Test Drive Renault Espace since 2006 Minivan
Norman express
The debuting in the summer of 1984 Renault Espas became, in fact, the first European mini-ven. He acquired his current appearance during the last modernization in 1996. A year later, in the fall of 1997, a long-base version appeared - Gran Espas. The family of Espas is installed gasoline engines with a working capacity of 2.0 and 3.0 liters, as well as 2.2-liter turbodiesel. Gearboxes - five-speed mechanical and four-stage automatic. Mini Wen are produced in RTE, RXE and RXT. We were the first Russian journalists who got close to this car.
Friendly serving in the office Reno stretches the keys and documents: your Gran Espas in a press garage. Go through the second underground floor. Wrapping some time in the labyrinths of a huge one, in several parking tiers, we find a light green handsome man. For order, inspecting the car outside and quickly behind the steering wheel. Blimey! From all sides, huge windows, above the head three transparent hatch (by the way, removable) - the impression that you are sitting in the nuclear cabin of the bombarder, or ... in the aquarium. Between comfortable front seats - pass back. There are still two rows of seats. All these chairs can move, deploy, fold-lay out and even shoot.
All adjustments in the RXE configuration (namely, such Espas prepared us) mechanical. Controls are convenient, however, the steering wheel will be multiplied to the right, which requires addiction. But it is possible to bibece in French, a button on the left-hander switch, and in a European, clicking on the steering hub, where the inflatable airbag is located. The second is the passenger. However, the first impressions are enough - it's time to load things. I pull the handle over the rear line sign - the door is not from the place ... It turns out that the rear window also opens here, and it is this pen. And the door handle is slightly lower. Having understood, open the trunk. Wow! Even with three row of seats, there is more than enough space for bulky cameras and luggage of three pilgrims. If you fold the rear, here, perhaps, and a small car will enter. By the way, some kind of antiques at the end of the roof, moving around, turns into two transverse arcs for the carriage of long cargoes - skis and other windsurfers.
Let the engine - the cold diesel is harsh robble. How to reproduce from the garage on this shed? Togo and look, hook someone. Gently, I go to the light of God. My colleague, acting navigator, unfolds a map of Paris. An hour from the hour is not easier: a new car is unusual large dimensions need to be tested on the streets strangers strangers. No, seek to get out of this anthill. Course - north, in Normandia.
An hour later we are already in proud loneliness by the motorway. Diesel almost can not be heard, only if you step on the accelerator, quietly sends a turbocharger. Loudly will give yourself about yourself to know the ventilation system. At times, the sound is reminded by a small, but very jet engine. In addition, a curious aerodynamic effect was discovered: it is necessary to open the side rear window, as an unpleasant infraser occurs, resembling a very powerful bu-bu.
Well, let's try to leave. Thus, 170 km / h are gained easily, and 180 appears on the descents. Mini Ven, as if comfortable express, rushes us to La Mansu. Having mounted behind the wheel of Grand Espas, we feel at the narrow winding roads of the coast like at home. It turns out, Mini-Ven as glued on the road, without reacting to the side wind and almost paying attention to rare coating defects. The car perfectly listens to the steering wheel, and the huge area of \u200b\u200bglazing allows you to feel good for the sizes. True, when maneuvering in an outdoor cramped, an invisible hood makes it stops for a kind half to obstacle, but this is the cost of first acquaintance. Employing the motorcycle motor willingly drag heavy machine into the most cool slide, and if necessary, quickly accelerates with a nonautobussian acceleration.
Having found a huge empty parking in a huge empty parking lot at this time of the year, they tried that Espas was capable of. Brakes - glitter, ABS - soft and accurate. With a sharp steering wheel in high speed, the nose begins to swim with a strong vibration, as if warning: easier, boy! If you continue to persist, Espas, slightly extinguished speed, vigorously screwed into turn. For such a high roll machine at the same time, very moderate. On the fast snake of the possibilities of the hydraulic, sometimes not enough and the effort on the steering wheel is jumpingly increasing. However, we will be correct - mini-Ven is not created for asphalt slalom. His destination - to the most comfortable to transport small groups of people, and with this task, Gran Espas copes brilliantly.
On the way, we drove the car to the pit of one of the items of the car service. Inspection from the bottom gave a lot of interesting information. It turned out, the bottom of the Espas is not painted, not processed by anticorros. It is simply galvanized as real trough. Naked zinc visible in the engine compartment. By the way, the hood is the only metal external body element. All others are the roof, door panels, wings, bumpers, thresholds - plastic. They are attached to a galvanized steel spatial frame, so that the problems of corrosion resistance of the body do not exist here. Unfortunately, the engine is not protected from below, and its lowest elements are the oil filter and aluminum crankcase. Yes, and the road clearance is small - only 11 cm. In general, the villagers are not for Espas. Under the floor of the rear body - a spare wheel. It is also a fifteen-day, but only 165 mm width, and not 215 mm, like everyone else. Highway on the roads of Normandy for three days almost a thousand kilometers, return to Paris. Gran Espas now does not seem like this grast. I got used to his assertive run, to its size, to his disappearance and burning comfort. I managed to love this car.
The official supplies of Grand Espas to Russia are planned from July this year. Most likely, it will be mainly gasoline versions. The buyer long mini-Ven will cost $ 38-43 thousand - about 10% more expensive than the usual, short. Standard warranty - 1 year without a mileage limit. But the mileage between that will be reduced: in Europe it is 15 and 10 thousand km for a gasoline and diesel engine, in Russia, respectively, 10 and 7.5 thousand km. Instead of the usual dashboard, a large central display, similar to a squared eye cyclop. In the middle - a spacious glove box with a capacity of 33 liters.
If you deploy 180 front seats and folded the back of the middle in the second row, the six-bed room with the table will be obtained. On all windows, except for the front, - nominating translucent curtains.
The original heating and ventilation control panel is very unusual, but simple and easy.
Large comfortable salon with an extensive set of transformation options, an abundance of useful trifles, a spacious luggage compartment, a trap motor, good dynamics, excellent stability and handling, excellent visibility, high fuel efficiency, good noise insulation, high corrosion durability of the body.
Invisible front edge of the body, very noisy ventilation, low-frequency noise with open rear windows, small road clearance.
General data: Number of places - 7; Curb weight - 1670 kg; Full weight - 2510 kg; Maximum speed - 178 km / h; overclocking time up to 100 km / h - 14.8 s; fuel consumption in the conditional country and urban cycles - 6.6; 10.3 l / 100 km; Fuel supply - 76 l; Fuel - diesel. Dimensions, mm: Length - 4787; width - 1810; Height - 1692 (+75 - arcs); base - 2874; Pitch in front / rear - 1534/1540; Road clearance - 110; The volume of the trunk is 520-760 l (7 people) / 1145-1700 l (5 people) / 3100 l (2 people); Radius of rotation - 6.9 m. Engine: Diesel with a four-cylinder turbocharged, with three valves per cylinder, is located in front; Working volume - 2188 SMZ; cylinder diameter and piston stroke - 87.0x92.0; The degree of compression is 22.0; Power - 83 kW / 115 liters. With. at 4300 rpm; Maximum torque - 250 NM at 2000 rpm. Transmission: Drive on the front wheels; gearbox - five-speed mechanical; Transmission numbers: I - 3.91; II - 2.21; III - 1.39; IV - 0.98; V - 0.76; s. X. - 3.64; Main gear - 3.81. Suspension: with transverse stability stabilizers, anterior - independent type Mac-Fersson, is collected on the subframe, the rear is semi-dependent spring with longitudinal levers and Panar tag. Brakes: hydraulic with vacuum amplifier and ABS, front - ventilated discs, rear - drums. Steering: Rush with a hydraulicel. Tire size: 215 / 65R15.
On Reno Gran Espas, you can work, meeting, for example, at the airport of business partners, and relax, going with the company of friends and sports equipment somewhere on the sea. True, not very wild to the place.
Yuri Nileyov. Photo by Vladimir Knyazev
A source: Journal "Behind the wheel"
