Its body panels were glass-fibre over a galvanised steel cage, built not by Renault but by Matra, for the last time.
Lead trim: 1.9 dTi
Renault Espace IIIJE0 · 1996–2002
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Renault Espace III yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactIts body panels were glass-fibre over a galvanised steel cage, built not by Renault but by Matra, for the last time.
The third-generation Espace arrived in December 1996, with the long-wheelbase Grand Espace following at the beginning of 1998. It kept a plastic (GRP) body over a galvanised steel chassis and was best known for its futuristic interior with a long, centrally mounted dashboard and digital speedometer. It shared much of its running gear with the Laguna and was the last Espace built by Matra; a facelift came in September 2000 and production ended in September 2002 after 357,120 cars.
Collectors Spotted in the Renault Espace Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Renault Espace yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
7 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9 dTi | 1999–2002 | 1.9 L Inline-4 | 97 hp | 140 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| 2.0 16v | 1996–2002 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2.0 8v | 1996–2002 | 2.0 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2.2 dCi | 1996–2002 | 2.2 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2.2 dT | 1996–2002 | 2.2 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3.0 V6 | 1996–2002 | 3.0 L V6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3.0 V6 24v | 1996–2002 | 3.0 L V6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
This Espace is a rebodied Austral underneath, sharing most of its panels, front end and interior with an SUV two sizes down.
The Espace V was previewed by the Initiale Paris concept, the last of designer Laurens van den Acker's six "cycle of life" show cars.
Renault gave this Espace aluminium doors and bonnet to cut weight, then kept it front-wheel drive only.
Its body panels were glass-fibre over a galvanised steel cage, built not by Renault but by Matra, for the last time.
The Espace II had a second life as a regulatory loophole: a Chinese partner imported nearly-finished cars and called them 'locally assembled' to exploit gaps in China's import rules.
The minivan concept that reshaped European family travel almost died at birth: the original Espace sold just nine cars in its first month on sale.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
This Presage minivan shares its underlying platform with the Teana sedan and the North American Murano crossover — one architecture doing three very different jobs.
Subaru's family-hauling Exiga got an unlikely STi treatment in 2009 — front spoiler, sport muffler, tighter suspension and a leather Momo wheel — but only 300 were ever built.
YRV stands for Young Recreational Vehicle, a mini MPV built to out-handle its own segment rivals.
The Terraza was Buick's first-ever minivan for the North American market - a badge-engineered cousin of the Chevrolet Uplander, Pontiac Montana SV6, and Saturn Relay.
The restyled 1994 Lumina Minivan quietly made American automotive history: it was the first minivan sold in the US with a power sliding door you could open by remote.
The first-generation Lumina APV minivan was nicknamed the "Dustbuster" by the press for its sharply sloped windshield, which pushed the dashboard far forward of the driver.
Its steeply sloped windshield gave the Lumina APV one of the deepest dashboards ever fitted to a mass-produced car.
The first Presage wasn't really its own car underneath — most of its parts came straight from the Nissan R'nessa, with more shared with its platform twin, the Bassara.