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MPV
Most seven-seaters look like pointy minibuses, but the Espace is a stylish and classy looker. You can fit seven people inside, but it's best to save the rearmost pair of seats for kids.
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Access to these two pews isn’t that good, either, not least because the Espace lacks the sliding doors of some rivals. There’s a wide range of seating permutations, though - the front pair even swivel round to face the rear - and you won’t want for practical touches or storage areas. Visibility is excellent, too, and the driving position comfortable. On the other hand, don’t expect much space for luggage when all seven seats are in use, even in the longer Grand Espace. Also, the seats don’t fold into the floor, although they’re easy to remove. The way it drives is more impressive, though, with a very supple, comfortable ride and nimble handling. The diesels are mostly refined unless you work them very hard and make more sense than petrols.
Running Costs
If you opt for the 3.5 V6, petrol running costs will be high. Sure, it isn’t that expensive to buy - in fact, you’ll probably pick one up for less than the price of our favourite model, the 2.2 dCi diesel. But it’s the second dearest Espace to service (the 3.0 dCi is most expensive), lands you in group 16 for insurance and returns an official average of just over 23mpg. Generally, the Espace isn’t that expensive a proposition, although used prices aren’t the cheapest. You’ll pay about the same to service it as most of its rivals, and the majority of models fall between groups 12 and 14 to insure. Our favourite model, the 2.2 dCi Expression, is in group 14 and should give you 36mpg overall. The 1.9 dCi diesel stretches that to 40mpg, while the 3.0 dCi drops it to 30mpg, which is about the same as the turbo and non-turbo 2.0 petrols.