PetrolBlogPetrolBlogPetrolBlogPetrolBlog
  • Home
  • 70s cars
  • 80s cars
  • 90s cars
  • 00s cars
  • Manufacturers
    • CITROËN
    • PEUGEOT
    • RENAULT
    • Alfa Romeo
    • Audi
    • Dacia
    • Daihatsu
    • Fiat
    • Ford
    • Honda
    • Hyundai
    • Lancia
    • Matra
    • Mazda
    • Mercedes-Benz
    • Mitsubishi
    • Nissan
    • Opel
    • Proton
    • Saab
    • Seat
    • Skoda
    • Suzuki
    • Talbot
    • Toyota
    • Vauxhall
    • Volkswagen
    • Volvo
  • Features
    • 10 of the best
    • CarTunes
    • General Bunk
    • It’s time to appreciate
    • Major Waffle
    • New cars
    • Regrets
    • Reviews
    • Save Our Scrap
    • Shatchbacks
    • Shednesday
    • The Barn
    • Whatever happened to?
  • Garage
  • Shop
0

Bucking the trend: the brilliant Renault Avantime

Published by House Guest at 10th October 2011
Renault Avantime rear on PetrolBlog

More words from David Milloy, this time on the brilliant PetrolBlog favourite, the Renault Avantime. Over to you, David.

“How is Ming the Merciless these days?” asked the cashier in the filling station. “Eh?” was my reply. As usual, I was the epitome of eloquence. He pointed to the car sitting at pump six. “That spaceship on wheels is yours, isn’t it?” I nodded. “Well, in that case you must be Buck Rogers.”

I gave him a non-committal grunt, paid for the fuel and walked back to my car, a Renault Avantime, wishing that the standard equipment list had included a ray gun for use against smart arses.

As I pulled away, the cashier gave me a salute. It struck me then just how wrong it was for the Avantime to run on something as primitive as fossil fuels. At the very least, such a futuristic vehicle really ought to have been kitted out with a cold fusion engine.  And, of course, a ray gun.

That little episode took place in 2008. It was hardly uncommon; nine years after the prototype was first shown and six years after it hit UK roads, the Avantime remained King of the Hill when it came to drawing a reaction from people.

Renault eSpider concept

It wasn’t just the styling that was a talking point. Right from the car’s first outing at Geneva in 1999, the wisdom of producing a car that was a cross between an MPV, a coupé (the Avantime was initially known as ‘Coupéspace’) and a cabriolet was also the subject of much debate. Sure, there had previously been some very unusual derivatives of the Espace – notably the 810bhp Espace F1 and the chopped-top Espider – but they’d never been intended for series production.

Putting the Avantime into production was a bold move, but from the viewpoint of its builder, Matra Automobile, it was also a move born out of necessity. By the late 90s, Matra was well established as the third biggest car company in France. Since 1984, they had built three generations of the Espace for Renault at their factories in the town of Romorantin in central France. Indeed, the original Espace had been developed from Matra’s P18 prototype. However, in late 1997, Renault dropped a bombshell on Matra: the fourth generation Espace would be built by Renault in their own factories.

Talks between the companies resulted in a new agreement: Matra would build the Avantime. It was known from the outset that the Avantime would never sell in anything like the same numbers as the Espace. However, the intention was to launch the Avantime in 2000 for Matra to build alongside the third generation Espace, on which it was based, until Renault took over Espace production in 2002. That would keep Matra’s factories occupied till then, allow the Avantime to become established and afford Matra a little more time to come up with something else to produce in place of the Espace.

The brilliant Renault Avantime

It didn’t work out that way. There were delays in getting the Avantime ready for production. Launch dates came and went. The biggest issues seem to have been with the roof and the doors. The roof was heavy, being largely comprised of glass and with no B-pillar to help provide support. The doors, at 1.4 metres long and weighing 55 kilos each, were the largest fitted to a production car at the time. The challenge was to find an effective and reliable system to keep the opening radius of the doors to within acceptable limits – after all, there’d be no point in driving a spaceship if you couldn’t get into or out of it if someone parked beside you. The solution was to double-hinge the doors, thereby allowing them to swing forward as well as out.

When the Avantime eventually went into production in 2001, sales did not come quickly. At first, Matra and Renault no doubt took comfort in the fact that the Espace had initially been a poor seller – only nine were sold in the month after it was launched – but had gone on to sell in droves. The Avantime was, however, a very different beast from the Espace. Sales never came close to meeting the anticipated figures, and by the time Avantime production ended in May, 2003, just 8,557 had been produced.

There were a number of factors which contributed to the Avantime’s lack of success.  It was expensive – in the UK, the base model carried a tag of over £24,000 in 2002. It tried to be a jack of all trades, and mastered none of them: as a MPV, it was much less practical than an Espace; as a coupé, it wasn’t able to compete in terms of dynamic ability – even the manual V6 version couldn’t crack 8 seconds for the 0 to 62mph dash; and, as a cabriolet, there were plenty around that offered fully retractable roofs, not just a large opening sunroof and windows.

Renault Avantime on PetrolBlog

The Avantime’s cause wasn’t helped by Renault’s decision to offer another large, avantgarde car in their range: the Vel Satis. There were even mutterings that Renault favoured the Vel Satis, built in their own factories, over the Avantime, and that their marketing effort was heavily weighted towards the Vel Satis.

There were, to be sure, some odd omissions from the Avantime’s specification. In the UK, it was never offered with a diesel engine, albeit such a model was available in continental Europe. Another omission was Renault’s excellent keyless entry and ignition system, available on the Vel Satis, Laguna and Megane but not on the Avantime – something that remains hard to fathom, given the Avantime’s space age styling and vibe. Of more significance was the absence from the Avantime range of two engines available to Vel Satis buyers – a 3-litre V6 diesel and a 3.5-litre petrol V6. It’s a pity, as the V6 diesel, in particular, offered a blend of performance and fuel economy that might well have made it the ideal powerplant for the Avantime.

Whatever the reasons, the Avantime met a premature end. If circumstances had allowed it to be produced as a low-volume, niche vehicle, rather than a company’s flagship product, then it might have survived.

The Avantime is still a crowd-puller today. You needn’t just remain an onlooker, though. With prices at their current level – under £2,000 can buy you a V6 model – Avantime ownership is a tempting proposition, even though you run the risk of being mistaken for Buck Rogers!

See above for a short promotional video produced by Matra in 2000. It was given away with the now defunct French magazine, Auto Live.

I might have to ban Mr Milloy from future updates. More than ever, I’m now sure that I need an Avantime in my life. This can’t end well…

Share
1


Related Waffle


2022 Dacia Jogger in Terracotta

The Dacia Jogger is a practical remix of the Matra Rancho

Dec 14, 2021
Club PetrolBlog most beautiful

Club PetrolBlog members at their most beautiful

Aug 20, 2021
Renault Avantime in Geneva

You won’t believe these facts about French cars

Aug 19, 2021
Renault 14 Safrane

The Renault 14 Safrane was a hatchback for the aristocracy

Jun 15, 2021

21 Comments

  1. Antony Ingram (@antonyingram) says:
    10th October 2011 at 8:01 pm

    If the Avantime had come with that diesel V6, I’d buy one tomorrow. Unfortunately I can’t justify the running costs of the regular V6 as a daily driver, which is a shame since the Avantime is probably one of the most stunning cars ever made.

    Goes to show too that Renault has some ENORMOUS corporate balls stashed in its pantalons. Only Renault would give us the Avantime, Vel Satis, Spider, Twizy and mid-engined versions of the R5 and Clio. Anyone else’s marketing department would be having kittens being told they’d have to shift cars like that.

    Reply
    • MajorGav says:
      10th October 2011 at 8:06 pm

      Absolutely. Renault’s back catalogue of recent years deserves greater respect than it gets. Even today, things like the buzzy little RS Twingo are quite unlike anything else on the market. Respect for Renault! 😉

      Reply
      • Antony Ingram (@antonyingram) says:
        10th October 2011 at 8:24 pm

        Or indeed, the Wind. Or as I like to call it, the Renault Del Sol.

        Reply
  2. David Milloy says:
    10th October 2011 at 10:19 pm

    The running costs of the V6 can be reduced by converting it to run on LPG. I know of some that have already been converted. Taking both the lower cost of LPG and the higher fuel consumption when running on LPG – about 10% higher than when running on petrol – into account, the equivalent fuel cost in miles per £1 is about 80% better using LPG.

    Fuel apart, the costly things to watch out for on the V6 are the cambelt service – over £1000 – and the engine’s appetite for coils.

    Also, I’d go for the manual ‘box over the automatic. It gives better performance and doesn’t suffer from the slushiness of the auto ‘box.

    Reply
  3. Kuang says:
    10th October 2011 at 10:36 pm

    Lots of Avantime love here, always been a fan. I’d have a manual one in a shot if I thought it would stay in one piece well enough to be a daily driver 🙂

    Reply
    • David Milloy says:
      11th October 2011 at 10:29 am

      Personally, I’d go for the 2 litre manual version if I was buying one to use every day. The Avantime’s main issues tend to be with things like the CD multichanger and the sunroof. The CD player fault is common enough to qualify as a standard ‘feature’ of the car. Another common issue is with paint bubbling on the aluminium roof rails and upper structure. I believe that Renault corrected that problem on some cars under the paint warranty.

      Reply
  4. AsianMartin says:
    11th October 2011 at 1:58 am

    Shame these never got the recognition they deserved. They were way better than their Espace underpinnings might lead you to think they would be and were a fantastic transcontinental express. Vastly superior to just about anything else Renault has cranked out in the last couple of decades, it was doomed from birth by its parentage – the Renault name isn’t exactly associated with luxury in the public’s mind, and the same public didn’t know what to make of it.

    Reply
    • MajorGav says:
      11th October 2011 at 8:15 am

      All of which makes it a guaranteed future classic. I can’t see the values remaining low forever. One day we’ll look back on the days when you could pick up an Avantime for the price of a five year old Ford Focus.

      Reply
  5. Oliver@vel-satis.org says:
    11th October 2011 at 11:46 am

    Duncan – great article about a great car! It’s warming to see familiar Twitter people saluting the Avantime and wishing they could get one as a daily driver. My family owns 2 Vel Sati and now an Avantime, when my dad snapped up a very, very low mileage one a couple of months ago. It’s a 2 litre manual which has never been driven outside of spring and summer and has been specially treated underneath, valeted weekly and really given the cotton-wool treatment. Like Gav, I think Avantime values on the second hand market will start to rise again in the not-too-distant future, but values seem to go up and down, so once they’ve risen, they may drop a bit later on and repeat the cycle. I really hope Gav buys an Avantime soon! 🙂

    Reply
    • David Milloy says:
      11th October 2011 at 1:02 pm

      Thanks, Oliver. Avantime prices in the UK are well below those in France. Hopefully, it’ll be a case of UK prices rising rather than French prices falling. I’m tempted to get another Avantime myself.

      One good thing about the Avantime is that much of its structure is based on Matra’s tried and trusted recipe of a hot-dip galvanised steel chassis and composite body panels. Having owned some Matra Murenas in the past, one of which was 20 years old when I sold it, I can vouch for the effectiveness of the galvanisation. The one part of the Avantime’s structure to keep tabs on is the aluminium upper structure. The paint there is known to bubble. If that happens – and you can’t persuade Renault to put it right – I’d have the paint stripped, the structure re-primed (the trick is to use the correct primer for aluminium) and re-painted.

      Reply
      • Oliver@vel-satis.org says:
        11th October 2011 at 3:56 pm

        Hi Duncan, interesting you should mention the bubbling, as two Avantime owners I know have signs of bubbling on their cars, and one of them has contacted Renault to no avail, but will be putting up a fight! If all else fails, they’ve got your good tips to refer back to.

        Reply
  6. David Milloy says:
    11th October 2011 at 2:56 pm

    There are a few Avantimes on on Ebay at the moment.

    The cheapest is this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RENAULT-AVANTIME-PRIVILEGE-AUTO-BLUE-/220870988252?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item336cefd1dc#ht_500wt_1202

    No reserve and a Starting Price of £1450.00. Will be interesting to see what it makes.

    Reply
  7. David Milloy says:
    11th October 2011 at 4:41 pm

    The paint bubbling on the roof seems to be commonplace.

    If your Avantime is affected, it may be a good idea to contact Avantime Owners UK (admin@avantime-owners.com) to get an idea of just how common it is.

    Once armed with that information, an approach should then be made to Renault UK, initially via a dealer. The bubbling may be covered by the paint warranty – 12 years if my memory is correct.

    Reply
    • David Milloy says:
      11th October 2011 at 9:26 pm

      My memory wasn’t right – 3 years paint warranty; 12 years anti-perforation warranty. However, I still think it’d be worth approaching Renault about – the bubbling is not a recent phenomenon.

      Reply
  8. Ton says:
    11th October 2011 at 10:18 pm

    Very nice read, Duncan. I’ve only ever been lucky enough to be a passenger in a (new, though, that always has something special to me) Avantime; haven’t driven one but to be honest I would not care much about how it drives. I just want one.

    I think saying that the Avantime is Renault’s RCZ isn’t doing the Avantime enough justice, but I see similarities. The RCZ will be a future classic too, once mister depreciation and co. has taken about two thirds off the price. It isn’t as bold though, but it’s one of few current French offerings that isn’t completely a dime a dozen.

    So many replied, that this is the first time I haven’t read them all before waffling myself. But if any car deserves a lot of attention and hence replies, it should be the Avantime.

    As already pointed out on Twitter, I recently (as in just the other week) wrote a few words about it, too. So now that all 2 Dutch readers of my personal blog know about the Avantime too, I agree with The Major. Prices HAVE to go up.

    Talking of prices, please stop mentioning them here. Car prices on average seem to be anywhere from 2 to 5 times higher over here. A good Avantime will set you back 8k euro or so here. For 2k GBP I would.

    Reply
    • Antony Ingram (@antonyingram) says:
      12th October 2011 at 9:31 pm

      “one of few current French offerings that isn’t completely a dime a dozen”

      Agree with that about the RC-Z. Unfortunately for Renault, I think it got its fingers burned a little too much by the Avantime and Vel Satis and is being much more careful now. I don’t know how much money it’s making from bread and butter stuff but I miss the lack of Frenchness about Renaults at the mo – they could be from anywhere. The RC-Z and Citroen C6 are holding what creativity the French car industry has left…

      Still, Renault is giving us the Twizy soon.

      Reply
  9. Robin Shepherd says:
    13th October 2011 at 9:44 am

    What a great article and timely in that I have just traded my 2008 Megane for an Avantime V6 which should arrive later this morning. Tell me Duncan, what was it that prompted you to write a piece on the Avantime now? Do you think in this time of societal depression and anxiety there is a heightened need for light hearted innovation and behavioural change or do you just think theyre cool?
    Lets see what the future holds for Avantime ownership!

    Reply
    • MajorGav says:
      13th October 2011 at 9:46 am

      Mr Shepherd, PetrolBlog salutes you on a fine choice of car. PLEASE keep us posted on progress with the Avantime. I hope to follow suit next year…

      Reply
    • David Milloy says:
      13th October 2011 at 10:56 am

      Robin, thanks for the kind words. Right from the moment I read an article about the Avantime prototype in a French car mag in ’99, I’ve thought it was a fine blend of imaginative design and clever engineering. The blog arose simply by following the old maxim of writing about things you know and/or care about – for me, the Avantime satisfies both of those criteria.
      I hope your Avantime brings you much enjoyment.

      Reply
      • Robin Shepherd says:
        13th October 2011 at 11:13 am

        Thanks Duncan
        The Avantime has arrived and I am going to take the wife out for a spin! Sadly she is less impressed with its looks than I am so lets hope it grows on her.
        My rationale was that the Megane was loosing value hand over fist since I bought it earlier this year and I reckon the Avantime should stabalise in price and prove to be a useful and quirky car at the same time. I am fortunate to own a few other `collectables` in a Citroen Ds Safari, Corvette Stingray (75) and a classic Saab 900 convertible. My regaular car is a P38 Range Rover so hopefully the Avantime wil offer the best of all worlds, interest and be vaguely practical.
        I will let you know!

        Reply
  10. Joseph says:
    14th October 2011 at 10:40 pm

    Ugly, but interesting. At least it turns heads, and there are a few features of the car’s design which I like, such as the vents above the headlights, and the aluminium-effect roof pillars. I do somewhat have a soft-spot for the Avantime’s sister car, the Vel Satis. In my neck of the woods (Glasgow), there is only a few Avantimes, but a small amount of Vel Satis (or is it Vel Satises?!). I doubt that Renault will do a mad-looking car like this again – the conservative-looking Megane only confirms this thought.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

JOIN CLUB PETROLBLOG

Club PetrolBlog

Latest PetrolBlog Videos:

https://youtu.be/0Yi-RNS8gQw
https://youtu.be/z5-FKWwes_4

PetrolBlog in print!

Classic.Retro.Modern

Support PetrolBlog – Buy Stickers

  • Too good to scrap bumper sticker TOO GOOD TO SCRAP bumper sticker/plaster £3.00
  • GOAT My car is the G.O.A.T window sticker £3.00
  • PetrolBlog sticker PetrolBlog car sticker £4.00
  • Club PetrolBlog 2021 to 2022 Club PetrolBlog membership 2021/2022
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    £15.00
  • French Tat window sticker #FrenchTat window sticker £4.00
  • Waffle & Bunk laptop sticker Waffle & Bunk laptop sticker £3.00 £2.50
  • Tollfoolery sticker Tollfoolery car window sticker £4.00
  • Too Good to Scrap TOO GOOD TO SCRAP window sticker £3.00
  • PETROLBLOG laptop sticker PetrolBlog laptop sticker £3.00 £2.50
  • French Tat bumper sticker #FrenchTat bumper sticker £3.50

What you’re saying

  • 22nd June 2022

    David Cooper commented on Whatever happened to the Talbot Matra Rancho?

  • 8th June 2022

    Astra commented on Has Top Gear wrecked a Matra Bagheera?

  • 30th May 2022

    Joss commented on Britain, stop getting the Reliant Robin wrong

  • 19th May 2022

    Mr Anonymous commented on Whatever happened to the Daihatsu Applause?

  • 13th May 2022

    Ben H commented on PetrolBlog: the chump is coming back

Fresh waffle

  • Citroen 2CV resting on the back of a truck1
    PetrolBlog: the chump is coming back
    13th May 2022
  • 2022 Dacia Jogger in Terracotta1
    The Dacia Jogger is a practical remix of the Matra Rancho
    14th December 2021
  • Toyota Land Cruiser No Time To Die2
    No Time To Die in a Toyota Land Cruiser
    13th December 2021
  • Fahnome Knight Rider build your own KITT0
    Sponsored: K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider is now available as a kit
    17th November 2021
  • Hyundai Heritage Series Grandeur rear light7
    The Hyundai Heritage Series Grandeur is the future we want
    12th November 2021
  • Club PetrolBlog most beautiful1
    Club PetrolBlog members at their most beautiful
    20th August 2021
  • Renault Avantime in Geneva0
    You won’t believe these facts about French cars
    19th August 2021
  • 2008 Citroen C51
    Berlin or bust: the Unmistakeably German ad campaign
    12th August 2021
  • Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyres1
    PetrolBlog looks at Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyres
    11th August 2021
  • Toyota Camry V6 and Porsche 9243
    An unexceptional day out in the Toyota Camry V6
    2nd August 2021

Newsletters

PetrolBlog
ABOUT | ADVERTISING / SPONSORSHIP | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS & CONDITIONS | CONTACT US

The world’s least influential car blog since 2010.

Copyright © PetrolBlog.

0
We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience and analyse site traffic. We also share information about how you browse our site with our advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you have provided to them or that they have collected for your use of their services.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT