Renault Espace Estate 2003 - Present

The Espace was the car that invented the European MPV and as first to market it set the standard by which all others were judged. Now in it's forth incarnation it's still a great car and while it may have been overtaken, in some people's views, by other brands, it's still among the class leaders. It's large and well thought out, the removable seats making it a good multi purpose vehicle. While offering workman like functionality the Espace does still manage to retain an impressive level of sophistication.

With air conditioning as standard, the Espace is a comfortable place to travel. The cabin temperature is evenly regulated throughout. The individually sculpted seats, with good leg and head room throughout, ensures that you're comfortable no matter where you sit in the vehicle. The full length glass roof enhances the feeling of space and brightens up the cabin. The Air conditioning is more than capable of preventing the car becoming a greenhouse in the summer.

The Espace is a great cruiser, with engine options to offer decent performance. However it's a little let down when taken out for a trip to the country. On tighter roads the Espace is susceptible to body roll and feels it's size much more than on the open road. The steering is light which makes parking easy. There is little feeling for the road but the Espace isn't about the driving experience it's about getting a group of people from A to B and this it does well.

The majority of Espaces sold are diesel models. The 2.2 is probably the best balance of power and economy, although the economy isn't great at 30 mpg. There are several different petrol engines available 2.0, 2.0 turbo and the mighty 3.5 V6, which is a detuned version of the engine used for the Nissan 350Z (which could therefore be tuned to deliver 308 bhp against the standard 245 on offer?). This is a quick motorcar and offers a top speed of 140 mph with a 0 - 60 sprint in 7.8 seconds (just imagine what the tuned version would do!). Anyway the fuel economy is terrible at 23 mpg and both Mayor Livingstone and Chancellor Darling don't want you to own one as they emit over 290 g per KG of CO2. Just think what the 150 mph tuned Espace V6 would do (sorry got a bit stuck on that).

The Renault Espace is still a great way to transport up to seven people around and if you can get used to the slightly unsettling behaviour on more challenging roads then it's a pretty good car to drive. The engine options have scope to give performance or economy depending upon what you're looking for.

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