RENAULT this week launched its latest people carrier, the Grand Scenic, different from its competitors in that it joins a family range of people carriers each of different sizes.

Whereas rivals either offer a compact five-seater or a slightly larger seven-seat body style, Renault cuts out the compromise by providing the five-seater Kangoo and Scenic, and the seven-seater Espace and Grand Espace and now the Grand Scenic.

The reasoning behind this line-up is that it allows the family to choose the size of car wanted, as well as the choice of seating numbers.

There is no doubt that Renault has enjoyed phenomenal success with its Scenic and Espace range and, with the arrival of the Grand Scenic, here is yet another flexible family mover. The Scenic's design has not been compromised for its transformation into the Grand Scenic with the 23-centimetres of extra length shared between the wheelbase and rear overhang.

Grand Scenic keeps the adaptability of the new Scenic and has been fitted with two additional independent seats in a third row, capable of being individually folded into the floor. The seats are not ideally suited to adults, however, but are certainly most useful for children.

To change the seating layout from five to seven (or back) the operation is quite easy, possible by using one hand and in a single movement without the need to remove the head restraints. With all seven seats in use, there are still 200-litres of luggage room, the largest in the class. Fold the back two seats into the floor and slide the second row seats forward, and the space leaps to 605-litres (550-litres with the second row seats back as far as they will go). You can increase the overall load space to 1,920-litres, but this means removing the three seats and humping them into the garage.

The Grand Scenic comes with a comprehensive package of equipment. The most useful is the electronic parking brake that also frees up the interior space for a powered sliding centre unit between the front seats. It incorporates armrests, courtesy lights, accessory power point and cup holders as well as a handy storage bin. The parking brake senses when the car is about to move off by the engine revs and automatically releases the wheels: brilliant for hill starts.

There are four trim levels and also several option packs covering climate, handling, comfort, convenience or luxury.

Prices for the entry-level Authentique start at £14,613 on the road for the 115bhp 1.6-litre 16V VVT petrol, rising to £15,713 for the 100bhp 1.5-litre dCi economical and clean common rail diesel. Both engines are matched to a five-speed manual gearbox, and each model can be fitted with a manual air conditioning system for another £500.

The Expression starts at £15,613 on the road for the 1.6-litre rising to £17,613 for the 1.9-litre 120bhp diesel, while the Dynamique comes in at £16,113 for the 1.6-litre and tops out at £18,313 for the 2.0-litre 136bhp version.

Flagship models, the 1.6-litre Privilege comes in at £17,113 on the road, rising to £19,313 for the 2.0-litre 136bhp automatic.

Updated: 13:27 Friday, April 30, 2004