What is this?

The new Renault Espace. And when we say, completely new, we refer to the new engines, platforms, chassis, interior design – it’s as white as a piece of paper you can be found for a new vehicle.

They not much resemble a Espace either …

Which was precisely the intention. Slab face, minibuses, vans and are now as fashionable as belts, so for Renault in the toy box label rummaged “Crossover style.” The result is an additional 40 mm ride height over the old Espace between 18 and 20 inches in diameter, and the big wheels arches pumped.

It is intended as better look engineering project from the Eiffel Tower France: the TGV. Espace seven seater is not as bold as the train 300 miles per hour, but clever use of chromium in the line of chopped distract the eyes of the elongated window.

In the flesh, it is a piece of intelligent design – detailed and easily the most interesting please look MPV since the original Ford S-Max.

Minibuses are all on the inside, right?

And the Espace has to write home about. Come on back, where to find a keyboard that can reduce the five rear seats away. Either choose and opt for newbies bend or press a button and see everyone fall in line, so a monstrous 2,000 liters of cargo space.

It is a brilliant idea, that will delight children and make it a little easier the lives of parents. Until you fold the seats back up – requires muscle.

The rear seats have a unique zone daughter, but the middle three easily take three adults without much complaint. The plump stuffed leather chairs are very comfortable, almost like Volvo, where you sit, and the fact that they are no longer completely removable helped towards a – wait – (!) 250 kg lighter than the old Espace.

What were the old chairs? Perform?

Most of these massive weight loss is due to a new platform has been developed to support the larger cars in the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Future crossover SUV and will borrow the entire skeleton Espace.

One can be a seven-seat SUV for the British. The reason? Renault has decided the Espace in Britain four decades after roughly the invention of the European MPV currently offer. No RHD, but this time.

Why not?

Renault chiefs argue not add up the numbers. They point to the MPV sales freefall, as buyers tend to fickle tastes of the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sportage and even Land Rover Disco sport as kicking seven-seat family car.

“Never say never ‘is the answer if asked whether the tactic could change – accept the chassis RHD – and promised us:” When we see queues distributors and around the block, let’s think about changing our minds “But. in the foreseeable future, that’s not for us, the Espace British.

Ouch.

Here the fabulous Espace board expects a preview of what we expect from the new Megane hatch that we are definitely offered in Blighty.

Renault recently approached his cab design, bless the Espace with a “floating” console topped with a tablet of independent glass. Your sensitive shortcut buttons are casual touch (and strangely for RHD oriented), but the 8.7-inch touch screen itself is a triumph – light, agile and intuitive. Range Rover Sport owners cry at this level of ease of use of a screen infotainment.

What to do?

Everything. Obviously, the tablet has Gubbins phone navigation and built, it also innumerable set of driver assistance devices, turn the seats down, change the ambient lighting and offer a bewildering variety of driving modes, similar to Audi Drive Select Pick ‘ n ‘mix. More on that in a moment.

The cabin is not quite a home run for Renault embargo. Several of the opening squeaked in our test car, moaning, and (surprise, surprise) shifter planes inspiration is terrible.

If the Wright brothers had come to use in developing their level with this nasty little awkward, they had packed and returned to fix bicycles.

If, as the Espace units really matter?

Usually an MPV management is low on the priority list, but Renault has so extravagant in the city in the new Espace that out of the spotlight.

No less than five driving modes – neutral and predictable ecological settings are joined by a completely unnecessary sport and comfort options and a single mode “Perso”.

These modes not only change the weight of the steering, throttle response and transmission mapping and adjustable shock absorbers, steering the rear wheel (really) and air conditioning. Really.

Comfort mode automatically awakens a masseuse from the driver’s seat, which is more than one stabbed in the back with a rolling pin. It is perhaps the hardest from the Citroen SM radical French technology, this.

And the result is?

Not good enough. The modes offer little noticeable difference – the journey is still soft lollopingly, yet crashy over sharp edges. And as a large bus is traveling to alleviate the vague direction is a nightmare, so the Espace a nightmare to put in city traffic.

The easiest tuning Ford S-Max is probably a better compromise.

Similarly, the gasoline engine is a (197bhp refugee from the RS Clio) stretched and soft, but the seven-speed dual clutch transmission witted to believe, might actually fool a paralyzed CVT. Diesel is best to juggle more torque and six marches, but not blow very happy about something more strenuous than a road, with wind noise radiation for mirrors.

So we are not so much is not?

Your Driving is the only piece of technology would save four steering wheels, has a strange Clio Espace-like turning radius and excellent stability at high speeds.

Otherwise, the Espace feels like a collection of bright ideas, all of which have not been implemented demanding. In the UK, it is likely not to be missed because, as Ford minivans are slick.

We like the design greatly touches, but most of the driving technology needs rethinking before in his way, what we have in the UK …