2004 Renault Espace Reviews, Pricing & Specs

A long, long time ago, Renault created the Espace. It was shown at a motor show as a concept, and you could have heard a pin drop throughout the place. It looked weird, and the idea was just a little far- fetched. Renault ploughed ahead, in their usual fashion, and carved a niche for the MPV. Cheap motoring for extensive families... it might work... Fast-forward 30 years, and the streets are littered with all kinds of MPVs. Small ones, big ones, 4x4-based ones, and strange crossovers that blur all kinds of boundaries (Mercedes R-Class, anyone..?). The Espace is still there, lurking in the background. 4 generations of poor reliability are still there, but so are 4 generations of fresh, monobox styling that is distinctly Espace. There's quite a lot to like about this car. The interior is simply excellent. It's spacious, cavernous in fact, and extremely bright & airy. All-round visibility is excellent, thanks to a simply huge glasshouse and spindly pillars. It makes such a large machine fairly easy to pilot. The seats are as comfortable as you'll find anywhere, the rear seats are all removable so it can be transformed from a family runaround for those with 5 children (shudder), to a 2-seater workhorse van at the flick of a few levers and switches. Versatile is not the word. It also drives quite nicely, for a big old bus. The steering is light, but not too light, and the ride is extremely fluid. It's like driving with a head full of Valium. However, it's not all sweetness and light. The car's reliability is simply shocking. This particular model has had... - New turbo - Engine rebuild - ECU problems - Multiplex problems (surely the worst thing ever invented for cars) - Interior electrical problems The list goes on. Renault dealers also have a very nice habit of trying to relieve you of as much cash as possible. The car is currently difficult to use due to draining batteries every couple of days, unless the fuse for certain circuits is removed. Frustrating is not the word. The 2.2dCi engine mated to an auto gearbox also makes for an extremely languid affair. Ask the engine to do anything remotely fast and it'll respond in a typically Gallic fashion, shrugging its shoulders and dragging its feet, generally complaining about everything around it in the process. It's irritating. A manual gearbox is a far better companion, even around town.Dec 01, 2011

This Car is fabulous space wise BUT bad handling & engine & rev. Very sluggish,not great acceleration Electrics went which means car shut down, windows failed to open & sunroof(as mostly everything in it is electric) & the other downside is the electronics in the front are all on the drives side which does not allow the passenger to change the air con, radio etc. Boring car but space is brilliant for family. Bad resale value, miracle if you sell the god damn thing Jan 10, 2010