The history of Renault Espace minivans is over. In the new, sixth generation, the once-legendary model has turned into a crossover on duty with not the most impressive characteristics.
Renault Espace first generation debuted in 1983: thanks to a new approach to the layout, he opened the class of minivans (MPV) for Europeans. Until about the end of the 90s, this class was considered very progressive and promising, then the evolution in the auto industry gave a sharp tilt towards the SUV segment, and today, instead of hundreds of minivan options, we have a horde of crossovers on the market, and the MPV class has become frankly niche, with the exception of China, where monocabs (especially luxury ones) are in high demand today.
The Renault brand left China in 2020, and the French company no longer wants to produce monocabs for Europe. Actually, already the «fifth» Espace on the CMF-C/D platform, Renault marketers tried to sell it as a crossover, but because of the single-volume profile, buyers refused to perceive it as such, sales were modest.
In the sixth generation, the Espace has completely abandoned the MPV concept, now it is a completely typical crossover with a high seating position, a two-volume profile and a rather cramped gallery, which is offered as a free option. The “sixth” Espace is, in fact, an elongated version of the Renault Austral compact crossover that debuted a year ago, both models, like the “fifth” Espace, are created on the CMF-C/D modular platform. Overall length of the new Espace — 4722 mm, width — 1843 mm, height — 1645 mm, wheelbase — 2738 mm, ground clearance — 180 mm. Compared to its predecessor, the new Espace has become shorter by 140 mm and “lost” by 215 kg, the curb weight of the crossover is 1587-1698 kg, depending on the equipment. The standard tire size is 205 55 R 19 or 235 45 R 20.
1/9 2/9 3/9 4/9 5/9 6/9 7/9 8/9 9/9 < p>From the driver's seat, the Espace and Austral are absolutely identical: the instrument screen is 12.3-inch, the multimedia screen is 12-inch, and there is also an optional projection screen with a diagonal of 9.3 inches. The powerful lever on the central tunnel is just a handhold, the transmission mode selector is located on the right side of the steering column. The second row seats can be moved back and forth in the range of 220 mm, the maximum margin in the knees in the second row is 321 mm, each row of seats has USB-C ports for charging gadgets. For a surcharge, a glass roof with a length of 1.33 m without a sunroof is offered. The total capacity of niches for small things in the cabin is 39 liters.
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The volume of the trunk in the 5-seater version with the second row seats pushed as far forward as possible is 777 liters, with the second row seats pushed back as far as possible — 581 liters, with the second row seats folded down — 1818 l.
In the 7-seater version with all the seats involved, the trunk volume is a modest 159 liters, with the gallery folded and the second row seats pushed forward as far as possible — 677 liters, with the gallery folded and the second row seats pushed back as far as possible — 477 liters, with the second and third seats folded down rows — 1714 l. The tailgate is equipped with an electric drive, it can also be opened with a “kick” (a wave of the foot under the rear bumper).
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From the Austral crossover, the new Espace inherited a fully controlled chassis (by the way, the “fifth” Espace also had it) and a wide range of electronic driver assistants, but the Espace has only one power unit — a hybrid E-Tech based on a 1.2-liter 3- cylinder gasoline turbo engine (130 hp, 205 Nm). The internal combustion engine is assisted by two electric motors — the main traction motor (70 hp, 205 Nm) and a starter-generator (25 hp, 50 Nm). The capacity of the buffer 400-volt lithium-ion battery is 2 kWh, there is no possibility of charging from an external source. The maximum total power of the system is 200 hp. The gearbox is automatic, the drive is only front. The new Espace accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds and has a top speed of 175 km/h.
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New release Espace will be in the same place as the related Austral — at the Renault plant in Palencia, Spain, sales in Europe will begin this spring, but prices have not yet been announced. In the European model line of Renault, the new Espace will sooner or later replace the mid-size crossover Koleos, which has been produced since 2016, but for now Koleos is still available from European dealers. next year will also be replaced by a crossover of the same name.