The New Renault Espace: The SUV That Recognizes You Before Your Wife Does

Picture this: It’s early. You shuffle out to the driveway, bleary-eyed and still negotiating with gravity. You slide into the driver’s seat, coffee in hand, and before you’ve even said “start,” the car looks at you — literally. It scans your face, adjusts the mirrors, sets the seat just how you like it, fires up your favorite playlist, and if it could talk, it might casually mention that your shirt’s on inside out.

Welcome to the new Renault Espace — not just a facelifted SUV, but a semi-sentient lounge on wheels. This isn’t a family car anymore. This is a smart apartment with traction control.

Let’s get this out of the way: yes, the Espace still technically falls under the category of “practical seven-seater for the modern family.” But what it really is… is a glimpse into a future where your car knows you better than your best friend. Or worse, your mother-in-law.

The Espace has had a nip and tuck, and it's not subtle. The front end now borrows cues from the sporty Renault Rafale, giving it a sharper, more aggressive stare. Not aggressive like “boy racer in a blacked-out Golf GTI” — more like your high school teacher showing up one Monday in a leather jacket and suddenly everyone’s doing their homework.

But step inside and you’re no longer in Kansas. You’re in the Solarbay — Renault’s largest panoramic roof, made of nine segments of high-tech glass that can dim or brighten at your command. And when I say your command, I mean your voice. You speak to it. And it listens. Unlike your children.

Of course, the real party trick is the facial recognition system. A camera tucked discreetly in the A-pillar spots your face as you approach and quietly whispers to the rest of the car, “It’s him again.” And everything adjusts accordingly — the seat, mirrors, infotainment, possibly even the ambient lighting to match your mood. It’s like having a valet who never takes a day off or judges your taste in 2000s R&B.

Under the skin, things are largely the same as before. You’ve got a 1.2-liter turbocharged petrol engine assisted by two electric motors, making a respectable 200 horsepower. It’ll hit 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds, which is more than fast enough when you’re hauling five kids, a dog, and enough IKEA flat-packs to build a small village.

Fuel economy? A very un-SUV-like 4.8 liters per 100 km, with a total range of 1,100 kilometers. That’s Tallinn to Berlin without a fuel stop — or from your house to Grandma’s and back 47 times, depending on your priorities.

And handling? This thing has 4Control Advanced, meaning the rear wheels steer too. Which, in normal language, means it corners like it’s smaller than it is — kind of like a housecat launching itself around a corner at the sound of a can opener.

So is the new Espace fast? Not really. Is it beautiful? That’s subjective. But is it smarter than most people on social media? Unquestionably.

It’s the kind of car that quietly upgrades your life without asking for anything in return. It doesn’t scream for attention. It doesn’t beg for praise. It just works. Efficiently. Intelligently. And frankly, a bit eerily.

The Renault Espace: A car that might not win drag races — but it’ll remember your seat settings, predict your mood, and probably remind you to call your mother. And in today’s world, that might just make it a superhero in disguise.