Yahoo News JOHN MURDOCH'S DRIVE TIME: We reveal how the Renault Scenic E-Tech scooped Scottish Car Of The Year prize and preview revamped Kia EV6
In this instalment of John Murdoch's Drive Time, John reveals how the Renault Scenic E-Tech was awarded the title of Scottish Car Of The Year by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers in association with the Arnold Clark group, and takes a spin in the revamped Kia EV6.
The Renault Scenic E-Tech has been crowned the Scottish Car of the Year (SCOTY) by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW) in association with Arnold Clark.
A combination of versatility, comfort, driving range, quality, and sleek looks put the Renault Scenic E-Tech ahead of the most talented rivals ever seen vying for the title decided by the ASMW.
The talented Scenic E-Tech also won the Electric Family Car title.
This year’s award ceremony, staged at the Dalmahoy Country Club in Edinburgh, witnessed a strong showing from Kia, which took three category awards with Large EV for the Kia EV9, Manufacturer of the Year, while the Kia Sportage won Used Car Over £15,000.
The Suzuki Swift took home prizes for Small Car and Best Eco Performance.
The Lexus LBX lifted the trophy for Compact Crossover/SUV, and Lexus also won the Aftersales award.
Skoda’s brilliant new Kodiaq won the ICE Family Car title, and the Polestar 3 was named Premium/Executive Car of 2024.
Hyundai was another name to celebrate a double victory with awards for the Santa Fe in Large ICE Car and the Performance category with the amazing IONIQ 5 N.
Ford also enjoyed lifting two trophies on the night with wins for the Transit Custom in the Utility category, while the Fiesta took home the gong for Used Car Under £15,000.
Mazda’s evergreen MX-5 was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award, while Scottish pioneers in leather, Bridge of Weir, were the recipients of the President’s Award for the company’s environmentally sustainable work.
Adam Wood, managing director and country head of Renault Group UK, said: “The Renault Scenic E-Tech 100 per cent electric has been designed for modern families.
"The judges’ reasoning behind this prestigious award underlines how it is completely unrivalled in what it offers, blending optimum practicality, refinement and convenience with a fantastic driving and ownership experience.”
Alisdair Suttie, ASMW president, explained: “The standard of cars across the board for SCOTY 2024 has been exceptional, so it was always going to take a very special car to achieve overall victory and that is exactly what the Renault Scenic E-Tech is.
"The judges were bowled over by its comfort, space, versatility, and how good it is to drive, plus the excellent driving range.
"It encapsulates all of the great values of the Scenic name in a sharply styled package that is affordable to buy and own, and just as importantly a pleasure to live with.”
The full list of SCOTY 2024 winners is:
Small Car - Suzuki Swift.
Compact Crossover/SUV - Lexus LBX.
ICE Family Car - Skoda Kodiaq.
Electric Family Car - Renault Scenic.
Large ICE Car - Hyundai Santa Fe.
Large EV - Kia EV9.
Premium/Executive Car - Polestar 3.
Performance Car - Hyundai IONIQ 5 N.
Utility - Ford Transit Custom.
Used Car Under £15,000 - Ford Fiesta.
Used Car Over £15,000 - Kia Sportage.
Best Eco Performance - Suzuki Swift.
Lifetime Achievement - Mazda MX-5.
Aftersales - Lexus.
Manufacturer of the Year - KIA.
President’s Award – Bridge of Weir Leather.
Meanwhile, just a couple of years after the Ki EV6 arrived, it has already been given a facelift, with a fresh look, upgraded tech and a longer driving range.
A new fourth-generation 84kWh battery, which offers an 8.5 per cent boost in capacity, allows the EV6 to travel further and charge faster.
This latest EV6 also boasts a new-look front end with a smart design that includes sleek daytime running lights with Kia’s new Star Map signature, an improved interior, fingerprint recognition technology, and some safety upgrades.
Buyers can select between two powertrains and three trim levels Air, GT-Line, and GT-Line S - with prices starting at £45,575.
The EV6 also comes with RWD or AWD. I had a drive in the GT-Line S trim with RWD, costing £53,675.
It came with the new signature lights at the front and rear of the car, a rear spoiler, privacy glass, GT-Line S badging, a sunroof, and very smart 20-inch alloys.
The EV6 has a real premium feel, the seats are powered and can be heated or ventilated, and the smart steering wheel can also be heated for winter driving comfort.
The dashboard dominates and features two 12.3-inch screens that merge behind a single curved glass panel and are easy to see and operate even on the move.
The left screen provides access to features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, sat nav and a superb14-speaker Meridian sound system, while the other displays all the driving data such as range, speed, and battery charge levels.
There’s also a head-up display and thankfully separate climate controls.
My car had a claimed combined range of 347 miles but I got a lot less than that in the recent very cold weather.
With 225bhp on tap, it was good for 115mph and tackled the sprint to 62mph in 7.7 seconds.
It handled well in town or on country roads and was a comfortable and quiet cruiser on motorways.
Drivers can choose between different levels of regenerative braking and all round visibility was good even with the narrow rear screen.
I was also able to select from drive modes, called Normal, Eco, Sport, My Drive, and Snow.
These alter the car’s dynamics to different driving conditions with Sport mode sharpening the handling.
READ MORE: JOHN MURDOCH'S DRIVE TIME: We take a look at changes made to Suzuki's popular Vitara model
The spacious cabin offers enough room for five to travel in comfort, while the substantial 480 litre boot is accessed via a powered tailgate and with the split rear seats folded this rises to 1300 litres.
More storage space is also available in the front trunk and in many areas inside the cabin.
Charging as always depends on the type of charger, so best to check this out fully before you buy.
As you would expect there is a full range of driver aids and safety features and the car also comes with one of the best warranties in the industry - seven years or 100,000 miles, with an eight-year warranty on the battery and electric motors.
It is not cheap, but with the significant updates the EV6 is now even more refined and it is a very strong contender in the premium EV market.
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