Renault Scenic RX4

The Renault Megane Scenic RX4. Rolls off the tongue easier than it rolls off the forecourt.....after your nerves have settled down over handing over £18,800.00 of your hard earned pocket money, and Beer tokens. I bought an RX4 at the end of November 2002, a brand new, shiney blue 52 plate. 6 miles on the clock - the world was my lobster. I'll give you a virtual tour of the car :

Looks (exterior) :

Beefy - very beefy. Its the corn-fed, gym-trained version of the Renault Megane Scenic, loved by mums doing the school runs nation wide. On its initial looks, its a mans car - A fun, joyous piece of sculpture on wheels. Extra plastic moulding at the front, side and rear lower part of the car gives it the fore mentioned big-daddy look. Fog lights, ram bar, and a generally wider body makes this appeal to the big kids ni the family. From the rear, the classic tell-tale sign that this is infact a 4x4 and not a people carrier pretending to be a 4x4 - the spare tyre. Clinging to the rear of the car, renault logo emblazened. The boot opens in a fun manner - first, press the release button to open the rear window upwards. Second, pull the handle once the window is open, and the lower door for the boot will open. Its a puzzle once featured on The Crystal Maze, but they got locked in for not working how to operate it in time. It took me a while to fathom it out. In all - smart, and has got plenty of VA VA VOOOOOM!!!

Looks (interior) :

Its huge. You could fit 2 Mondeos, a family of Lamas, an Orange, and a Dairy Milk in the inside of the car, and still have room for you to drive!! (that may be an exageration, but it is v spacious).
The model i owned (Fidgi 1.8) had orange finishings, which is the first thing that drew me into the car. An orange gear stick, totally random handle on the side of the drivers seat, and electric window controls. It's a nice application, into the otherwise colourless grey and black fabric and moulding of the dash. The second thing that comes to you, is not ONE oh no.....but TWO sunroofs!!! (Thank the lord!!! THATS why the car costs so much in the first place.) Its an excellent feature, but parents - and any one who has annoying friends - be warned. There are seperate controls for the sun roofs in the back, so your rear passengers can play with it to their hearts content. VERY annoying at times. When sat in the drivers seat, you definately feel like a bus driver. The high driving possition, and the steering wheel slanted just that little bit more than in a regular run-of-the-mill car. All aboard....

The Drive :

The model i owned was a diesel, and boy - could you ever tell. It was a noisey vehicle, and had the character traits of a diesel - sluggish pulling away from a stationary possition, and more expensive fuel than unleaded. It was not really that economical either. I used to run it at between 29 and 35 MPG, which you can keep track on, on the cars on board basic computer functions. The absolute bonus of this car, is that it gives you the WOW factor, or the OOOH-AAAAAH factor. Once you get the beast up and ready, and get out on them there high streets, you'll notice 'the looks' - anyone who has had an RX4 will know 'the look'. Its the 'wow!! That's cool' or the 'Wonder how much he spent on that - way too much probably' looks. Also, when you're driving, you know that you are driving one of the few cars to have ever recieved 5 stars in the NCAP tests. A worthy point to mention i feel.

The down side :

You may have got the vibe that it's expensive. Well more fool me for getting it really. Thats not the worst bit. In July of last year, I decided that the old girl had done her hard graft, and it was time for some one else to take the reigns. I trundled on down to Ye Olde Magazine Shoppe, and picked up a Glasses guide and was stunned to find that in about 18 months (or there abouts) the car had decreased in value by an astronomical £10,000,00. Yes, you read that right - £10k. It holds its value poorly, and i will never buy a new 4x4 for that reason again. If you want my advice, wait for the depreciation to have occured first, then buy one that's two or three years old. TRUST ME, your bank manager will thank you for it.

Let me know what you think - is this helpful, v helpful, exceptional?? Please let me know!!!