Renault EspaceJanuary 2007

Back in the early 1980s the Espace was Europe's first people-carrier, and over the intervening years (and four generations) Renault has gradually moved it upmarket. The first three versions were designed and engineered by another company on behalf of Renault - Matra - but the current model is the first (and possibly last) the French manufacturer developed itself in-house.

The fundamental ingredients remain as before. The Espace boasts plenty of space for five, six or seven occupants plus the ability to do a convincing impression of a Transit van with the rear seats removed. The imposing external design certainly looks handsome enough, and the well-finished cabin is crammed with neat touches.

However, confusingly, it isn't as practical as the third-generation Espace that it replaced, being unable to match its predecessor's number of seat layout permutations. And, unlike key rivals, the current Espace's third row seats can't be folded away into the floor when not in use, having instead to be physically removed from the car: a heavy, laborious process.

Driving dynamics are still wafty enough: the Espace really is like a mobile living room. The compliant chassis is happy to digest rougher road surfaces without complaint and excellent noise insulation makes for good refinement at motorway speeds. The basic 2.0 litre petrol and 1.9 litre diesel engines both lack urge, with sensible punters more likely to opt for the strong and reasonably frugal 2.2 DCi or the range-topping 170 bhp 2.0 litre DCi diesels. We still can't see why you would choose one over a Galaxy, though - and falling sales suggest most buyers in this class feel the same.