Future Classic Friday: Renault Espace III
Thu, 01 Jun 2023
Admittedly we're not talking about the first (or even second) generation Renault Espace, simply because you won't find one - and we looked.
But that's okay, because we're looking at realistic classic cars rather than unicorns and as cool as the Mk1 Espace is, even if you could find one it would be out of our budget.
And although the Mk3 looked quite different, the underlying concept of the Renault Espace remained the same until the final iteration, with a separate steel chassis sitting underneath a plastic bodyshell.
That meant a ton of space in the cabin, and the flexibility to fiddle with the rows of seats, including captain's chairs at the front, which made it such an appealing car for people who actually enjoy activities.
It also had a pretty radical dashboard, with the digital instrument display in the (ergonomically correct) centre of the dash and a massive glovebox in the centre console. It was more practical than Bear Grylls.
The massive glazed area also meant it was nice to sit in whichever chair you ended up with, and the view out was brilliant thanks to the tall body.
The driving experience was relatively bus-like but comfortable, and when new the 2.2-litre diesel engine meant it moved along pretty smartly.
The downsides were that the Renault Espace III was conceived in the middle of Renault's peak unreliability period and that 2.2 diesel turned out to be the worst engine option of the lot.
Today that means you're unlikely to find a diesel for sale and the remaining survivors will probably be the hardy but ancient 2.0-litre petrol versions.
Maintenance may not be entirely straightforward. Electrical problems are a frequent bugbear, but at least if things get really bad you have the option of removing the whole body from the chassis...
The good news is that there are plenty of Renault specialists out there - who are usually quite busy for some reason - and parts won't be too hard to find, especially if you browse French eBay.
Most of the used Renault Espaces in the classifieds are the later (and heavier) Mk4 version, but third generation examples are out there.
In fact we managed to find a gem pretty quickly - a late 2000 example with one family owner from new, 132,000 miles and a ton of history plus a fresh MoT. It even came with the original bike rack.
At £1995 it seems like a proper bargain to us, and fulfills the dream ticket of being both interesting and genuinely usable.
It remains an interesting car that has secured its place in the history books, but if we're not careful they'll all be gone too soon. Find a Renault Espace for sale.
How much will my 1995 Ford Mondeo Ghia X be worth?
