Renault Espace

The current generation Espace confirms why Renault is King of the MPV builders. It's big, roomy and well thought out. It does all the tricks you'd expect a people carrier to do, like have seats that fold and remove, lots of clever storage bins and the ability to carry seven people. But Espace does it with panache and an impressive level of sophistication. Perhaps the only downer is the price. Changes for 2006 include a potent new 2.0-litre diesel plus interior upgrades.

DCI, V6

Pricey, but well equipped with automatic parking brake, automatic headlamps, ESP, traction control and a CD player as standard. Front fog lamps, six-CD autochanger and body-colour door-handles, tyre pressure monitors, rain-sensing wipers and parking sensors for top models. From 2006 high-spec versions can be chosen with cornering lights and the satellite navigation system offers the latest 3D map appearance.

3.5 V6