Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
We haven't seen such a weird pre-production prototype ever since BMW stopped using Frankenstein cars as test mules for its future vehicles a few years ago.
Renault seems to continue this tradition by testing one of its mysterious future models using the one of the most peculiar mules ever.
As you can see in the attached photo gallery, our spies found themselves face to face with a bizarre member of the current Renault family. We are talking about an Espace with a wheelbase that is so comically stretched that it could probably be a better fit to a Mercedes-Maybach.
Naturally, our first guess, as well as our spy photographers', was that it might be a mule for a future Renault full-size sedan of some sort. Then logic kicked in, and we decided to have a closer look at the thing.
Turning our eagle-eye vision on, we spotted the much narrower front and rear tracks, something that is obviously not in tune with what you would expect from a full-size sedan. Also taking into account the plain steel wheels and high tire walls, it sounded more and more like a mule for a future Renault van.
Sadly, that theory also dropped once we remembered that the only van of a similar size in the Renault lineup is the Trafic, and the current generation is not even three years old. Plus, the exposed parts of the rear suspension suggest something that can carry passengers, not haul a bunch of baguettes.
In other words, we sincerely have no idea what this car is, but the list of speculative answers is definitely longer than that gigantic wheelbase. Maybe Renault is simply testing a new generation of its four-wheel steering system and decided to troll everyone while doing it. Either that or it's testing a new type of long and somewhat narrow passenger car to squeeze into its future lineup.
The only thing we know for sure is that the spied prototype sounded like it was powered by a diesel engine, so we're not talking about an electric vehicle of the future.
As you can see in the attached photo gallery, our spies found themselves face to face with a bizarre member of the current Renault family. We are talking about an Espace with a wheelbase that is so comically stretched that it could probably be a better fit to a Mercedes-Maybach.
Naturally, our first guess, as well as our spy photographers', was that it might be a mule for a future Renault full-size sedan of some sort. Then logic kicked in, and we decided to have a closer look at the thing.
Turning our eagle-eye vision on, we spotted the much narrower front and rear tracks, something that is obviously not in tune with what you would expect from a full-size sedan. Also taking into account the plain steel wheels and high tire walls, it sounded more and more like a mule for a future Renault van.
Sadly, that theory also dropped once we remembered that the only van of a similar size in the Renault lineup is the Trafic, and the current generation is not even three years old. Plus, the exposed parts of the rear suspension suggest something that can carry passengers, not haul a bunch of baguettes.
In other words, we sincerely have no idea what this car is, but the list of speculative answers is definitely longer than that gigantic wheelbase. Maybe Renault is simply testing a new generation of its four-wheel steering system and decided to troll everyone while doing it. Either that or it's testing a new type of long and somewhat narrow passenger car to squeeze into its future lineup.
The only thing we know for sure is that the spied prototype sounded like it was powered by a diesel engine, so we're not talking about an electric vehicle of the future.
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