Renault Laguna 2.0T Privilege Review

You might argue that the word "bland" isn't condemnation for a car. But when it came to Renault, its international and selectively unpatriotic customer base expected a more dramatic show. More than half of Renault fans voted out with their feet - they walked straight past the showroom, and into those containing other French or worse, Japanese offerings.

In 2002, Renault tried its hand at the Laguna, again. Once again, it was greeted with mediocrity. With a poor price point, the local market didn't make much of it. Otherwise, it was a pretty strong, solid offering with few issues, especially when compared to the unreliable Renault 25.

Forward things by a few years, and enter Carlos Ghosn, Nissan and Renault's new CEO. As astounding as the new GT-R and turnaround of Nissan was, Renault's fate now rests squarely in his hands. After the Clio, the Laguna marks the start of Renault's efforts to win back long lost customers, increasing sales and at the same time, establishing a new upmarket brand image.

Appearances

With that in mind, we picked up our copy of what we thought, was still a sober-looking Laguna early one morning. We drove to Holland Village. We'll spare you with boring details like dimensions and press literature, and jump straight to the point.

The car has stout, flat lines on its sides and rear. The front bears a mark of indifference by being too messy. There are too many intersecting angles and components which make it appear rather mechanical and square, leading us back to the word bland. Those LED tail lights were rather cool looking though, especially at night.

Despite our opinions, it received an unexpected amount of attention. Most who strained their necks beyond their comfort zone at Coffee Bean and Häagen-Dazs did so as if to say, "You know, we've never seen it before. It looks normal, but we're still curious because it's somehow different." Obviously, we know they're not thinking Lamborghini or Ferrari different, but there are enough curves, nooks, crooks and other quirky designs to capture the attention of a bystander.

It's a rather different story inside though. The dashboard is simple, and it makes sense. There's a world of difference from the old one. If you'd ever get a chance, rap your knuckles, press-in and pull along the various interior panels. You'll understand what a big difference this new one is.

Ergonomics were a top priority during the development phase. Many of us were raving about the extremely comfortable, leather-trimmed seats. Minute details like a slight cutaway on the bottom spoke of the steering wheel remind of that sporty touch.
The fact that the Laguna is based on the platform of the Nissan Altima won't flatter its ego, but it isn't a bad thing when you find Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Toyota Camry levels of head, leg and shoulder space. The shallow 453-litre trunk might be smaller than a Volkswagen Jetta, but the hatch-lid is more accommodating, especially when you fold the rear seats down. We've done our math, and we approximate that with 1,388-litres, you would probably be able to fit 3,000 bags of French baguettes from Delifrance.

Driving Impressions

There's only one engine option available to customers in Singapore - the 1,998 cc, turbocharged four-cylinder that generates 170 bhp at 5,000 rpm and 270 Nm at 3,250 rpm. But none of this was as important as Renault's new 6-speed automatic transmission.

Those who read our articles regularly will probably remember our gripe with the Clio 1.6's automatic gearbox. So you can imagine when we tell you that the self-shifter found on the Laguna spells the difference between night and day between gripe and praise.

This is the first automatic Renault we've driven that has a responsive, quick-shifting set of cogs. It accurately predicted our throttle inputs even when left to its own devices. Never did we once feel the need to slot the lever into manual mode unless we were pushing it really hard.

Renault claims 9.2-second century sprint and a 220 km/h top speed, figures that are far from quick, but to the credit of this force-fed block and sharp gearbox, the Laguna does feel a little faster than on paper. Unlike Volkswagen's 2-litre turbo, there isn't much thrust down low. Instead, we found the linear nature of this car rather rev-happy, where it will rocket to its 6,250 rpm limit without losing steam. The turbo begins spooling around 2,500 rpm, and kicks in hard above 3,000 rpm. We were delighted to find that every gear ratio lands the engine right in its torque band.

Ride and handling

Under extreme pressure, the suspension excelled at balancing passenger comfort and driver control. In typical form, everything is thicker and more robust. Beefed-up anti-roll bars, firmer dampers and so on in that fashion. The end result wasn't too bad either.

We were captivated by its ride, which remained alarmingly flat through both low and high-speed combination curves. The only letdown was the variable-assist steering that firmed up when speed was gained. It felt lifeless and uninterested in keeping up with the alert and reactive suspension. Grip levels were high for a car in its class. Predictably, this left us wondering where we were going to feel road feedback from.
We found the seat cushions to be the most telling, but only over the roughest of roads. Yes, we know, this isn't something you'd thrash about the Sepang Circuit, however it is a great deal of fun to drive, and it would have been more so if were we able to flick it around with confidence. Those huge disc brakes ensured swift redemption in our eyes. It was fitted with ABS and electronic stability control, giving this sub-1,500 kg hatchback eyeball-popping stops and good pedal feel.

The Laguna was quiet and refined at speed too. It presented itself to be up there with the likes of Lexus' GS300 and again, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. There was very little road noise to contend with at triple-digit speeds, and ample amounts of insulation left us wondering where that "mat rempit" (reckless motorcyclists that can often be spotted with loud, modified exhausts) disappeared to after the windows went up.

Fuel economy wasn't too bad either - we'd managed to almost empty the Laguna's 66-litre tank of petrol after nearly 700 kilometres of moderate to hard city and highway driving, arriving at a realistic figure of over 10 km/l. This should improve after the initial run-in period.

Laguna for you, no?

Priced at S$96,900, the entry level "Expression" already comes with lots of stuff. There are 8 airbags, ISOFIX seats, anti-intrusion, an automatic parking brake, 16-inch wheels, automatic wipers and headlights, parking sensors, fog lamps and a primitive looking key card that controls the locking and engine start security.

S$112,900 lands you the "Privilege" to add bi-xenon headlights with washers, an electric front passenger's seat in addition to the Expression's electric driver's seat, electro-chromatic rear-view mirror, two sunroofs, a 6-CD changer with MP3 playback capability, nine speakers and a 215/50 R17 rim and tyre combination.

And all of this baffles me. A less powerful, less torquey 2.4-litre Honda Accord sells for around S$2,000 more than the entry level Laguna Expression. A 2.4-litre Camry retails for just under 90-grand, while the new Nissan Teana 2.0-litre starts from over S$96,000. So what's this then, Japanese levels of pricing for vastly superior continental car levels of build and performance?

Surely, that can't be right? But you see, like Mr Ghosn's challenge, Renault's current dealer, Wearnes Automotive, has much to prove with the Laguna. Its bargain-like price point has already gotten many interested in placing their orders. They aren't as many as the mainstream, Toyota, Nissan and Hsonda buying crowd. But with more power, control and vastly superior levels of luxury and appeal, Renault hopes that these are the key ingredients that the Laguna needs. We're going to sit back and wait, because they've come very close.