MPV CAR NEW If the Renault Espace gains height, it does not mean forgetting the pleasure of driving, with its four-wheel steering and engine taken from the Clio RS. Sign of the times, the Renault Espace takes height. Also, the manufacturer to the diamond he refers to as crossover, more minivan. To the point that the diamond has opened a specific site template, whose address is www.crossover.renault.com, as if the name of this model, which is celebrating its thirty years (read our saga about 30 years of Renault Espace), had become taboo. Fortunately, Renault had the intelligence to keep this surname loaded image. That's the least of it: it would have seemed suicidal to throw to the winds, while conversely, the manufacturer has persisted in Laguna call the third generation of his family, despite the dire reputation of the second .
Unlike the Ford S-Max (read our article on the new Ford S-Max) remains true to its philosophy, Space deny in part its purpose to gain height. Its large wheels (17 to 20 inches depending on version) and high ground clearance indeed tend to bring the world of the SUV, which has supplanted the minivan in almost all regions. It must be said that the emergence of the compact MPV, offering up to seven seats, sounded the death knell of their big brothers. Convenience is not enough to justify the high prices of these models, which also have become status symbols.
Renault has understood the problem and tends to make its space the real top of the range. Unloved, the Latitude hardly too much to hide its Korean origins to seduce and win, "And if the real luxury was space?" More than ever, the advertising slogan seems relevant today. To the point that it is in the guise of the new model that the designer Laurens van den Acker has achieved its apparent luxury, namely the concept car unveiled at the Paris Initial Frankfurt Motor Show last year (read our article on Renault concept car Initial Paris). Also there is space also unveiled initial version, together with the Clio the same name.
Inside, despite a less unrealistic fittings, the clean lines remain. The symmetrical appearance of the dashboard is a tradition of the lineage, here reflected in a new version. As the Clio and Captur is a touch screen that is the center of attention. From a vertical format and a diameter of 8.7 inches, it is placed on a floating center console, in the image of what Volvo over much of its range. A control dial is used to navigate through the menus, as on German models. The infotainment system introduces a new version of the R-Link, called R-Link 2. Finally, a light atmosphere of varying color used to draw the contours of this console.
Renault Espace (2014 World Cup) Renault Espace (2014 World Cup). Image © Renault. Of course, for the space retains its family side offering modularity worthy of the name, with five and seven seats available configurations to choose from. However, contrary to the previous two generations, one body length (4.85 m) will be available. The interior is a revolution, since the space abandoned removable seats for chairs that fold into the floor. This operation can be performed from a joystick in the trunk, with a lever on the seats, or a touch of the menu of the touch screen.
Under the hood, the space is of course a showcase for the Diesel. It has as well the four-cylinder 130 hp 1.6 R9M that the heyday of the Mégane and Scénic. Moreover, it is the first individual model of Renault to offer the twin-turbo version of this block already seen in the traffic. The latter, strong 160 hp, is exclusively associated with a dual-clutch six-speed. Top-end finally Space takes the turbocharged 1.6 petrol unit with 200 hp Clio RS. Driving pleasure seems to have been central to the design of this model, which also adopts a four-wheel chassis guiding a driven suspension, while being adjustable in several modes settings.
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