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In the past, French brands such as Citroën or Renault often represented particularly innovative vehicles. Renault motorized the masses with its practical small cars R4 and R5 and later Twingo. Renault Espace has also become a driving legend over the last four decades. He brought Chrysler Voyager’s idea of the American minivan to Europe and established the new MPV segment on our continent.
During his trips to the USA in the late 1970s, Philippe Guédon, technical director of the Matra tech group, noticed that family vans, as well as large limousines and all-terrain vehicles, dominated the streets of America. And so he set about developing a van specially designed for Europe. Initial drafts of the P16 and P17 are not yet satisfactory, but Guédon presented the P18 to then Renault boss Bernard Hanon. Unlike Peugeot, where Guédon also offered his opinion, the Renault boss sees potential. Hanon says, “If you put all the automotive pretensions aside, you’ll come to this car on your own,” and approves mass production.
Smart: Removable seats
Designers Jacques Nocher and Gérard Ascensio are hard at work on the look of the upcoming family transporter so customers don’t turn their noses at the box of roller shoes. The first test drives took place in March 1983. The smart idea in the interior of the 4.25-metre-long and 1.78-metre-wide vehicle is the removable seats designed by Product Manager Jacques Cheinisse.
In March 1984, Renault celebrated the launch of the Espace with pride and great anticipation. The advertising slogan “Renault Espace, la route de l’innovation” refers to the model’s unique single-box design (instead of the previous three engines, passenger and luggage). By the way, it is similar to that of the first French high-speed train, the TGV, which started a few years ago. What is innovative about the first Espace is not only its variable interior, but also its technical structure. The steel body structure is galvanized and covered with plastic parts. This keeps the weight of the front-wheel drive vehicle under 1.3 tonnes and is less susceptible to rust.
Sobering: start of sales
The first nine orders are received – but this continues until the end of the first month of sales. Big disappointment at Renault. In the first year of production, only 5923 copies rolled off the assembly line. The flat floor, the five to seven seats that can be mounted separately, the front seats that can be swiveled towards the passenger compartment, and the folding tables integrated into the backrest like an airplane are only slowly gaining the skeptical public.
This was followed by the first model revision in 1988. The angular design was rounded and made more modern, the vehicle was almost ten centimeters longer. In addition, the Espace is now available as a 4×4 Quadra. Renault provides protection against parking damage by installing plastic panels. Three years later, the second Espace generation started in 1991, with 191,647 units produced. The window areas are wider, the front seats are now foldable (so you can also sleep in the Espace if needed). Front visibility is improved thanks to the 40 percent narrower A-pillar.
Whimsical: Espace with F1 engine
Apart from mass production, a one-off Espace draws attention: the Espace F1. The world’s fastest MPV is powered by an 810 hp F1 engine. The van accelerates to 200 km/h in a breathtaking 6.3 seconds with a deafening sound (160 decibels!). But: The F1 Espace can only do two laps at a time on the racetrack, and then has to return to the pits to cool off.
In July 1996, the 500,000th Espace build was discontinued. Of the second generation produced until the beginning of 1997, 317,225 were produced. The next third generation will be a big hit. Not only is it a completely new level of comfort, but for the first time there are two body variants, the Espace and the 27 centimeters longer Grand Espace. The latter comes with a loading volume of up to 3050 liters. The difference between the two variants is particularly large in the five-seat configuration. The base model still has 165 liters of boot space, while the Grand Espace has 456 liters.
The fourth generation will begin in the fall of 2002. Its special feature is the range of engines. For the first time, two V6 engines are offered for a van; 177 hp 3.0L turbo diesel and 241 hp 3.5L petrol engine. The latter comes from new alliance partner Nissan, which uses it to power the 350 Z sports car. In addition, the fourth generation is no longer produced by the partner Matra, but at the Renault plant in Sandouville. To ensure that the Matra production halls are not left empty, Renault Avantime will be built there immediately – but a sales fiasco that will be discontinued in the spring of 2003.
Conversion: van to crossover
In 2006, 2010 and 2012, the fourth generation received a makeover, which should hide the fact that a generation change would be long overdue. This happened in 2015. At the presentation, Renault design chief Laurens van den Acker said: “The Espace had no future as a classic MPV. That’s why we took inspiration from the world of off-road vehicles and made a crossover from Espace.”
Now, we look forward to the sixth generation Espace, which will be unveiled today in Paris and launch this summer. The innovative van of old should now be a completely normal Renault Austral-style SUV – probably slightly larger than that, but significantly smaller and lighter than the current Espace.
Source: Blick
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
