About Renault Avantime
The hype of the MPV in Europe was brought by Renault, which had a big success with the Espace model and made the French company believe that an MPV-coupe will do great as well.
The model's name said it all (ahead of its time). The Avantime was a bold move in an era when Renault was on the verge of trying new kinds of vehicles. After the big success with the Espace model in the VIP-shuttle segment, Renault tried to do a lineup of premium cars: Avantime and VelSatis. The Avantime was a unibody vehicle, with an MPV look and two very large doors. The shape was a mix between a coupe, a station wagon, and a TGV locomotive, while the frameless doors and retractable rear windows could lead to the idea of a shooting brake.
The very roomy interior was good for four passengers and all of them could read the speedometer placed in the middle of the dashboard, where the instrument cluster was placed.
The engine range wasn't that big and you could have an Avantime either with high fuel consumption or very high fuel consumption. With the base 2.0-liter turbo gasoline and a 6-speed manual, it was an OK compromise. On the other hand, with the four-speed automatic and the V6 engine, the fuel-efficiency went down the drain. Renault marketed the car as having a 5-speed automatic gearbox, but in fact, it was a 4+1 (four speed forward an one in reverse).