 Despite of a shrinking market trend,
Renault has no intention to withdraw from the European D-segment.
However, to meet the promise by Carlos Ghosn that every Renault model
must be profitable, the Laguna III project was developed under the
close supervision of accountants. That means a development and
production tooling budget of Euro 1 billion. That means a development
time shortened to 32 months. That means it continues to use the
platform underpinning the last generation. That means no Ford Mondeo /
Volkswagen Passat-rivalling multi-link suspensions.But Renault knows very well the market positioning of its Laguna. Instead of challenging Mondeo for driver appeal and Passat for sophistication, it continues to focus on comfort and practicality. At the same time, it tries to inject a sense of quality into the cabin. But let's look at the exterior first. This is the most conversative design from Patrick Le Quement for many years. To please the majority of buyers, he chose an inoffensive styling. Most motoring journalists criticized the front end as too bland, but compare with the odd-looking blackened nose of Laguna II, it seems perfectly acceptable to me. The detailed design of the front intake and headlights also possess a sense of quality. Well, European pedestrian safety law pushes the bonnet too high and ruins some of the sleekness, but I do admire Le Quement's decision not to follow rivals to adopt a V-shape bonnet as a solution. You know, more and more cars look similar to each other because they chose the same solution to the pedestrian safety law.  The
best angle to view the new Laguna is from the side and from the rear.
In this way, it looks sleek and coupe-like. Notice the low shoulder
line and large glass area. Also pay attention to the lack of pronounced
wheelarches. The Laguna appreciates simiplicity and hates excessive
make-up. If you share the same philosophy, then this is the car for
you.  If
the exterior is a bit plain to you, then you must turn your attention
to the interior, because this is the best area of Laguna III. Stylish,
inviting and high quality, nothing else in the class can match it. The
top surface of the dashboard is soft plastics with rich texture. The
lower surface is coated with soft-touch paint. The sat-nav screen
recessed handsomely into the dashboard. Either sides of it are aluminum
or wood inserts, very classy. Unlike German cars, the
lighter colors used in this cabin and the airy ambience contributed by
the large windows delivers a relaxing feel. Drop into the comfy
part-Alcantara seats and you can easily find a comfortable driving
position. There is plenty of head, leg and shoulder room up front. Rear
seats also offer a lot of legroom, thanks to a compact rear suspension
and slimmer front seat-back. The swoopy roofline punishes only the
tallest guys, so most people would be satisfied with this cabin. As
Laguna III is derived from the Laguna II platform, there are nothing
worth special attention. You already know it rides on MacPherson struts
up front and cheap torsion-beam suspension at the rear. No adaptive
damping. No aluminum suspension components. No "sport mode" button
either. However, Renault did a good job to improve its NVH suppression
and ride quality. This mean the Laguna rides exceptionally supple. Its
cabin is as quiet as Mondeo's. In the handling side, naturally it fails
to match Ford and Peugeot, but by stiffening the front and rear springs
by 20% and 50% respectively and using thicker anti-roll bars, its has
decent body control and reasonable resistance to understeer. The
variable assistance electro-hydraulic steering gets quicker and higher
precision, although it still lacks feel. Overall speaking, the Laguna
III displays decent handling but its first priority is still comfort.Most new cars weigh more than their predecessors. Laguna III is one of the exceptions. Although it measures 11 cm longer and 6 cm wider than the car it replaces, it weighs no more. (Renault even claims a 15 kg reduction in average) This is achieved by means of using more high-strength steel in the chassis, an aluminum engine cradle, lighter sound insulation materials and trim weight from each component, such as the hollow-head wheel screws that save 0.7 kg in total. This means it can adopt the same engines as the old car without sufferring in performance - a contrast to Ford Mondeo.  At
launch, there are 2 petrol engines and 4 diesel engines: 140 hp 2.0
petrol, 170 hp 2.0 turbo petrol, 110 hp 1.5dCi and 2.0dCi in three
states of tune (130 hp, 150 hp and 175 hp). Later on, Nissan's
3.5-liter petrol V6 and GM's 3.0-ltier turbo diesel V6 will join as the
range topper. However, the best sellers are more likely to be 2.0dCi in
150 hp form. It provides plenty of punch and generally good refinement.
0-60 mph can be completed in less than 9 seconds while top speed should
reach 130 mph. Not bad.Although Laguna III is not going to be a new class leader, it is a contender every buyer should consider, especially if comfort and quality are your first priority. Reliability is likely to be a strong point too, thanks to an extensive testing program involving 120 prototypes and 6 million miles covered. Renault is so confidenent that it extends the warranty from the usual 60,000 miles in 3 years to 100,000 miles. If it can really deliver Toyota reliablity, then no matter how ordinary it looks or drives it won't find difficulties to sell large numbers. |
| The above report was last updated on 1 Sep 2007. All Rights Reserved. |
