Category: Large MPV 
Price Range: £20,295 to £35,640
Avant-garde interior, supple ride, refinement, versatility.
Not the most exciting drive.
The original and, in some ways, the best.
An MPV is a useful alternative to an estate car. Some carry seven or eight people, yet their 'one-box' design means they don't occupy too much road space. The occupants sit high with a good view out, and usually the seats fold in ingenious ways or can be removed. The Renault Espace was Europe's first MPV. This one's the fourth version, but was replaced in 2000. It's made for Renault in two sizes, regular and Grand, by aerospace and telecoms company Matra, using plastic panels over a galvanised skeleton.
