A 4x4 version of Renault's Scenic mini people carrier has gone on sale with prices starting from £18,200 on-the-road, claiming a substantial list price advantage over key sports/utility competitors such as the Land Rover Freelander.

The five-door RX4 has permanent four-wheel-drive and and is offered in Sport Alize and Monaco trims. Engines are a 2.0-litre 140bhp 16-valve petrol unit and an all-new 105bhp 1.9-litre dCi common rail turbodiesel.

Standard equipment includes two electric tilt and slide sunroofs, ABS, remote central locking, immobiliser, driver, front passenger and front lateral airbags, manual air-conditioning, fog lamps and a CD player.

The four-model range starts with the Scenic RX4 Sport Alize 1.9 dCi, which is £2,795 less than a Freelander Xdi five-door. The RX4 Sport Alize 2.0 16v has a £1,595 price advantage over the Freelander 1.8 Xi.