Renault’s Grand Scenic shines in MPG Marathon 2009

Since its launch in May this year, Renault’s New Grand Scenic has been inundated with praise, largely for its design, quality and space, not to mention its new 1.4 TCe 130 engine. Now in this exact guise it has just won ‘Class 3 best MPG’ (passenger cars with CO2 emissions of 161 g/km or more) and the second best overall percentage improvement at the 2009 ALD Automotive/TOTAL ECO 10 MPG Marathon, organised by Fleet World magazine.

Driven by Richard Aucock, Managing Editor of Motoring Research and self-proclaimed eco-warrior, with the aid of Fleet Manager, Leigh Stiff from Hannaford, the New Grand Scenic averaged an impressive 50.3 miles per gallon over the 360-mile course, a remarkable 32% gain over the car’s official combined cycle figure of 38.2 mpg.

In the process, with estimated CO2 emissions of just 135 grams per kilometre, the New Grand Scenic Dynamique 1.4 TCe 130 matched its dCi 106 sister model, already the least polluting seven-seat compact MPV on sale in the UK, with a CO2 figure per passenger of just 19.28 g/km.

Now in its seventh year, the two-day MPG Marathon which began on 30th September, takes in a variety of rural, urban and motorway routes to recreate as authentic as possible real-world driving conditions.

At a time when the recent 2p rise in fuel duty is hitting families and fleet users even harder in the current economic climate, the Grand Scenic’s miserly fuel consumption could not have been better timed, proving that you don’t just have to buy a small car to get low bills at the pumps.

The new 1.4-litre 130hp engine joined its 100 and 180hp siblings in Renault’s growing TCe petrol range when it debuted in the New Grand Scenic range in May. It has since been introduced across the Hatch, Coupe and Sport Tourer versions of New Megane.

Thanks in no small part to its single-scroll turbo, Renault’s latest powerplant has a capacity of just 1,397cc, yet delivers the power of a 1.8-litre engine, the torque of a 2.0-litre (190Nm at 2,250 rpm) and the fuel economy and emissions of a 1.6.

Commenting on the impressive improvements, Richard Aucock, said, “1.4-litres and seven seats may not sound a natural mix, but Renault’s tiny turbo engine proves any doubters wrong. This is downsizing in action – by driving gently, using its remarkable torque delivery at virtually tickover revs, we were able to slash fuel consumption without hardship. If we can do it, anyone can; no special techniques other than smoothness were used here.”

Taking on the demanding route alongside the Grand Scenic, was a Laguna Coupe GT driven by freelance journalist and diesel-devotee, Sue Baker. Powered by the powerful, yet refined, 3.0 V6 dCi 235 Auto, the sleek two-door set out to prove that even luxury models don’t have to break the bank when they have highly-regarded engines under the bonnet. Over the 360-mile course, it recorded 43.8 mpg, an 11.7% improvement on its official figure of 39.2.

More information on all of Renault’s fuel-sipping models, including its ever-growing eco2 range is available at renault.co.uk.