips out of town. Therefore, the interest in cars such as the Subaru Outback and Volvo XC70 is quite understandable - the raised suspension and permanent all-wheel drive make them an interesting alternative to classic SUVs. Another notable player in the class, the Audi A6 Allroad also has stock air suspension (the first generation might even have a gearbox) to better handle both asphalt and forest ruts. Renault really liked the whole concept and also wanted to compete in the family SUV class. However, instead of modifying the Laguna station wagon, the French chose ... Scenic.
… an off-road minivan?
Minivans and SUVs have a common problem - a high body. This increases weight, degrades performance, increases fuel consumption and price. In addition, there are problems with the suspension settings - comfortable settings will lead to swaying in corners and a decrease in stability, while sportier ones do not provide sporty handling, and driving comfort suffers greatly from this. So what about a car that is a combination of both of these problematic concepts? The Scenic RX4 was just awful in terms of performance. Due to the high body, which was additionally raised by the new suspension, which increases the ground clearance, tight adjustments were required for the safe movement of the car (the width is only 5 cm more than the height of the body). Low driving comfort is not what is expected from a family car. Some corners could also be forgotten - the high body and more than 200 kg of weight did not help the Scenic, which, by definition, was not a car designed for dynamic driving. This also affected the performance - the most powerful in the range, the 2-liter "gasoline" accelerated the RX4 to 100 km / h in just one second faster than the base 1.4 engine in the regular Scenic.
Off-road on a dirt road
If anyone wanted to buy the Scenic RX4 for its off-road capabilities, they weren't thrilled either. Sufficiently decent ground clearance, 21 cm, made it possible to move off asphalt roads without fear that at any moment we would tear off some important and expensive element of the running gear, but that was the end of the pluses. The 4x4 drive was, as is often the case on pseudo-ATVs, front-wheel drive with an attached rear axle (here via a viscous coupling), so you could not expect too much from it. Of course, there were no other elements to increase courage in the field, not counting covers made of natural plastic for the hull.
Wearing galoshes suits no one
After all, there will surely be people who are not embarrassed by the above disadvantages and limitations of the Pseudo-all-terrain Scenic at all (very low off-road suitability is the lot of almost all small SUVs). Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the appearance of the RX4 version. The stock Scenic looked pretty nice and could have been liked, but after adding plastic pads and attaching the spare wheel to the tailgate (opening to the side) (the effect of using a modified suspension and drive also to the rear axle) there was no mention of this. It's a bit like galoshes - although we can appreciate their practicality, even someone who is handsome and well dressed immediately loses his charm if it appears in them. The Scenic, on the other hand, got rubber wedge boots that made him look taller, but much uglier and no better.
Something went wrong?
Basically, that's all. They buy an SUV or other crossover, because driving an SUV is a certain ennoblement. You are not driving a "regular" car, but "something more". Even if this car has low ground clearance and single axle drive. We are talking about the appearance, image and values of this class of cars. The SUV is associated with freedom, independence and rebellion. Minivans are sometimes called "baby cars" - these are practical, roomy, functional cars designed for reasonable, calm and family people. Of course, these are all just stereotypes, but we are guided by them, more or less consciously. The Scenic RX4, however, didn't send a clear message - it was a car designed from the ground up for family use and stowage space, so this "combat" version still didn't appeal to people looking for something special. Those looking for something practical and family friendly saw no reason why they should pay extra for a regular Scenic. Yes, and you had to pay much more - prices started from a little over 60 4. PLN, but to buy the RX100 you had to have more than 4 3! And for this amount you can get a real and normal-looking SUV like Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V. All this meant that the "off-road" Scenic was gone after 4 years on the market. Interestingly, Renault has tried to return to this concept, but in a much less expensive form. The second generation of the French minivan was offered in the Conquest variant, which featured a slightly raised suspension and plastic shrouds. The whole thing looked a lot better than the RX4, but that doesn't mean it was any more interesting than the regular Scenic. The ditching of the 4x drive allowed the price to go up a little less, but the Conquest still didn't satisfy buyers' interest. In the end, Renault gave up trying to create an off-road minivan, and the role of an SUV in the family was taken over by the Koleos, whose headlights resembled those of the unsuccessful Scenic RX ... Does Renault love it? ?
