French lessons from Laguna

Radical new looks, sharp dynamics, high levels of safety, innovations galore and a range of equipment unprecedented in this car sector are the main weapons Renault will use to carve up a major share of the all-important D segment when its new model Laguna goes on sale here on 9th February next.

Priced from IR£17,990 to IR£23,140, the car will be available in hatchback and ‘prestige’ forms, the latter described as a ‘fastback’ version with lifestyle estate car capacity. Power units will be 1.6 and 1.8 litre petrol and 1.9 litre turbodiesels, outputting 110, 118 and 105bhp respectively. . A 2-litre petrol unit will be offered towards the end of 2001, and while a 3-litre V6 is being produced, it’s an unlikely seller in the high-tax Irish market.

The initial reaction following our inspection and first drives of the 1.9dCi and 3.0 litre V6 powered Lagunas at the European launch was one of welcome satisfaction.

They have the build quality to match, and demonstrate that Renault hasn’t lost any of the innovative spirit we’ve come to expect from the makers of Scenic and Espace.

Outside, the new Laguna looks far more striking, beefier and more sporty than heretofore. It also looks bigger and it seems to sit much closer to the ground.

By pushing the wheels deeper into the corners Renault adds on an extra 87mm to the Laguna’s wheelbase - and creates more interior space for front and back seat compartments - although the overall length of the car has increased by only 67mm.

Looking inside the Laguna’s bright, spacious and well laid out cabin, we find a car that is clearly more upmarket than its predecessors. The choice of materials is first class. Fit and finish have a real quality feel.

Those who remember the seating of the old Renault 16 will allow themselves a wry smile when they sit into this car. The new Laguna’s bucket seats are taller and more comfortable. And they have more style and substance than one finds in the normal large volume seller. Indeed, they tend more toward high-grade domestic furniture than regular car-type seating.

Amongst the new driver-friendly technology features is a tyre pressure monitoring system. Developed with Michelin, the system identifies any faults in tyre pressure levels and informs the driver via a signal on the dashboard. Up-spec versions of the new Laguna go a step further and indicate the pressure levels in each tyre when the engine is switched on. We see this development as a major step forward in road safety, considering over ninety percent of the driving public neglect to check tyres, or tyre pressure.

The ‘Tomorrow’s World’ innovations continue with each model being operated via a coded card - similar in size and shape to a credit card. Once inside the car you insert the card into a slot situated in the centre of the console and then push the start/stop button. Recognising the card, the system unlocks the engine immobiliser, the electro-mechanical steering column lock and fires up the engine.

Continental buyers will get more from the card than Irish buyers. Sensors inside the car can identify the card and actually deactivate the door locks as you approach. This part of the system won’t be available in right hand drive markets for the time being because our larger island neighbours have turned it down on insurance risk grounds. Don’t they just love the French!

Irish specification for the new Laguna will include airconditioning, ABS, front, side and curtain airbags (six in all) and double pre-tensioners on the seat belts as standard fittings. All models will also come with discs all round, electric front windows, electric folding side mirrors and emergency brake assist. Options include Xenon headlamps, cruise control with built-in speed limiter and satellite navigation.

With Renault about to shift 50 per cent of its production capacity to diesel, it came as no surprise that our main steed on launch date was powered by the 120bhp 1.9 dCi powertrain. (the other plant on view was the 3.0 litre V6).

Mated to a notchy 6-speed manual box, the Laguna’s 1.9 diesel plant is a quite lively performer. There’s an especially wide power band with max. torque of 199 lb ft coming in at the 2000 rpm mark. Top speed is 124mph and the 0 to 62mph sprint takes just 10.7 seconds. A long sixth-gear ratio promises lots of economy and refinement - but with its strong motorway bias we won’t be able to make the most of it because of our third world road network.

Overall fuel consumption figures are good - suggesting a healthy 52mpg for the combined cycle, 61.4 for extra urban and 40mpg around town.

On roads that were fast and twisting, sometimes quite bumpy by continental standards, the Laguna’s suspension set-up (MacPherson struts and coil springs to the front and torsion beam axle and coil springs to the rear) proved well damped and extraordinarily supple. Handling was unwavering and precise. Grip was excellent, and ride comfort uncompromised and astonishingly good.