Renault's insistence that the Espace, in either regular or Grand form, has no commercial vehicle heritage does not alter the fact that it is a very large machine indeed, capable of transporting large quantities of people or luggage as circumstances require. If you think that means it's also cumbersome, think again. This is, for its size, a very user-friendly device.Like most Renaults these days, it's bristling with cleverness, including the keyless card system and the electronic handbrake control which have caused some concern (to say nothing of inconvenience) during previous CARkeys tests. They are unchanged here, though one rather curious aspect is that you can't reach either the handbrake switch or the slot for the card - nor, come to that, the button you have to press to start and stop the engine - while you're in a normal driving position. In every case you have to lean quite far forward. This is a curious piece of ergonomic thinking, especially since the air-conditioning controls are sensibly placed a finger-flick away on the driver's door.I'm not too happy with the radio operation either. One of the many small storage areas in the cabin is a compartment in roughly the centre of the fascia. This contains the remote control device, much the same as the one you have for your TV, and if any car has a more distracting method for operating the audio system I've yet to hear of it.Apart from these matters, the interior of the Grand Espace is a fine place to be. There's so much room you could almost drive the thing standing up, the view is superb thanks to the massive glass area, and you quickly get used to the fact that you sit a long way from the excellently designed instrument panel.The fact that the test car used the 2.2-litre dCi turbo diesel engine means that it represents what Renault believes will be by far the most popular model. Like all the current Renault diesels, this is a tremendously effective unit, combining pleasantly high levels of performance with fuel economy which is more than acceptable for a car of this size and weight. Both aspects are helped by the six-speed manual gearbox (other Espaces have a five-speed automatic option) with decent change quality and well-chosen ratios.Handling and grip are every bit as good as they need to be in a large MPV, to the extent that the Grand Espace can zip along tricky roads in a surprisingly agile manner. More impressive still is the ride quality. The French tend to be very good at this, of course, but even with that in mind it's remarkable just how supple and well-controlled the body movement is even on roads which would easily catch out many a rival. In particular, the unpleasant ride of the multi-badged Peugeot 807/Citroen C8/Fiat Ulysse - in most other respects a very competent contender in the class - is shown by the Renault to be unnecessarily clumsily.Second opinion: It's certainly a surprise to find an MPV of these majestic dimensions having such good dynamics - a result of the various models in the Espace catalogue being based on the Vel Satis platform. I'd definitely go for a turbo diesel with a six-speed manual box, and in general use the 2.2-litre doesn't lose all that much to the three-litre V6. For the entry-level version, the Expression is pretty well kitted out. The test car certainly scored high marks for passenger accommodation (even the third-row seats are full-size) and interior adaptability. Remove the centre seat in the middle row, move the others inwards, and you have plenty of elbow room for two people instead of three. And the rearmost seats can be taken out as well. Getting into and out of them isn't something to be done with an airy ballet-like movement, though, and the seats themselves, being well away from the occasional, aren't exactly lightweight. Of course, this is a sturdily-built machine, and one thing that has to be remembered about the Espace is that for passenger protection it's the highest-scoring vehicle of any kind ever to be put through the Euro NCAP crash tests. Ross Finlay. Engine 2188cc, 4 cylinders Power 147bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 35.8mpg / 211g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 11.5 seconds Top speed 117mph Price £24,560 Details correct at publication date
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