THE Renault Grand Espace, a lengthened version of the Next Generation Espace, is due to arrive in the UK in January 1988 and will be the ultimate in seven-seater MPV luxury, style and practicality.

The Next Generation Espace in Summer 1997 and was voted What Car? magazine's Carrier of the year 1997. The new arrival developed the qualities of the monospace concept created by Renault and Matra with further innovation in the areas of versatility, spaciousness, style and driver enjoyment.

The benchmark by which all Monospace, Multi Purpose Vehicles have been judged, the Espace now takes another big step ahead. The Grand Espace, with an added 27cm of length, will more than meet the needs of those who require even greater space for seven passengers and their luggage.

The Grand Espace will initially be offered with the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel multivalve 115 bhp engine and the 3.0-litre V6, 170 bhp petrol engine. As a true top-of-the-range flagship, the Grand Espace will, later in 1998, be offered with the new 3.0-litre V6 24-valve petrol engine, developing 194 bhp which is fitted to the Laguna in November and drives through a self-adaptive automatic transmission to provide unbeatable grand touring ability.

All versions of the Next Generation Espace benefit from extensive equipment and the Grand Espace will be no exception, with an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and driver and passenger airbags amongst the standard safety features. Other equipment includes one of a range of Hi-Fi's specially designed to create an 'auditorium' effect within the vehicle's expansive interior. There are no parts of the Hi-Fi visible inside the cabin. Everything is operated by Renault's unique finger-tip remote control on the steering column, or a hand-held, infra-red remote control for the passengers. A powerful, eight-speed air conditioning system is also fitted to all Grand Espaces to ensure optimum cabin air quality.

Prices and full specifications will be announced nearer the on-sale date of January 1998.

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