The Renault Espace turns 40 this year and the French manufacturer will celebrate the fabled nameplate’s anniversary with a brand new generation model. The sixth-gen Espace will debut this spring, though it won’t be a minivan – Renault now previews the new Espace with three teaser images and confirms it will morph into an SUV.
This shouldn’t really come as a surprise given the ever-growing demand for SUVs and the shrinking MPV segment in the European markets. The new Espace will arrive in just a few months and will take the shape of an SUV in five- and seven-seat versions. Renault isn’t ready to reveal more details yet, though we already know quite a bit about the sixth-generation Espace.
Spy photos have already shown the new vehicle will be very similar in design to the Austral. The French automaker confirms the Espace will ride on the CMF-CD platform, which also underpins the Austral, and other SUVs in the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, including the Nissan X-Trail and Mitsubishi Outlander. The same architecture was also used as a base for the outgoing Espace, which was a traditional minivan.
Not much else is known at the moment but Renault says the new Espace will be “comfortable, innovative, and top of the range.” This is a little vague, though it seems that the brand will launch the new Espace as a range-topping SUV above the Austral despite the fact that both vehicles will have five-seat versions. If this assumption is correct, expect to see more luxury features and higher-quality materials onboard the Espace.
We don’t expect the Espace VI to launch with a standalone engine range given the similarities in design and tech with the Austral. The latter is offered with a base 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder mill with mild-hybrid support, producing a peak output of 130 horsepower (97 kilowatts).
This is surely going to be less than adequate powertrain for the larger and heavier Espace and we expect the mild-hybrid 1.3-liter four-cylinder with 140 hp (104 kW) to be a more popular option. The Austral’s range-topping powertrain is the E-Tech Hybrid which combines a 1.2-liter engine and an electric motor with a system power of up to 200 hp (149 kW).
