My second French love affair! (Renault Grand Espace in general)

Member Name: anwar7

Product:	Renault Grand Espace in general
Date:	09/03/09 (275 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: see review

Last year we decided that out Renault Laguna was just too small to accommodate our growing family plus dog. There had been numerous occasions when we would have liked to have been able to allow our 2 children to invite their friends out for a day trip but the size of our car made this impossible. We also have a large dog so needed a car with enough space to carry him too!

We decided we wanted a 7 -seater M.P.V or people carrier as this seemed to be the best vehicle to meet our needs. We looked at several people carriers including the Vauxhall Zafira, the Ford Galaxy and the V.W Sharan. However with all 7 -seats in use none of these had enough luggage space and room for our pooch. We have always liked Renault and were impressed with the look and handling of the Espace. Renault also make a larger version of the Espace, the Grand Espace that has extra length so giving us the extra room we needed and this was the model we choose. As we had a bit of money saved we decided to buy a new model.. It was with great excitement that we set to work choosing the exact model we wanted. We finally chose to buy the Dynamique s 2.2 dci 175 automatic. We opted for a diesel model as these seem to hold their value and if reviews are accurate, they have a better reliability record. Renault makes several models of the Grand Espace, Team, Dynamique and Initial. Prices range form around £24,000 to around £34,000.


At this point I should say I'm not going to list all the technical information about the Grand Espace. This is available on the Renault web site or from any dealership. I am going to review my experience of driving and owning the Grand Espace so hope it will be useful!

Having decided on the model we wanted the next stage was to get the best possible price. The Dynamique s dci 175 automatic retails for around £30,000. We wanted to add a full sunroof, something I have always wanted and this bumped the price up by £1,200.We negotiated and managed to get our car for £27,500 and this included metallic paint. So what did we get for all that money?

Safety.
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I want to start with safety as it's of prime importance for me. The Grand Espace (not going to type its full name again!) has been awarded 5-stars for safety from the European crash test organisation, the highest possible score. There are driver and front seat passenger front airbags as well as front seat side airbags. In the back there are curtain airbags fitted for protection from side impact. As we have thankfully not had cause to test these I can only assume they would work in the event of an impact!

There are 7 full seat belts fitted. I would not allow my children to travel with just a lap belt so this is an essential for me. The seat belts in the front can be adjusted to ensure a correct fit. The seat belts have buckle pretensioners, designed to take up any belt slack in the event of an accident. There are adjustable head rests fitted both to the front and rear seats.

The rear seats are fitted with Isofix mountings to enable you to secure a compatible child safety seat. Many child car seats now have Isofix fittings but you will need to check with the retailer so see which seats are compatible with the Grand Espace.

The electric windows have anti pinch sensors fitted. This is important to prevent little fingers getting trapped in the window. In addition the driver can choose to lock the rear windows and doors from a switch on the drivers door. I find this a really useful feature to stop my children playing with the windows when I'm driving!

The car is operated via a plastic fob, a bit like a credit card. I have mixed feelings about this so-called hands free card. On the one hand it's brilliant to be able to approach your car, especially at night and not have to fumble about in your handbag looking for the car keys. With the hands free card the car will open automatically when you approach it. This works in reverse too and the car will lock as you walk away. You don't need to put the card into the ignition slot either as the car will start when you press the ignition button. However like all clever technologies this system has let me down on several occasions. On occasions despite the card being safely in my bag, the car has refused to open. On other occasions only some of the doors have unlocked. It is easy enough to press the open door button on the card but this defeats the object of having a hands free card! This is an intermittent fault but annoying! The other problem is when the driver leaves the car with the card but leaves the passengers still inside. My husband recently stopped at a garage and took the card when he went to pay for the petrol. When I opened the door the alarm went off, as I didn't have my card with me! Although this is a great anti theft feature it can be a bit too sensitive!

The car is fitted with a rear-parking sensor. I find this invaluable when parking such a large car. It is possible to have a front parking sensor but this costs extra. I really wish a front sensor was fitted as standard as it is on the Ford S-Max.

I love the large windscreen and find this gives excellent visibility when driving. The car is higher than most and this again helps you to see what is going on around you on the road. There is limited visibility through the back window especially with all the seats in use, so you will need to use your mirrors.

The car is fitted with ESP traction control. This helps to keep control of the car in difficult driving conditions. There is a sensor in the steering wheel that detects the path selected by the driver. There are other sensors that measure the actual direction of the car. If there is a problem with under steering the brakes are applied. I have experienced this on occasions when taking a tight corner.

The car also has traction control. This helps ensure the wheels grip the road and don't spin. The Espace is fairly light at the front and I have found it difficult to handle when the roads are icy. The traction control is essential in helping to keep the car from skidding. I have found it works well although it can be a bit disconcerting to feel the car braking in a series of jerking motions. If you are driving in snow then you may need to disable this system as it can reduce the engine power. Useful to know if you are trying to get up a hill in the snow! Anti-lock braking system is also fitted and will help prevent you losing control of the car if you have to break sharply. There is also an emergency brake assist that helps to reduce the cars stopping distance

I thought I would include the cars very heavy seats in this section as they are designed for maximum safety. This also means they are very awkward and heavy to lift in and out of the car. I really wish Renault had designed the seats to fold flat when not in use, However as they don't fold flat you will need to remove them if you want to use the car to carry large items .We recently went on holiday with just our 2 children. We removed 2 of the rear seats to allow us to take extra luggage. The seats are large and need to be stored, another issue! The seats can be folded in half, but this does nothing to increase inside space. On the plus side the seats are very well designed and give great comfort. The front seats have adjustable armrests and good back support. Both the drivers and front passenger seats are fully adjustable.

The Espace has rain-activated windscreen wipers and light sensor headlights, meaning you don't need to take your hands of the steering wheel!

The Espace is fitted with an alarm and immobiliser.


The driving experience.
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I love driving this car! When we first bought it I was worried about driving such a large car. It is really comfortable and has excellent all round visibility. I really like the high driving position too and find I feel like I'm sitting on the road when I am a passenger in other cars.

The digital dashboard looks very space age. I like the large digital numbers on the dials and find it easy to check my speed. It is a bit complicated and has taken some getting used to but then I am not really into cars! I would say that I find the fuel gauge a bit unreliable especially as the fuel level drops. It seems to drop from ¼ full to empty with alarming speed! I tend to refuel before the gauge goes to near to the empty limit.

I like driving an automatic and find the Espace responsive and have, to date, had no problems with the 6- speed automatic gearbox. As this is a diesel I had expected it to be a bit sluggish on take off. However I have been pleasantly surprised although it is not as fast as a petrol model.

The Espace is fitted with cruise control. I find this really useful when driving on motorways where I want to ensure I keep to the speed limit!

I have covered the handling to some extent in the section on safety. However to reiterate I find the car handles well in most conditions. I do find it a bit light at the front when the roads are icy or wet. The traction control is essential in these conditions. I am amazed at how quiet the car is even on motorways. Both as the driver and as a passenger I find the ride really smooth. It is great to be able to separate my boys putting 1 in the very back row and one in the middle row. This certainly stops the squabbling that used to take place on long journeys!

We opted to have a full-length automatic sunroof and this is another aspect of the car I love! In the summer it is wonderful to open the blind and let the car fill with light. The blind can be shut if it gets too hot. It is also fun to drive with the roof open it the summer.

There car is fitted with rear sunblinds and tinted rear windows, both of which help to keep the back of the car cool in the summer. The seats are big and very well padded and feel like comfy armchairs. The front seats are part leather and part alcantura upholstery. All the seats are easy to keep clean, essential when you have children!

We often go out for the day and when the weather is poor we eat our picnic in the car. There are 2 pull down tables in the middle row each with a cup holder. These are great for the children. There is nowhere to stand a cup in the front, which is a real design fault as far as I am concerned!

There is loads of storage space in this car. In the front there is a huge glove compartment in addition to several other smaller compartments. There is a large storage area underneath the CD player, very useful to keep my CD wallet. There is also storage underneath the front seats and in front of all the rear seats. There is even a holder for your sunglasses above the driver's door!

The legroom in the front and first back row is excellent. However in the very back row legroom is limited. We used to find our Laguna a bit cramped in the back, especially with regard to headroom. The Espace has really good headroom and should accommodate even very tall adults.

Back to the seats I should mention that they are operated by a lock and slide system. All the seats are fitted onto metal runners and can be slid into various positions. This means that you can slide a seat forward and another back to change the configuration of the seats, very useful when you have a long item to carry such as a roll of carpet.

Our model has climate control, which means you can set the temperature between 16 c and 26c. The heating and air-conditioning has separate driver and passenger control, really useful as I like to be warm and my husband prefers a cooler temperature. The heating and air-conditioning works well in the rear of the car too as there several well-placed vents.

Entertainment.
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The Espace is fitted with a radio and MP3 CD reader. There are 6 speakers including rear speakers. We like to play story C.D's on long journeys and my children have no difficulty hearing even in the very back row. A remote control is included to allow you to operate the CD player. I think this is a bit of a gimmick and have never bothered using it! The CD player and radio can be operated via a wheel to right of the steering wheel. It is possible to load up to 6 CD's at a time. I like the fact that this is done from the actual player, as with our Laguna the CD loader was in the boot!

Appearance.
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I love the look of the Grand Espace. It's more streamlined and less bulky in my view than other people carriers. It has 17 inch alloy wheels and colour coded bumpers to complete a very stylish look. It has a rear spoiler, which gives it a sporty look.

Inside the cabin looks large and modern. The welcome aboard message on the dashboard when you enter goes well with the aircraft feel of this car!

Other information.
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We have now owned our Espace for just over a year and clocked up 15,000 miles. On average we get around 35 MPG, which is better than I had expected for such a big car. The tank can hold 83 litres and costs about £80 to fill, something we can rarely afford to do!

The insurance group is 13, which is high, as you would expect. I am not going to give you an insurance quote as they vary so much. However my advice would be to shop around before buying insurance!

Renault give a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty and a further year up to 60,000 miles. There is a parts warranty up to 3 years. The first service is undertaken at 18,000 miles. The average cost of a full service is around £200.

We have had a few problems with the car. On several occasions the drivers door has been difficult to close. This was diagnosed as a fault with the computer system. The garage have recently changed the locking system so we will have to see if this solves the problem. The driver's electric window sticks at times. This seems to be an intermittent fault but is very annoying when it happens! The garage has agreed to change the mechanism in the next week.

At around 15,000 miles we have noticed that the tyres are showing signs of wear. The garage have told us that the tyres fitted to the Espace use a softer compound than many other tyres as this increases the traction and safety of the tyre. Apparently these tyres will need changing at around 20,000 miles, which is a lot sooner than average! As tyres for the Espace cost well over £100 this will be expensive!

The pros.
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I love my Espace and so far have had few problems. I thought it would be helpful to list the main advantages -

The space-plenty of room for a family of 4 or 5 plus luggage and dog!

Comfort-This is a really lovely car to ride in and to drive!

Safety- The Espace has been awarded 5-stars for safety.

Style- I love the look of the Espace.

In addition the running costs are reasonable for such a large car and certainly better than I had expected.

The cons
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The car feels a bit light at the front especially in icy conditions. Even with the traction control I find this a bit unnerving.

There is a lot of technology involved with this car and as far as I'm concerned that means more to go wrong! The hands free card is a mixed blessing as I have described!

A minor irritation- but I would have liked somewhere to stand a cup in the front!

When all the seats are occupied there is little room for luggage or dog!

The seats do not fold flat and have to be removed to create space. They are very heavy and bulky, making them difficult to move and store.

The verdict.
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Overall I really love this car and would recommend it despite a few irritations. However it is early days and I will have to update this review in a year's time!

This is my second love afair with Renault! The first being my Laguna.

Summary: Renault Grand Espace

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