The Renault Espace range of people carriers has celebrated 20 years on the road with revised models and a new version. Motoring editor MALCOLM BAYLIS wishes the old favourite a happy birthday.

RENAULT can never be accused of resting on its laurels. Twenty months on from its make-over launch in 2003 and fresh from celebrating 20 years on the road, Renault's latest flagship Espace range is destined to get a huge sales boost with the arrival of an all-new trim level.

It's called Dynamique, and with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, two of them 3.0-litre and 3.3-litre units, there should be more than enough under the bonnet to ensure real sporty performance.

The new phase of the Espace, including Grand Espace, now in its fourth guise, has a lot to live up to.

At the end of the year around 5,000 had been sold, a figure more than 12 per cent up on the previous year, and in a market which actually saw sales of major rivals, like the Ford Galaxy, Chrysler Voyager, Volkswagen Sharan and Peugeot 807, drop.

Dynamique trim is not new to Renault. It already exists in other Renault line-ups, such as the Megane, and has proved to be the most popular with customers.

Overall the Dynamique trim level gives the range a more sporting product. It is based on the mid-range Espace Expression, but adds 17-inch high-shine alloy wheels, dual front automatic climate control, extra tinted glass on the back windows and tailgate, heat reflecting windscreen, leather sports style seats, and a carbon and beige interior trim colour scheme. There are also roof bars for a roof box.

With seat flexibility important in any people carrier, Renault's designers have also been busy creating a new slide and lock seat fixing system, which should make it easier to free-up interior space. Research has shown that most Espace buyers buy the seven-seater for more than just occasional use. So all five-rear seats are the same substantial seat with built-in three-point seat belts.

However, on those occasions when a seat has to be taken out, the locking mechanism in the special floor rails has been simplified. There is no longer any need to fiddle and curse while trying to match special sliding hooks to the seats. The new design means all five seats can be quickly and easily taken out or re-fitted using the floor rails. The system will be available on all new models from mid-April.

Already awarded the highest score in its class in European crash tests for passenger safety, the Espace range is one of the safest on the road. Taking it a step further, the new Espace now provides head restraints called Sleep Safe, which assist in reducing whiplash injuries, particularly for younger passengers.

Set for adults, at first sight the new design appears to be identical to the existing restraints, but in a matter of seconds they can be flipped over to gently hold the neck area of children between the ages of four and ten using a booster cushion seat, and sitting in the back.

Engines fitted into the Dynamique Espace models include a 1.9-litre and 2.2-litre dCi (diesels) and 2.0-litre petrol turbo, while the Grand Espace Dynamiques also have the 3.0-litre diesel and 3.5-litre V6 petrol, both engines only previously available on the flagship Privilege and Initiale trim.

Aside from the arrival of the Dynamique, other trim levels within the Espace and Grand Espace have been updated, starting with the entry-level Authentique which gets an interior make-over with new dark upholstery and trim.

Best-selling Privilege versions get a bonus £850 worth of extras at no extra cost: including rear parking sensors, hands-free card ignition and locking, roof bars, rain sensitive front windscreen wipers and automatic front headlamps.

Simplifying the Espace range has also been carried out. Visitors to showrooms will now see a more streamlined list of engines across various trim levels. Out goes the 3.0-litre V6 petrol and 3.5-litre V6 diesel version from the Privilege line-up, and 2.0-litre T 16V from Initiale on Espace models, The Grand Espace loses the 1.9-litre diesel from the Expression range and the 2.0-litre T 16V petrol from the Initiale line-up.

On top of the new trim level, customers can specify their cars with more equipment with the arrival of four new option packs: named Comfort, Driving, Convenience and Ultimate Style, which bought as a pack can save between £225 and £450 over items bought separately.

The £1,500 Comfort pack provides the hands free ignition and entry card, electric folding door mirrors, panoramic sunroof and a dashboard mounted six CD multi-changer. The Convenience pack adds six rear sunblinds, opening tailgate window, rear climate control and swivelling front seats (with folding door mirror and anti-finger pinching rear windows) for £750. A Driving pack for manual gearbox models only provides cruise control with speed limiter, parking sensors and a tyre pressure monitor for £575, while the Ultimate Style pack at £1,000 adds 18-inch alloy wheels and extra tinted glass on rear windows and tailgate.

Renault has increased the prices of most of its model ranges, including the Espace. The average rise is just under £300 across the Espace and Grand Espace, with prices ranging from £19,645 to £34,595, with the new Dynamique range coming in at £23,295 and topping at £29,595.

Dealers: Dixon Renault, Clifton Moorgate, Clifton Moor, York (01904 667300); Barker Smith, The Showroom, Welham Road, Norton, Malton (01653 693383).

Updated: 12:53 Friday, January 28, 2005