The Renault Espace is the best MPV around. Relatively high pricing probably explains why in 1999/2000 Renault only sold just over 4,000 compared to 13,000 Ford Galaxies, but you can offset most of this cost by buying used. Pick of the range is either a late 2.2dCi or any 3.0-litre model. Espace might be the final frontier, but after driving this space ship, you may well feel that some Galaxies are best left unvisited.

So effectively had the Renault Espace cornered the MPV market that for a while it looked as if an 'Espace' was going to become what marketing folk call a 'brand eponym', such as a Hoover, Frisbee, Post-It or Rollerblade. That was before the launch of the Ford Galaxy, which managed to wrest away the No. 1 sales spot from the evergreen French offering. In making the Renault seem expensive, the Ford cleaned up, but buying used can, to a certain extent, be something of a price leveller. When all's said and done, a Renault Espace is still the original and, most would agree, the best MPV around.

RENAULT ESPACE HISTORY

Put a 1995 Renault Espace next to one of the post 1997 Third Generation models and it's easy to appreciate quite how far the MPV has evolved in its relatively short life. Whereas the lateral thought involved in the original car's groundbreaking design made manufacturers think long and hard about how to package people properly, it could never be accused of anything approaching luxury. As successive generations of Espace have been launched, each model creeps larger and larger. The boom of 4x4 vehicles (or as some wags refer to them - 'armoured MPVs') has demonstrated that size isn't really an issue. We want big. Renault's third generation Espace responded to demands for more space and luxury. For years MPV drivers had been baited by the inevitable and slightly withering truism that when the car was filled with people there was then nowhere for their luggage to go. The Espace addressed this issue with a meaningful luggage bay. The dashboard marked the return of digital instruments in a Renault and the stereo is very unusual for having its components spread throughout the car in the interests of theft prevention. (Looking for the radio? Controls are on a column stalk but the unit itself is safely hidden elsewhere.). The choice of models was interestingly varied too. Upon launch in 1997, three engines were available, an 8v 2-litre developing 115bhp, a 3.0-litre V6 version mustering 170bhp and a 2.2-litre turbodiesel, also capable of 115bhp.The 2.0-litre was available in RT and RT-X trims, the 3.0-litre solely in luxury RXE specification, whilst the 2.2-litre turbodiesel offered all three trim variations. Long wheelbase Grand Espace versions were launched in January 1998 for those who felt you could never get enough of a good thing. Available in 2.2-litre turbodiesel RT-X and RXE guise as well as the flagship 3.0-litre V6 RXE this nigh-on sixteen-foot leviathan was the undisputed heavyweight champion of MPVs. June 1999 saw a revision to the range, with the Alize trim level being introduced, along with a 16v 140bhp engine option for the 2.0-litre unit, and an upgrade to the V6's engine, which whilst dropping from 2963cc to 2946cc, increased in power from 170 to 194bhp. In January 2000, the 2.0-litre 8v engine was quietly dropped from the Espace range. The range received a further freshening up in October 2000, a Generation 3.5 if you will. Ascending Expression, Privilege, Authentique and Initiale trim levels were offered with the 2.0-litre 16v and new 130bhp 2.2dCi turbodiesel engines. The 3.0-litre V6 cherry picked the top Authentique and Initiale trim levels, and a similar situation was offered in the Grand Espace line up. Here the 2.0-litre 16v engine was offered in Expression and Privilege trims, the 2.2-litre dCi in Expression guise, and the 3.0-litre Grand was available in Privilege and plush Initiale variants.

WHAT DO I GET FOR MY MONEY?

Detail changes for the Third Generation Espace models include disc brakes at the rear as well as at the front, automatic climate control, Xenon headlamps and a dash-mounted multi-CD player (though the changer is now housed in the glovebox, robbing it of space). There are also new colours and alloy wheels. The spacious cabin can justifiably lay claim to being the most user-friendly of any people carrier currently available. As you'd expect, there's the option of either five or seven seats, all of which can be removed and/or repositioned. In case you're new to MPV motoring, it's worth recapping on the permutations you could consider. With five seats in place, the two fronts can be turned to face rearwards. Then two of the back chairs can be moved to the very rear of the passenger compartment with the remaining seat fixed centrally between the pairs and its backrest folded down onto the cushion to form a table. Bear in mind too, that each individual chair is capable of sliding, reclining, folding flat into a table, sprawling out into a bed, being removed altogether and being able to face backwards and you've got the picture. Mind you, it was possible to do all these things in the original Espace - so what's changed in the latest generation models? Well, there's the opportunity (thanks to a larger number of floor mounting points) to be more inventive with the way in which you use the space available (and since the seats themselves are lighter, you're more likely to feel like moving them around). One option (standard on plusher models) is to order your car with recessed aluminium rails for the rear seats to further increase the number of passenger permutations. Another clever touch you'll like is the way you don't have to take all the seats out if you're using the Espace like a van; five of them can be folded away down one side of the car. The outside seats in the second row now have a clever seatbelt height adjuster (though there's still no three-point belt for the centre seat). Luggage space in the standard version isn't great if you're using all the passenger capacity but if that's a problem, your Renault sales person will direct you towards the long wheelbase Grand Espace model, available with all three engines. This variant has been lengthened by some 270mm, 170 mm of which has gone into a longer wheelbase, the remainder to the rear overhang. The result is increased leg and headroom for passengers in the third row of seats, plus enough luggage space for all occupants. Though interior practicality is the Espace's calling card, it won't be the first thing that you'll notice when you step inside one. No, it's that dashboard - one of the most radical ever seen on a production car. There's a digital instrument panel in the middle of the dash and no centre console (the automatic's gear lever pokes out from the dashboard behind the steering wheel). In its place is a huge storage locker into which you can easily fit a briefcase. Another unique touch is the way ventilation controls for driver and front seat passenger are situated at opposite sides of the dashboard. Finally, there's the driving position; previously van-like, it's now much more acceptable to potential customers used to ordinary family cars. The adjustable steering wheel has been moved closer to the driver and the pedals shifted further away. The result? Though Renault would never admit it, it's positively Galaxy-like.

WHAT PRICE AM I LOOKING AT?

With so many variants about, perhaps an indication of what you pay for each engine choice is in order. The 2.0-litre 8v model starts at just over £5,075 for a 1997 R-registered RT five seater. Pay around £200 more for an extra row of seats, or an extra £400 for an equivalent year five seat RT-X. The punchier 16v engine starts at £5,925 for a 1999 T-plated Alize. Diesel devotees will be able to open the bidding at similar prices to the 2.0-litre petrol version, although luxury RXE motoring starts at £5,625 on the 1997 P plate, rising to just over £7,600 for a typical 2000 W-registered example. You'll need an extra grand for a Grand Espace, prices kicking off at around £6,325 for a 1998 R-registered seven seat RT-X. If nothing but a 3.0-litre V6 is required, expect to front up at your dealer with your pockets bulging with at least £6,150. That will buy a 1997 P-registered RXE with seven seats. A 1999 S-registered example retails at around £7,050. Seriously capacious pockets are required to land the Grand Espace variant, with at least £7,325 opening negotiations on a 1999 S-registered RXE. Insurance ranges from Group 11 for the most basic 2.0-litre and 2.2-litre Espaces up to Group 14 for the Grand Espace 3.0-litre V6, the friendly ratings reflecting not only the Espace's excellent safety and security provision but also the mature owner profile.

WHAT SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR?

Check for worn suspension and tired clutches and gearbox. Also make sure that the car you're looking at has a service history and hasn't had a company background or, worse, been used as a taxi. Third generation cars have no major faults but check for interior wear and tear and exterior parking scrapes. Fixings for the driver's side floor mats snap easily, and aren't covered under warranty. At over £100 a set, replacement mats aren't cheap. Many owners prefer to spend £4 on a tube of araldite. Early Grand Espace models are fitted with a column mounted gear shifter which is confusing and easy to leave in drive! Battery cables have been known to jump loose, although this is nothing that a sharp tap with a hammer won't cure. Look for damage to the composite body panels, as repairs can be expensive.

HOW DOES IT DRIVE?

Whilst few would purchase an MPV for its driving characteristics, the Espace does more than most rivals to satisfy the keen driver. The 2.0-litre 8v model is a bit tardy, and the 2.2 dCi and 2.0-litre 16v variants are far preferable. The pick of the range has to be the 3.0-litre V6. In Grand Espace guise this 194bhp unit will propel it to 60mph in comfortably under ten seconds, hitting 140mph where conditions permit. Just be prepared for a prodigious thirst. Handling is predictably softy, although ultimate handling isn't the Espace's forte. There's more to the driving experience than barrelling round corners, and enjoying the Renault's casual dismissal of huge distances, the Richter-scale stereo installations and one of the most effective air conditioning systems of any car make the Espace far less of a chore than many MPV pretenders.

BY ANDY ENRIGHT

PARTS INFORMATION

(approx based on a 1999 Grand Espace) Expect to pay around £230 for a front bumper assembly and £110 if one of the headlamps goes on the blink. Replacing that vast windscreen will leave a sizeable hole in your current account to the tune of £400 (check your insurance cover here). Should you see one of those fluted door mirrors disappear up the street affixed to the forearm of a motorcycle courier either get his number or get £190 out of the hole in the wall. The Michelin Pilot original equipment tyres are £155 each.