Not really basic
The new Renault Espace is ‘just’ a longer Austral and thus denies an important piece of Espace history. In itself it is a nice, spacious SUV, which also appears to be well equipped as standard.
Renault Espace Hybrid 200 Techno – €46,830
Car manufacturers have lately been falling over each other to misuse legendary type names for cars that have little to do with that legend. A Ford Mustang is an electric crossover, a Mitsubishi Eclipse a medium-sized SUV and the Renault Espace is in fact a somewhat stretched Renault Austral with a third row of seats. It does not come close to the space and flexibility that the Espace used to offer, but there is apparently no longer a market for that. In its new form, the Espace is a good competitor for the X-Trails, Tarracos and Sorentos of this world.
You can safely call its starting price of €46,830 competitive, because the party often only starts at 50 grand in this class. Moreover, Renault keeps it nice and simple and the simplest Espace in the Netherlands is a Techno, a version that is somewhere in the middle or even at the top of the ladder for other models. For example, the shorter Austral, on which this Espace is based, is also available as Evolution. Moreover, the Espace is available with only one powertrain: the E-Tech full hybrid 200. This makes it a plug-free, but full-fledged hybrid as standard, with 200 hp as standard and the Espace comes with an automatic gearbox as standard.
Renault Espace.
You can see at first glance that the simplest Espace Techno is not a real basic version. The car stands on beautiful 19-inch alloys, has beautiful LED lighting all around and always has a chrome edge around the side windows and on the roof rails. The color also helps: the striking ‘Rouge Flamme’ is the only paint color that is completely standard. If you want to be boring, you have to pay extra!
With seven-seater SUVs, it’s not unusual to have to pay extra to get that third row of seats. We immediately open the standard electric tailgate virtually, only to discover to our satisfaction that the extra seats are simply part of the basic Espace. There is a five-seater Espace, but you have to pay extra for that! Really: if you want fewer seats, you will pay €136 extra for a ‘Pack Luggage’, which provides an extra USB-C connection and 100 liters of extra luggage space. Remarkable.
The suspicion that there is already a very complete car here is confirmed when we crawl forward into this interior. For example, every Espace comes standard with a high-quality audio system, linked to an open R infotainment system with a 12-inch touchscreen, automatic climate control with two zones, a ‘Multi Sense’ button for the driving modes and a wireless phone charger. You can also get in and drive off without having to pick up the key card, because ‘keyless everything’ is completely standard
What are we still missing? Well, nowadays a civilized person wants seat and steering wheel heating in his (m/f) family SUV. Nowadays, adaptive cruise control is also a part of such a car like icing on apple pie, but is conspicuous by its absence on the basic Espace. Both can be added separately in two option packages that together cost €1,400 extra, and also include electric seat adjustment and even a massage function. A significant extra investment, but then your Espace is completely finished as far as we are concerned.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl