2001 Renault Espace the race 2.2 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Unreliable

Faults:

Loss of power at speed on motorways renault fixed, something on turbo. cold weather fast clear system won't heat up, stop after a few miles it pumps out diesel vapour from under the car, big cloud makes your eyes water. renault say theres nothing wrong runs out of warranty next month, help.

General Comments:

Nice to drive, but no confidence in it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th December, 2005

2001 Renault Espace The Race 2.2 dCi from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Excellent car let down by appalling reliability

Faults:

Serious loss of power on several occasions, resulting in dealer changes Exhaust Gas Release Valve (EGRV). However, with each new EGRV's lasting a progressively shorter and shorter timespan, ending at a few hundred miles before power loss again. Now had the engine computer re-mapped (wiped clean and re-programmed) - the car now drives quite differently.

Glow plugs problem around 20,000.

Dealer service general staff friendly and try to be helpful, albeit never got to root of problem. On one occasion when my wife was trying to say that there had to be some more fundamental fault than the Valve, Service Manager was appallingly condescending to my wife, so we got Renault UK involved. This brought an apology, but still didn't fix the car properly!

General Comments:

We fundamentally really like the Espace, it's large interior for a relatively small exterior, comfort, equipment and stable towing ability.

However, it's dire reliability, caused by dealer / Renault UK's incapability to find actual fault has really got to us.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 8th September, 2003

15th Nov 2005, 06:59

Bought an Espace the Race 2.2dci new in December 2002. Essentially a great car, flawed by the following:

Has broken down 3 times. TDC sensor twice and injectors once. All work under warranty.

Minor irritations - front doors get out of alignment quite regularly. Needs a new pair of front tyres every 14K and they're not cheap. Even so, I really like it and haven't got a clue what I'll eventually replace it with.

5th May 2006, 06:26

I bought a Renault Espace. Being disabled, it was the ideal vehicle for my mobility scooter. I paid £1008 for a two year gold warranty to keep the car in good mechanical order. I had it for 5 months, and had to cease driving owing to illness. I tried to recover some of the money I paid for the extra two years warranty. but they said no. What a nice lot of people they are. They need to review their policy on how to deal with unfortunate people like myself, who can ill afford to lose that ammount of money. No way would I reccomend any body to take out the advanced gold warranty.

Mark.

In reply to 15th Nov 2005, 06:59

26th Oct 2014, 13:53

Totally agree with the previous comments, 10/10 for comfort & 0/10 for reliability.

I bought a second one & it was just one problem after another. It broke my bank account & I'm still paying for those repair bills now. Replaced the clutch & gearbox, and the central locking & electrics played up. The final straw was when the fuel pump & injectors packed up.

I've gone back to driving Ford motor cars again.

2001 Renault Espace Initiale 3.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

This car is a class above the competition

Faults:

When the car was delivered the brake light switch was out of adjustment so that the brake pedal had to be depressed almost half way before the brake lights operated.

General Comments:

The Espace is a great car to drive, my car is finished in dark pearlescent blue with alloys and gas discharge head-lamps, for an MPV this car looks mean.

Dislikes;

The rear seats tend to rattle when unoccupied.

The fuzzy logic Automatic Gearbox can be a bit indecisive and to kick down you really do have to floor it.

Fuel consumption is very poor, motorway journeys with the car set at 70 MPH on cruise control return around 25 MPG and around town average 18 MPG.

Likes;

This car performs like a hot hatch, the 3.0 litre 24v engine has the ability to beat most people away from lights with handling and brakes to match.

The three sunroof set up gives the car a light and airy interior and the sophisticated electronic climate control ensures that you don't get hot around the collar.

The interior is very tasteful and the front seats are very comfortable although electric adjustment would be nice.

Good sound system with remote control on the steering column and a hand held remote control for passenger use.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th May, 2001

21st May 2002, 14:57

Glad you like the car. I've just purchased my third Espace in 14 years (owned the first one 10 years). Surprised you complain about the fuel consumption though... what would you expect from a 3.0 litre engine with an automatic box? If economy was a factor you should have considered the TD.