If you’re the mother or head of a large family, then count the Renault Espace among your best transportation options. Although on the outside it’s just 4.5 metres in length, there’s enough room inside for all the kids and your hubby. You can also remove or maximize more space with the removable and foldable chairs. This review will look into how good of an investment the Renault Espace is for the family.

Pros

A total of seven individuals can fit in the Renault Espace, making it the right vehicle for large families. Whether you have several children or live with your grandparents, the large comfortable seats and expansive space makes it the right match for families that go out regularly as a group. Mothers will be thankful for the ease of getting in and out as they pick up each child from school or after school activities.

Comfort is assured in every aspect. The first two rows provide high seating positions, while back seat passengers can easily access the third row instead of having to duck before getting comfortable. There’s also more than enough leg room, even with all seven individuals going on board. All seats are sculpted accordingly and can fit comfortably under any type of body.

There’s also enough space for everyone’s luggage. Bags and groceries can readily be stored in cubbyholes and storage bins found in the vehicle. There’s even extra storage found on the third seat row’s trim.

Most Espace models feature a four-cylinder diesel engine, such as the 2.2-litre, 2.2 dCi at 150bhp, and the 1.9 dCI at 120 bhp. All of these come with a six-speed manual gearbox. For those after automatic transmission, go for the 2.2 dCi or the V6 petrol and diesel auto-only models. Out of all the available diesels, we recommend the 2.2-litre for its smooth ride and seamless turns. The 2006 Espace comes with two new variations to the 2.0-litre dCi: either in 175bhp or 150bhp. You get more power and torque as well as six-speed automatic transmission for the V6 diesel, while the 2.2 dCi works best with automatic transmission.

The Espace is able to handle motorway speeds and conditions quite well. Bumps and turns are not a problem. A light feel for the steering makes it easy to cut through corners and swerve into different directions.

Complete equipment comes with the Espace: from traction control, ESP, automatic headlamps, automatic parking brake, to the CD player. All these are standard and come with every Espace generation or variation. If you want the full works, go for the top models’ and their front fog lamps, tyre pressure monitors, parking sensors, and rain-sensing wipers. You can even include a satellite navigation system that lets you access a map in 3D.

Cons

Although the Espace promises safety for the family, driving enthusiasts will be disappointed by the instability of the vehicle on twisty roads. Parents won’t mind the stable performance on motorway speeds but it could still use improvement on handling extremely bad road conditions. Overall, however, the Renault Espace guarantees a smooth and comfortable ride for bumps.

There’s very little to dislike about the Renault Espace. It’s definitely a smart choice for families looking for a long-term vehicle investment.

                Renault S.A. is a French multinational manufacturer of automobiles that is headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt in France. This manufacturer created the Renault Espace, a large multi purpose vehicle that was first produced in the year 1984.

                This car has been recognized as the first multi purpose vehicle or MPV in the world. The first generation Espace or the Espace I was produced in the years 1984 until 1991, and is available as a front engine, front wheel drive or front engine, four wheel drive. This car is assembled in Romorantin, France and was originally created by Fergus Pollock, a British automobile designer who worked for Chysler UK.

                The Renault Espace was created as a replacement vehicle for the Matra Rancho leisure activity vehicle. The design of the Espace was given to Renault because the PSA Peugeot Citroën, who bought Chrysler UK and Simca, thought that producing the car’s design was too risky and expensive. Hence, it was launched in 1984 under Renault and the concept of a multi purpose vehicle soon became popular.

                The Espace II was introduced in 1991, and it was assembled in France and China. For the car’s first decade, a show car named Espace F1 was created by Matra. In 1997, the Espace III was produced still in France and China, and this became popular as taxi conversions at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Kuala Lumpur Sentral transportation hub. The current Espace is the Espace IV, which was launched in 2003 and produced in Sandouville, France and Miaoli, Taiwan.