Renault ESPACE 3.0 dCi
If You Want The Best MPV Money Can Buy, The
Renault Espace 3.0dCi Has A Fair Claim On Your Attentions. By Andy Enright
The problem with being the best is that youre up there for everybody else to shoot at. Therefore it helps to constantly reinvent yourself in order to keep ahead of the chasing pack. Renault knows a thing or two about this process, having produced a number of generations of Espace since its introduction way back in 1984. With each new Espace, Renault has pushed further and further upmarket, redefining the model as the MPV to have if youll accept no substitutes.
The latest car is no exception and in 3.0-litre dCi diesel guise, adds what might well be the second most impressive engine ever to grace an MPV.
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There arent too many V6 diesel engines about, and having driven this one, we have to wonder why. Torque is what this engines all about, sheer muscle right from the get go. The peak torque figure of 258lb ft isnt far shy of what a
Porsche 911 Carrera manages and the big
Renault feels effortlessly strong when accelerating through the mid range. A maximum power rating of 180bhp combines to propel the 3.
0dCi Espace to 60mph in a gnats over 10 seconds and on to a 130mph maximum. If youve got an especially disciplined right foot, youll average a return of nearly 30mpg from it as well. On a long motorway run, expect to see a range in excess of 750 miles due in no small part to the cars monster 83-litre fuel tank. High speed cruising shows the engine at its best, quiet and able to utilise that supple, elastic power delivery, the standard automatic gearbox slurring up and down unobtrusively.
At idle or at full throttle there is a slight diesel clatter but its certainly not intrusive and only serves to remind you that theres something a little special up front. The price of such progress starts at £29,595 for the Authentique trim level in long wheelbase Grand Espace form but if you dont need the Grand models extra luggage space but want more luxury, theres a standard Espace Initiale version on offer priced at £33,395. If these prices temporarily knock you sideways, consider for a moment what youre getting. CAR magazine noted that this car would take the large MPV segment further upmarket.
Not wrong there. Autocar magazine were more effusive still, claiming the Espace was the Range
Rover of MPVs.
"There arent too many V6 diesel engines about, and having driven this one, we have to wonder why"
Both the trim levels come with a hefty quota of kit. For example, even the Dynamique model gets 17-inch alloy wheels, dual automatic climate control, extra tinted glass on the rear windows and tailgate, a heat reflecting windscreen, roof bars, carbon and beige interior trim and Cantanzaro part-leather sports seats. Opt for the Initiale and youll also get alcantara and leather upholstery with six individual Captains chairs, all with armrests. Cruise control with speed limiter, parking sensors, metallic bumpers, a 160-Watt stereo, Carminat satellite navigation and heated, electrically adjustable front seats with memory also let you know that youre travelling First Class.
The Espaces exterior styling is a little more angular than the outgoing version, although few will have any cause for complaint. The detailing is very neat, with rakish scalene triangles formed by bevelled front and rear wings. The interior will be largely familiar but Renault have taken the concept of hiding all the major instruments and controls to extremes. A single central digital display shows most of the main functions, but the stereo controls are hidden under one of a multitude of flaps, as is the optional satellite navigation system.
The controls for these features are a little fiddly, although the door-mounted air conditioning and ventilation controls are well executed. Renault have positioned the Espace somewhat surprisingly. Not content to merely consider it a premier league MPV, they have instead given it some serious VIP billing, selling it exclusively through their range of Premier Centres - upmarket dealerships that also distribute the Avantime and Vel Satis. The Premier Centres are unapologetically swanky, with Renault specifying everything from the materials used for displays down to the crockery and glassware used for customer refreshments.
No shiny-suited youth will ask what he can put you in today; instead Renault have appointed a range of Relationship Managers who aim to offer an expert opinion, explaining the choices available with the help of upholstery swatches, trim samples, colour charts and online imaging. You almost have to remind yourself that this an Espace rather than a
Ferrari Enzo youre buying. In driving the car upmarket, Renault hope to poach sales from not only the better MPV rivals out there but also buyers of executive cars who have become a little jaded at the choice available. With its superior driving characteristics, the Espace leaves behind the image of obligatory MPV lurching and wallowing, instead offering a drive thats reasonably tight.
Only blasting it down a bouncy B-road will find the limits of the Espaces suspension travel. Buyers opting for the latest Espace make a conscious decision. They appreciate that theres no such thing in life as a free lunch and if you want the best you need to pay for it. The 3.
0-litre dCi models revel in this meritocracy. They offer a unique blend of poise and parsimony that, for the first time, makes an upmarket MPV a viable alternative to a proper executive car. But what of that talk of this only being maybe the second most impressive MPV engine? Renaults 3.5-litre V6 petrol has a shout as well, but when Renault put their Formula One engine into an Espace a few years back in order to give Sir Frank Williams a scare, they may have created the ultimate MPV.
Some Espace 3.0dCi owners, however, may not concur.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Renault Espace 3.0dCi range
PRICES: £29,595-£33,395 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 14-15
CO2 EMISSIONS: 252g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 10.4s / Max Speed 130mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 21.2mpg/ (extra urban) 38.3mpg/ (combined) 29.8mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, full length curtain bags, lateral airbags, ABS with brake assist, ESP with CSV understeer control
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