The new Renault Espace has secured a five-star rating from the independent passive safety evaluation body Euro NCAP. This score was obtained despite the more stringent criteria that were introduced in January 2015 and provides a further illustration of Renault’s expertise in the realm of passive safety.
The new Renault Espace earned a global score of 81 percent and is the 16th Renault model to earn Euro NCAP’s five-star rating.
Over and above this industry certification, the new Renault Espace delivers reassuring handling performance thanks notably to a range of driver-warning and occupant-protection technologies which contribute to the model’s outstanding active safety credentials.
Adult protection criteria
The new Renault Espace has achieved an adult occupant protection score that positions it at the market’s very top end (31.4 points out of a possible 38).
In the case of a head-on collision, occupants sitting at the front of the new Renault Espace are protected by two large-volumes frontal airbags which inflate as a function of the type of impact and the position of the occupant. Occupants are also held by anti-submarining humps incorporated in the seats, as well as by pretensioners complete with adaptive load limiters which adjust the load applied as a function of the impact’s severity. The engine sub-frame also plays an important protective role in head-on collisions by absorbing energy thanks to its variable-resistance crumple zones. At the same time, the reinforced central cell is designed to preserve the cabin’s integrity in even the most severe impacts.
In the case of a side-on impact, front occupants are doubly protected by two latest-generation lateral groin/thorax/shoulder airbags and two curtain airbags.
Child protection criteria
The child occupant protection score for the new Renault Espace was 44 points out of a possible 49, once again a result that positions it at the very highest end of the market. The new Renault Espace is one of the few D-segment vehicles that propose anti-submarining technology for second-row seats, too. Rear occupants also benefit from curtain airbags, as well as from pretensioners complete with load limiters.
A long-standing commitment to safety
For more than 15 years, Renault has gone beyond the Euro NCAP’s own criteria in accordance with its policy of placing safety at the very heart of its concerns. For example, the French manufacturer was one of the first carmakers to propose anti-submarining technology in the Noughties. This system, which is designed to prevent occupants from sliding underneath their seat belts in a head-on collision, was officially included as one of the Euro NCAP’s notation criteria when the body’s evaluation protocol was revised at the beginning of 2015.
Passive safety coupled with a high level of active safety
Renault’s engineers designed the new Renault Espace to deliver travelling pleasure while at the same time making driving safe, reassuring and simple. When it comes to driver aids, the model sits up with the very best the D-segment has to offer:
- To making driving as safe as possible, the new Renault Espace is equipped with:
- Adaptive Cruise Control which automatically adjusts the vehicle’s speed to maintain a sufficient distance with the vehicle ahead.
- Active Emergency Braking which provides drivers with visible and audible alerts if it is necessary to brake to avoid a head-on impact. It can also apply the brakes automatically.
- The New Espace also packs four advanced-warning system:
- Lane Departure Warning (visual and audible alerts).
- Safe Distance Warning to help drivers to maintain a sensible gap to traffic ahead.
- Traffic Sign Recognition with speed alert to provide drivers with a visible warning should they exceed the speed limit.
- Blind Spot Warning provides drivers with a visual alert if another vehicle appears in either of their door mirrors’ blind spots.
- Last but not least, the new Renault Espace proposes the following features to simplify life for drivers and allow them to focus on their task:
- Head-up display of data.
- Automatic High/Low beam switches from full to dipped beam (and vice-versa) without any driver input.
- Parking aids including Easy Park Assist, parking sensors (front, rear and side) and reversing camera.
Finally, the active safety of the new Renault Espace is reinforced thanks to technologies that are unique in the D segment, namely 4Control chassis combined with active damping. These systems provide the new crossover with the agility of a Clio in built-up areas, along with outstanding handling and greater stability at speed on twisty roads.
