Renault Espace

Renault Espace
Overview
Manufacturer	Renault
Production	1984–present
Body and chassis
Class	Large MPV (M) (1984-2014) Mid-size luxury crossover (2015-present)[1]
Body style	5-door MPV (1984-2014) 5-door SUV (2015-present)[1]

The Renault Espace is a mid-size luxury crossover^[1][2] (minivan in its first four generations) from Renault. Generations 1–3 were sold under the Renault brand but manufactured by Matra. The Renault Grand Espace is a long-wheelbase (LWB) version with increased rear leg room and boot size. The name "Espace" means "space" in French. The car is often considered to be the first MPV, but previous vehicles had similar designs.

In February 2012, the Espace was retired in the United Kingdom, as part of a cost–cutting plan.^[3]

Espace I (1984–1991)

Espace I
Overview
Production	1984–1991
Assembly	Romorantin, France (Matra)
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive (FWD) / Front-engine
Powertrain
Engine	petrol 2.0 8 valve I4 2.9 12 valve V6 diesel 2.1 TD 8 valve I4

Renault Espace rear

The Espace's design was originally conceived in the 1970s by the British designer Fergus Pollock, who was working for Chrysler UK, at its design centre at Whitley in Coventry.^[4] Later, Matra, which was affiliated with Simca, the then French subsidiary of Chrysler, was involved in partnership in the design, spearheaded by Greek designer Antonis Volanis.

The Espace was originally intended to be sold as a Talbot, and to be a replacement for the Matra Rancho leisure activity vehicle. Early prototypes used Simca parts, and hence featured a grille reminiscent of the Simca 1307 (Chrysler Alpine). In 1978, six years before the Espace went into production, Chrysler UK and Simca were sold to the French company PSA Peugeot Citroën, which phased out Simca within a decade because of falling sales. PSA decided the Espace was too expensive and too risky a design to put into production, so it was given to Matra, which took the idea to Renault.

The Matra concept became the Renault Espace. The design featured a fibreglass body mounted on a warm-galvanised steel chassis, using the same technique and assembly line at the factory as the Talbot Matra Murena. The introduction of the Espace required the relatively small factory to cease the production of the Murena to make room for the Espace. The Espace was eventually launched by Renault in July 1984. After a slow start - a mere nine Espaces were sold in the first month^[5] - consumers realised the benefits of the MPV concept and the Espace became popular. It was sold in the United Kingdom from August 1985.

In 1984, American Motors Corporation (AMC) announced it would begin to market the front-wheel-drive Espace in the United States.^[6][7] The minivan was exhibited to consumers at the 1985 Chicago Auto Show, but AMC's negotiations with Matra continued over the vehicle's import pricing.^[8] Plans for the Espace to be launched in the U.S. ended with the purchase of AMC by Chrysler.

In 2004, BBC's motoring show Top Gear set up a race between two Espaces, a Toyota Previa, a Toyota MasterAce, a Mitsubishi Space Wagon, and a Nissan Serena. The Espaces came first and second.

Renault Espace rear

Renault Espace MK1 facelift

Facelift

Building upon its success, the Espace was revamped in 1988 with most of the Talbot/Simca content being replaced by equivalent Renault parts. The chassis and mechanical components of the car remained largely unchanged. The most obvious cosmetic exterior difference between the very first Espaces and the revamped post-1988 models were the changed headlights: the forward-slanting lights with orange indicator casing of the original Espace were replaced with backward-slanting lights with a clear indicator casing.

Espace II (1991–1997)

Espace II
Overview
Also called	Renault Univers (China)
Production	1991–1997 (F) 1994–1999 (PRC)
Assembly	Romorantin, France (Matra) Xiaogan, China (SRAC)
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive / four-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine	petrol 2.0 8v I4 2.2 8v I4 2.9 24v V6 3.5 40v V10 diesel 2.1 TD 8v I4

Renault Espace rear

A heavily revised Espace was launched in 1991, adopting the Renault family look, to replace the Talbot–themed styling of the original. This was essentially a re-skin of the original car, with a new dashboard and other interior improvements. The chassis was unchanged.

In an episode of Top Gear, then–presenter Jeremy Clarkson referred to this generation as "probably the best of the MPVs". However, he went on to say "but that's like saying, "Oh good, I've got syphilis, the best of the sexually transmitted diseases!".

Espace F1

Overview

Renault Espace F1 at the Rétromobile 2014

In 1995, Renault displayed a show car called the Espace F1, which was created by Matra to celebrate both the 10th anniversary of the Espace and Renault's involvement in Formula One racing. Though it resembled an Espace with substantial bodywork changes, the vehicle had more in common with a Formula One car. The vehicle used a lightweight carbon fibre F1-style chassis in combination with a carbon fibre-reinforced Espace J63-series body (as opposed to fibreglass on the standard model). Powering the Espace F1 was an 800 PS (588 kW) (upgraded from its original rating of 700 PS (515 kW)) 3.5-litre, 40-valve Renault RS5 V10 engine, as used in the 1993 Williams-Renault FW15C.

As with an F1 car, the V10 engine was mid-engined (as opposed to the conventional front-engined layout) and the power was transmitted to the rear wheels via a 6-speed semi-automatic gearbox, also used in the Williams FW15C. The engine and transmission allowed the Espace F1 to accelerate from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 2.8 seconds, 0–200 km/h (0–124 mph) in 6.9 seconds and carry on accelerating to a top speed of 312 km/h (194 mph). With the use of carbon-ceramic brakes, the Espace F1's deceleration was no less impressive that its acceleration, and could accelerate from 0–270 km/h (0–168 mph) and brake to a complete halt in under 600 metres (1,969 ft). This version of the Espace was featured in driving simulator game Gran Turismo 2. Frank Williams was a noted passenger of the Espace F1, chauffeured by Williams driver David Coulthard.^[9] The Espace F1 currently resides in the Matra Museum in France.^[10]

Espace III (1997–2002)

Espace III
Overview
Production	1997–2002
Assembly	Romorantin, France (Matra) Xiaogan, China (SRAC)
Body and chassis
Related	Renault Avantime
Powertrain
Engine	2.0 8v I4 2.0 16v I4 3.0 PRV 3.0 24v PSA 1.9 dTi 12v I4 2.2 dTi 12v I4 2.2 dCi 16v I4
Dimensions
Length	4,517 mm (177.8 in) 4,787 mm (188.5 in) (Grand Espace)
Width	1,810 mm (71.3 in) 2,070 mm (81.5 in) (Grand Espace)
Height	1,690 mm (66.5 in) 1,700 mm (66.9 in) (Grand Espace)

The third generation Espace arrived in 1997, with the long-wheelbase Grand Espace coming to market the following year. The most notable feature of the Espace III was the radically futuristic interior (including an elongated and centrally-mounted dashboard, digital speedometer and radio/CD display). The Espace III featured a plastic (GRP) body over a galvanised independent steel chassis. The Espace III shared much of its running gear with the Laguna of the same era. Although Renault-badged, the Espace III continued to be built by Matra. A number of third generation Espaces were used as bases for NGV and taxi conversions for the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Kuala Lumpur Sentral transportation hub in Malaysia, rebranded as Enviro 2000s.

Renault Grand Espace, the long-wheelbase version (1998-2003)

The third generation Espace was the last Espace to be built by Matra (The short lived Avantime was subsequently produced on the same production line). During 2001, Matra and MG Rover discussed a possible deal to build reskinned Espaces, as well as market them. However, the deal failed to happen.^[11][12]

Espace IV (2002–2014)

Espace IV
Overview
Production	2002–2014[13][14][15][16]
Assembly	Sandouville, France (Sandouville Factory)[13][15][16]
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine	2.0 L 16-valve I4 (petrol) 2.0 L 16-valve Turbo I4 (petrol) 3.5 L 24-valve V6 (petrol) 1.9 L dCi I4 (diesel) 2.0 L 16-valve dCi I4 diesel) 2.2 L 16-valve dCi I4 (diesel) 3.0 L 24-valve dCi V6 (diesel)
Transmission	6-speed manual 5-speed automatic 6-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,803 mm (110.4 in) (Espace)[17] 2,868 mm (112.9 in) (Grand Espace)[18]
Length	4,661 mm (183.5 in) (Espace)[17] 4,859 mm (191.3 in) (Grand Espace)[18]
Width	1,859 mm (73.2 in)[17][18]
Height	1,730 mm (68.1 in) (Espace)[17] 1,750 mm (68.9 in) (Grand Espace)[18]

facelift Renault Espace rear

Pre-facelift Renault Espace facelift

Pre-facelift Renault Espace facelift

The fourth generation Espace arrived in 2003, being the first entirely Renault-developed and produced model. This model is 90% recyclable and contains numerous weight-reducing materials, thus cutting fuel consumption. The aluminium doors and bonnet are some 20 kg lighter than steel equivalents.

Its styling was reflective of a new design direction at Renault, symbolised by the radical Vel Satis and Avantime models, marking a major departure from the previous model, which also saw the range moved upmarket.

In 2006, the Espace received a thorough facelift (Phase II) and added new 2.0-litre and 3.0-litre dCi engines.^[19] In October 2010, a slight redesign was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show (Phase III), with minor cosmetic changes, LED lights and improved equipment.^[20]

On 22 June 2012, Renault announced a restyling of the Espace (Phase IV), the second important after 2006,^[21][22][23] incorporating the "family feeling" design concept of Laurens van den Acker. Also, it introduced new 2.0 dCi (M9R) engines, in order to meet the French regulations regarding the limitations on CO2 emissions.^[21] The car continued in production until the launch of a new generation.^[22]

In 2002, Renault goals were to deliver 450,000 units of the Espace IV before 2009, which would account for 20% of the European market for an MPV. The fourth generation Espace came third from the bottom in the Top Gear Satisfaction Survey 2005.

Safety

The Espace IV passed the Euro NCAP car safety tests with following ratings:^[24]

Adult Occupant:
Pedestrian:

The 2003 Espace featured in British motoring television show Fifth Gear, where it was crashed into a 1990s Land Rover Discovery at 64 km/h (40 mph). The passenger compartment in the Espace was kept fairly intact, but the dummy in the Discovery was smashed between the seats and the dashboard, leaving no survival possibilities.

Reviews

The Renault Espace IV has received very good reviews from motoring journalists and is often cited as one of the best vehicles in the large MPV class.

• The AA ^[25]
  'The [Espace] is the MPV to beat all MPVs; it's spacious, luxurious and drives well for a car this size. And there's no question of it being mistaken for anything else on the road.'
• Autocar ^[26]
  'The interior is well executed, but even the Grand Espace isn't that spacious with seven on board. Build quality is impressive, as are the diesels, but avoid petrol power.'
• Auto Express ^[27]
  'The restyle hasn't dented the visual appeal of the Espace. Yet although the interior is more practical, it's simply not as versatile as the cabins of rivals such as the new Ford Galaxy, or upmarket competitors like Land Rover's Discovery.'
• Car ^[28]
  For: Gigantic
  Against: A bit unwieldy
• Parker's ^[29]
  Pros: Masses of cabin room, superb long distance cruiser, strong dCi engines
  Cons: Can be expensive to buy, seats don't fold flat, sheer size makes it tricky to manoeuvre
• Top Gear ^[30]
  'The last word in MPVs, the Renault Espace is simply vast, but manages to be stylish and unconventional at the same time. Available in regulation and Behemoth 'Grand' guises, either is the ultimate solution for those with a distrust of birth control.'
• What Car? ^[31]
  'Decent space for people, if not their luggage. The Espace offers a refined drive and some refined engines, but some rivals are cheaper and more versatile.'

Espace V (2015–present)

Espace V
Overview
Production	2015–present
Assembly	Douai, France (Douai Renault Factory)
Body and chassis
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Platform	Renault CMF-CD
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,884 mm (113.5 in)

The fifth-generation Espace was unveiled at the 2014 Paris Motor Show in October 2014. It abandons the large MPV design of previous generations, instead having a mid-size luxury crossover styling. The car is based on the Renault–Nissan Common Module Family architecture developed by both Renault and Nissan.^[2]

The Renault Espace has radar Adaptive Cruise Control, and active emergency braking.^[32] It is offered with the latest version of Renault's R–Link 2 infotainment system (voice control, navigation, Bluetooth and radio), engine stop-start, emergency brake assist, lane departure warning and road-sign recognition with speed limit alerts, 360-degree sensors, reversing camera and a hands-free parking system.

The Espace V is only available in LHD markets, with no RHD vehicles built or sold.^[33]

Initiale Paris

Renault Initiale Paris
The Renault Initiale Paris concept
Overview
Manufacturer	Renault
Production	2013 (Concept car)
Body and chassis
Class	Mid-size luxury crossover
Body style	5-door SUV
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,884 mm (113.5 in)
Chronology
Predecessor	Renault Egeus Renault Ondelios

The Renault Initiale Paris

The fifth-generation Espace was preceded by the Initiale Paris concept car, which is similar to the production version. The concept was unveiled in September 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show and it has a mid-size luxury crossover SUV-like design and various luxury elements,^[34] previewing also the new Renault's Initiale Paris luxury sub-marque.^[35] The car incorporates an aluminium–poly(methyl methacrylate) roof which has a map of Paris.^[36] The engine is a 1.6-litre diesel unit.^[34] The Initiale Paris is the final installment of Laurens van den Acker's "cycle of life" six-concept series, with each one representing, according to Renault, a lifetime moment: "love" (Renault DeZir), "explore" (Renault Captur), "family" (Renault R-Space), "work" (Renault Frendzy), "play" (Renaults Twin'Z and Twin'Run) and "wisdom" (Renault Initiale Paris).^[37]

Engine Specifications

See also

• Renault Captur, the mini SUV of the manufacturer
• Renault Modus, the mini MPV of the manufacturer
• Renault Scénic, the compact MPV of the manufacturer

References

Further reading

• Chapman, Giles (27 July 2004). "Classic Cars: The Renault Espace". The Independent (London). Retrieved 7 September 2014. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Renault Espace.

• Official Renault Espace UK spec page
• Gallery and historical data