Renault Scénic - Optional Extra

[@Colaholiker]

Rumor has it that the Juke was actually designed by a designer's child and the original draft had the word "Joke" on it. Some product manager saw this, took it for real and misread the name... the rest is history.

[@ramiroini9504]

I really enjoyed this video, not only cause LeQuement was so nice to tell the story from his point of view, but it also made me feel so pride to see the render of a colegue I admire so much as Gustavo Fosco. I had the chance to have an interview with both of them when I was younger and it was a joy. And, to be honest, the authenticity that was showed by the french in the 90´s have totally eclipsed italian design studios as institutions. So cheers for them Big hug from Buenos Aires!

[@frosch90453]

Please ask Patrick about the Laguna, i love the design of them.

[@charliemansonUK]

I enjoy these just as much...or maybe even more than the main ones. The finding out how you get to your conclusions/opinions is truly interesting. Thanks Charlie 🇬🇧

[@JTA1961]

Good point 🎯

[@Hvitserk67]

A great program series with the Renault Scenic. Of all the interesting details on the Renault Scenic, I like the basic one the best, namely the large window surfaces. This is missing from today's crossovers. A very good example and which also emphasizes your point that in terms of design there are great similarities between today's crossovers and the older MPVs are the second generation Peugeot 3008 and Citroën C4 Picasso II (now discontinued). They are even built on the same platform. However, the Peugot 3008 feels cramped compared to the C4 Picasso II and much of the reason for this is the high shoulder line and thus small window surfaces. It is therefore pleasing that VW, with the fairly new electric ID3, saw the point of large window surfaces to provide air and light into the cabin and thus a sense of space.

[@MrDuncl]

I blame the Range Rover Evoqua which I thought looked ridiculous when it came out but now seems normal. Look at a Ford Sierra and what strikes you now isn't the jelly mould styling but the size of the windows (which were actually no different from other cars in that era). p.s I would actually seek out a Vauxhall Ampere (Chevy Volt) if it wasn't for the stupid drawn in windows. What happened there ?

[@robertwestinghouse4098]

Always enjoy your work. Thank you

[@anthonygray333]

I love it when you get designers and engineers to discuss the how and why the vehicles turned out as they did. Sometimes for cost, sometimes for engineering issues, sometimes because of the dreaded “focus group” input. As for my own opinion on design, I think it depends on the market. Kathy and I just pre-ordered our Cadillac Lyriq because of the excellent design. I think the most striking to come out of them since the 1967 Eldorado. It’s forward looking and edgy but not cartoonish. My favorite recent car is the DB9, especially the later ones. That car is perfect from every angle, inside and out. Something lost I think in the later DB11. I’m not a fan of the immense grills now adorning BMWs. They need to tone that down a bit, as Audi did when their front ends got a bit heavy. Of course there is the Lexus spindle which makes me I’ll. Great episodes!! Keep them coming!

[@LittleCar]

Those big grilles are getting a bit manic, especially in a day when grilles aren't needed.

[@MrDuncl]

The grills are even more surprising given that everyone is copying the interior of Teslas. Haven't they noticed that the Model 3 doesn't even have a grill ?

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

So right, the 90s were a great period of IPD influenced car design. So many cars were refreshing, ingenious and had character. Cars now are largely balance sheets facilitating Finance agreements. Perhaps it will swing back the other way.

[@Noah_E]

Safety regulations have pretty much killed unique designs. Every car needs the lights within the same range of height and width. Hoods need to be high and flat for pedestrian protection. Belt lines need to be higher for passenger side protection. There are only so many geometric shapes that will provide the rigidity required to meet roof crush standards.

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

@@Noah_E Many of those regulations existed in the 90s too. In fact with lighting it was probably more strict then than it is now. There is still scope for interesting designs and some manufacturer do produce some god or interesting looking cars, but too often they are designed at the behest of Marketing teams and customer clinics.

[@Z00L..ChUpAcUpS]

I liked the start off blooper 😂 and been watching you since you started I love your video just wish there were more but I no you have to to resurch but my god I just can't get enough of them hope you are well 😊👋✌️

[@jeffr0]

Andy, I've said for years that the only difference in 90% of the vehicles is the grill and tail lights. Yes, they are all made well, but to your point, they are boring. I remember in the 80s we would go to the State Fair of Texas and make a bee-line for the automobile building. We could sit in the new models, see what's new and creative...and dream. Now, we don't bother. even the interiors have been reduced to the lowest common denominator: everything is either black, grey, tan. (yawn).

[@mrjsv4935]

90's Renaults are indeed beautiful and stylish cars, Megane and Laguna especially, I like them. Maybe one reason for cars today being so similar might be, because all kinds of safety and other regulations have become tighter than in the 90's, giving only a narrow path for car design? For example popup headlights are gone, low and sleek front end designs are gone, all cars have pretty high nose, and the grilles are pretty much 90 degree angle to the bonnet, in straight down position like the edge of a brick, which may not be the most aerodynamic solution :D

[@RobG1981]

Megane (without the é) means "glasses" in Japanese. When I was learning Japanese at the university, our teacher told us that Renault named the car like that because it looked like it had glasses on (first generation). I wonder whether there is some truth to that. Was the Mégane even sold in Japan?

[@muds1970]

Another great video about an influential car. The one bit that slightly grinds, is you insistence to use the word “Chassis” when it should be floor pan. The Scenic, like many cars then and now, are of a monocoque design, and not a body on chassis.

[@thomasfrancis5747]

Platform might be even better since it's all the bits bolted onto the floorpan.

[@jamesengland7461]

I've watched the formal; now to sit for the casual extra.

[@Miika880]

Thanks for yet another great video! However, I disagree with your "all modern cars look alike" statement. At least to me it feels like design has come back, and that the cars differ more now than they did in the 90's and early 2000's. The Peugeot's look great, Toyota has finally found some courage, Tesla is unique... Keep up the good work! 👍

[@LittleCar]

I find it hard telling my Tesla Model 3 apart from various Hyundai's and Toyota's on the road. But maybe it's because I'm middle aged and everything new is "wrong"!

[@oliverstemp9132]

@@LittleCar the Model 3 is one of the most boring looking cars on the road. As a whole, cars have so much more identity now than they have had in a long time. I even don’t see a problem with SUVs. There’s now so many of them there’s one for every type of buyer.

[@LittleCar]

@@oliverstemp9132 I agree. I like it for the EV and tech aspects, but as a car it's dull to look at. Mine is even boring grey.

[@MrDuncl]

@@LittleCar Have you been to the U.K. recently. Every time I think the Model 3 can't get any more common I see another one, which is even more surprising given the U.K.s traditional preference for hatchbacks. p.s. We only got the Model Y a few months ago and those look rather like the blow up toy in the first video. I'm sure a Model 2 hatchback would sell really well here. p.p.s Are all the interesting new designs like the Ora Cat and new MG4 coming from China ?

[@MrDuncl]

That blooper at the start made me laugh. Back to the Scenic, ever since its launch I had assumed the name referred to the ample windows. Should the Nissan Joke or even worse the Toyota HR-V have been called the Noview. On that subject a colleague had a Vectra C but commented that his three children loved going on the bus because they could see so much out of the windows. The only car I can think of that made a effort in that area of design recently was the rather niche BMW I3.

[@stephenc6648]

Is Barbamama connected with the content of the video?

[@LittleCar]

No - it's the most French thing I had to hand.

[@timm.e.n.]

Until we can make (or grow?) soft, fungus body panels I think the future of car design lies in the interior space, and I was inspired watching these wonderful videos I had never thought to much of the Mégane Scenic - it was too new when I was a child and I was more into my 2CV’s, older Citroen’s in general and Peugeot, Opel, bit of Ford on the side (R.I.P McRae) Rambling aside car makers need to get into experimenting with interiors more, this duo of videos are case in point! Remember all the special editions of the 90’s? Something like that but with less denim/American football themed interiors and more psychedelic carpets for the kids would be a nice, cost effective start

[@verttikoo2052]

These connections are interesting 🤔

[@Z00L..ChUpAcUpS]

The new labo looks cool like the old contash

[@JK061996]

Is the Nissan Almera Tino somehow related to the Scénic? It has a very similar shape and was presented just a few years later

[@LittleCar]

No, it's a version of the Almera.

[@niklaswejedal463]

to me it is the exact opposite way arround: SUVs are boring and dull, , MPVs are cool and nice to look at... Why anyone would prefer an SUV over an MPV is totally beyond me. SUVs are the result of trends, MPVs are the answer to a need, that will never go away: how to use a given space to it's maximum potential. If you package a car in the most efficient way, it will by default end up looking like an MPV. Maybe the biggest problem with MPVs is that people need to think a little to be able to understand why they are the best concept, instead of just buying something that apparently is cool...

[@iconicshrubbery]

The Scénic I had an ample interior, a high seating position affording visibility, a flat floor[w/cubby holes!] and acres of rear legroom. Packed into 4.14 M length=the quintessential MPV. No wonder it became the "school-run" favourite. I used to take the seats out to use around the camp fire.

[@anthonyward335]

We are lucky enough to own a original Scenic had it since new it’s over 20 years old and a second car now but no other car that we have owned comes anywhere close to its practicality 5 seats to two seats , low loading height with no lip opening rear window great for dog shows I can wheel my portable wood chipper straight in no chance with my Volvo XC 60 it will be a sad moment when we have to say goodbye

[@MadNumForce]

Being French, I still see lots of first generation Scenic in the streets, and the design aged very well I find, and at first glance you can tell it's a car designed to combine form and function. I don't believe it's just nostalagia to say car design peaked in the 90's and early 2000's; these were cars designed by people with a vision and a keen sense of engineering and practicality, verging on Gesamtkunstwerk. They were statements that made sense. What strikes me beyond the blandness and uniformity of cars currently produced (and the hypocrisy of making 2 tons electric SUV) is that window surface has been shrinked to an all time low. I mean even in the 1930's and 40's car had more window surface than they have now. It's intrinsically unsafe, and I don't understand why this trend is allowed to exist. By the way, talking about cars with a vision, have your heard of Lormauto? It's a French company that's planning on retrofitting Twingos of the first generation are EV, with a 16kWh battery so that it can be recharged on any domestic outlet, either at home or at work. The 100km+ range is more than enough to fulfill 95% of the actual use of cars, especially since it can be recharged anywhere there's electricity. They won't be sold, but rented long term so upgrades, maintenance and repairs are entirely dealt with by Lormauto. The idea is also that the manufacturer can invest in long lasting and high quality equipments and parts, which is expensive, without having to worry about the reception of the price tag by the final user, since it's not sold at all. The renting price, all inclusive with maintenance, tyres, etc, is expected to be 200€/month, which should be lowered to 100€/month with government subsidies for energetic transition.

[@LittleCar]

An EV Twingo. My perfect car!

[@carlarrowsmith]

I believe that the Scenic was attractive to families due to little design features such as rear seat viewing mirror, low windows for better small people visibility. The problem for Renault was that in the late 90s early 2000's they sold loads of cars and looked successful, then people found out how badly made they were and never went near them again. I knew a guy who was really looking forward to getting a new Laguna when gen 2 came out (must be around 2000), telling everyone how great it was and how we should all go test drive one. He got it and several AA/RAC visits later I asked him how it was going.... "Oh that cr** he said" this went wrong, that went wrong, the exhaust needed replacing within a few months, the key card didn't work. Only lasted a few months before he changed it for something else. To go from advertising the product via word of mouth to despising within a short space of time is why they are now in the doldrums.

[@sharonec5419]

Renault are not in the doldrums. You don't sell €50,000 cars if your in the doldrums. Renault make some of the classiest best built cars you can buy unlike a certain overrated German brand. Renault make great cars now. My sister has a Clio and it is very reliable. She has never had any problems with it. My parents had a Megane Classic in the late 90s and it was very reliable too and much more modern than the crappy Peugeot 306 they were thinking of buying at the time as well as a lot safer than it too and better equipped as well.

[@carlarrowsmith]

@@sharonec5419 Glad that your families personal experience is good but the market as a whole shows they are doing badly. In the UK their sales peaked 20 years ago and have since tanked. It's so bad now even Chinese brand MG sells 150% more cars than them. One area they have done well with is the Dacia brand, basic and value is where they excel.

[@LittleCar]

Main Renault Scénic video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2fNYZ-jmdKVlcU Full Patrick le Quément interview: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJ-yg5R5j7ymqck

[@jamesengland7461]

Styling is a funny thing- sometimes the unique design gets all the attention, excitement, and sales, and sometimes the plain car dominates. Sadly, in between, we have all the lookalikes which copy each other. I sure can't figure it out, but then neither can the automakers, it seems.

[@MrDuncl]

Focus groups ? I recall reading that when Renault were producing an entirely new Renault 5 they showed different concepts to focus groups and they all chose the one that looked closest to the original, so much so that when it was launched many people just assumed it was a restyle of the existing model. Of course so much time has now elapsed that when the Renault 5 EV goes on sale, oldies like me will recognise it as a 5 while youngsters will think it has radical new styling.

[@azog23]

I've not driven a Nissan Juke, but the worst "reverse tardis" car I've ever driven was a Astra Mk7. Somehow they'd made a car that was huge on the outside but felt really cramped on the inside. It didn't help that there was a pointless ridge of plastic styling exactly at knee level which I kept hitting. A really awful car.

[@uncinarynin]

I'm just waiting out the crossover fad, getting bored of everything trying to look like an offroader. It's so bulky and clumsy. I like sleek and slim and streamlined looking things.

[@Noah_E]

They're not going away. CUVs are the natural evolution of the station wagon (estate) and those have been popular for over 100 years

[@MrDuncl]

@@Noah_E A common theme on Doug DeMuro's channel is Americans bemoaning the dearth of Wagons in the US market, especially the ones that are available in Europe. However, it seems many Americans seem to think that they need a Ford F150 to pick up a bag of nails from Home Depot.

[@lukelovescars08]

Who hates the Nissan Juke?

[@lukelovescars08]

I do

[@lukelovescars08]

Who wants to see a car with headlights that look like "a sort of stupid double bug eyes"

[@lukelovescars08]

I don't. I would say "WHY DID YOU BOUGHT THE JUKE?" An owner would say: "BECAUSE I LIKE IT." And I would answer: "THE FORMER TOP GEAR PRESENTERS HATE THE CAR AND I HATE IT TOO!"

[@seanoneillsongs]

There are car nuts and there are many more who merely want something to load there stuff into and know it will get them from A to B. I have two sons, the older who spent the first four years of his life wedged into a britax child seat aft of the front seats in a Triumph Spitfire has had a series of cars I would consider interesting - a Honda Beat, two Fiat Coupés - the Cris Bangle one, a Saab convertible, an XJS Jaguar. He's currently living in Tokyo and doesn't keep a car there but for a country break he's just rented a Honda S600 and is enjoying the hairpins in that. Contrast that will his brother - 4 years younger who when I was visiting recently and his wife called to say she had a flat tyre on the car, called the AA and, when asked what the car was...he didn't know. This confirmed my belief that mostly Lexus sell to people who are interested in cars - just want something good. I was able to tell him a Lexus something - 300? I couldn't help out with the reg number.

[@nowind37]

Even his arrest in Japan

[@KosmatiBohem]

6:28 look at this scar-face front end ... I hate seeing those card comming toward me on the road with this scar-like leds ... offending design. Only more offending design is from Nissan Yuke.

[@oliverstemp9132]

Tino was a rubbish name for an MPV, it sounds like Nissan Tiny.