1993 Renault Espace RXE review from UK and Ireland

Only the exhaust rear-box which fell off. Why do they all seem to do this?

There is a slight electrical circuit problem which makes itself aware when the headlights are switched on and I activate the washers for the windcreen and the right light starts to flicker. Wierd but v.minor.

The paint on the plastic cladding and roof is utter rubbish. The lower side panels have faded and discoloured and only copious amounts of silicone splodge applied with a brush keep them looking good. The roof had already begun to fade when I got the car and has now become practically white. Ugly and I was quoted £200 from a bodyshop to respray it due to a special preparation needed to the plastic. Watch out for this as it seems to afflict a lot of Espaces. Also, Renault parts and labour prices are shocking but this doesn't just affect the Espace.

Overall I'm v.happy with it. Nothing much has needed to be done to it and the V6 engine is torquey and quiet. Great for cruising but is lethargic considering that it's almost 3 litres and gives me 20mpg on average. Can be excused remembering that it's basically a design from the sixties rewarmed. These cars are amazingly practical which convinced me to buy it with endless seating permutations. The V6 is quite a heavy depreciator so mine was good value but I can't help feeling that the general finish and material quality isn't up to the standard of a £30k+ car but is generally OK and nothing to worry about. Ride and handling is amazing for a van with windows. It's tautly set up so sacrifices a bit of ride for a sharp, accurate drive and crisp steering feel but it does roll quite a bit due to high centre of gravity. If you've got a family you can't beat them and they're much better than the Sharalaxy clan whilst the Voyager is just too big and unwieldy with appalling fuel consumption.