Start with what the Renault Espace is: a 5-door Multi-purpose vehicle / MPV (1984–2023) / 5-door SUV (2023–present) with Petrol engine, built from 1984, in the age of turbocharging and the first electronic engine management. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Fergus Pollock / Antonis Volanis.
The background
The Renault Espace (French pronunciation: [ʁəno ɛspaːs]) is a series of automobiles manufactured by Renault since 1984. For its first five generations, the Espace was a multi-purpose vehicle/MPV (M-segment), but it has been redesigned as a mid-size crossover SUV for its sixth generation. The first three generations of the Espace were amongst the first contemporary minivans or MPVs, and were manufactured by Matra for Renault. The fourth generation, also an MPV, was manufactured by Renault. The Renault Grand Espace is a long wheelbase version with increased rear leg room and boot size.
The fifth generation is introduced with a crossover SUV-styled while keeping its MPV classification and body style. Renault described the fifth generation Espace as a 'crossover-style MPV' which combines elements of saloon, SUV and MPV, while retaining interior space and practicality of the latter. The sixth generation debuted in 2023 as a 7-seater SUV based on the Austral. The name "espace" means "space" in French. In February 2012, the Espace was retired in the United Kingdom, as part of a cost-cutting plan.
The engineering
The engine is Petrol engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Drive goes through a 5-speed NG3 manual. The wheelbase is 2580 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
In the Renault line-up the Renault Espace has a clear place: the factory was Romorantin (Matra), France. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Ferrari Testarossa, the Toyota MR2, the SEAT Ibiza. Its Renault stablemates include the Renault 10 and the Renault 10CV.
Owning one today
There is no federal ownership record for the Renault Espace — it predates the complaint database or was never sold in the United States — so MotorJury publishes no running-cost figure for it. For a car of this age the price is set by the collector market and the condition of the individual example, not by a formula.