Renault has made some sweeping - and much-needed - changes under the bonnet with its new Laguna, writes Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor
The new Renault Laguna is perhaps the greatest symbol yet of the sweeping changes afoot at the French firm. Drive it down the street and you'd be hard pushed to find one person in a hundred who would spot this is the new version. Some buyers will be hoping the "08" registration can be printed in foot high numbers just to get the neighbours to notice.
Nothing surprising there you might think, given that most of its rivals classify an all-new model as a car with a new rubber strip on the inner boot lid. Yet it is worth remembering that this is the company which not so long ago was calling on hatchback owners to shake that ass.
This is the firm that invented the people carrying concept. This is the French firm that not only put the wacky looking Vel Satis into production as its premium entrant model, but went on to build the three-door Avantime.
If unimaginative accountants and mechanics are blamed for dullard models emanating from several rivals, no such accusations could ever be levelled at Renault's door. With this brand, you were never quite sure what to expect next.
The problem was that as with every business, a dose of reality is required in the decision-making process. Amid all the creative brainstorming, someone needs to shout stop once in a while. Sadly that seemed to have been missing from many of the meetings in Paris.
Anyone who believes creativity should be let run free need only look at the Vel Satis and Avantime sales figures and project costs.
With that in mind, it's somewhat comforting to see that with Laguna you get a relatively conservative-looking family car. The problem is that this is the one market where a little more of the French panache would not have gone unnoticed or unappreciated.
That's not to say the new model is in any way ugly or dull. It's just not really new. Not only is the styling the same as the outgoing model, but many of the parts and the platform are the same as well. It's largely the same car.
So why did they not do something radical with Laguna? Put simply, reliability.
The Laguna may have sold well initially, but it suffered from some scary warranty figures and even more frightening depreciation statistics. Renault needs to seriously reassure the market - and particularly fleet managers - that this car is rock solid. To do that, it has foregone radical styling or raiding the electronics store for the latest gadgets.
The first thing to say is that, while it may lack a new look, it does retain those graceful sweeping lines of the outgoing model. The stance is all rather relaxed, with the car sitting back on the road. It's a significant difference from the tightly wound or "ready to pounce" styling of virtually every other rival.
This rather relaxed air continues inside. There's a sitting room feel to the cabin up front. Renault's family car entrants have always been rather comfortable. Like all French saloons, it seems as if an armchair were placed in the centre of the workshop and a car built around it.
The only problem we've had of late with some French models has been the quality of the finish and fiddly buttons. Here, Renault has markedly improved this new Laguna. There's not the explosion of buttons and gadgets you find on French rivals from Citroën or Peugeot. Nor is there a clutter of knobs and buttons. It's all very tasteful. Idiot proof air-con and radio controls are at arms reach from either front seat and the rest of the dash remains clear and untouched.
Simple, stylish and practical. And most important of all for a brand trying to climb the quality and reliability ratings, few features that haven't been already tried and tested on earlier models.
The problem Renault face here, however, is that this conservative approach comes at a time when major rivals like VW, Ford and Opel either have or are about to introduce models with features you would normally expect on a premium executive car.
While treading carefully to avoid stepping on the warranty landmine, it needs to be wary of being left behind by the rest.
The good news is that while the look might not have changed that much, there is a new addition to the engine range that really did take us by surprise: Renault's 110bhp 1.5-litre diesel.
The very idea of putting such a small engine in this size of car suggests it comes with a retractable floor that allows you to stick your feet out and push it up hills. Those cars from the Fred Flinstone cartoons come to mind.
Yet this engine is a little cracker. It's never going to throw your head against the headrest as you surge forward or have you grinning ear-to-ear with enjoyment. It will, however, pull you along at a steady pace and without too much rattle.
It manages a rather tardy official 0-100km/h time of 12.1 seconds, that doesn't match the 10-second times of the likes of the new Mondeo or Avensis. Yet it never really felt like a slouch on the open road and the six-speed transmission offers plenty of opportunity to make the most of the 240Nm of torque on offer.
The fact that it's a viable alternative for 1.9-litre and 2-litre rivals speaks volumes about the ability of this little oil burner.
Of the other engines on offer, the star is the 2-litre 150bhp diesel, but for all its extra punch, the 1.5-litre diesel is hard to beat for day-to-day Irish motoring needs.
ON THE ROAD, the Renault wafts along as you'd expect of a French car. In terms of comparison with rivals, it's really down to degrees of softness: not as soft as a Citroën but nowhere near as direct or controlled as a Mondeo. It's got a good mix of comfort and feedback, but is not really in its element weaving along a country road. That said, for typical Irish roads it could be argued that it has the best compromise of handling versus ride.
In terms of fuel consumption, its 5.1 L/100km (55.4mpg) figure takes some beating, while the 130g/km emissions level is among the best on the market for this size of car.
That figure, incidentally, comes in lower than the likely EU target that all manufacturers must aspire to for 2012: Kudos to the Renault engineers then. Admittedly we only managed to average 7L/100km (40.3 mpg), but that's still very impressive for a test car figure.
On one occasion we had four passengers in the car for a days' sightseeing and despite the heavy load, the 1.5-litre diesel never really complained. The big boot managed to swallow a child's pram, several suitcases and some shopping. A good family car then.
That said, rear seat space is not among the best in class. The downside of keeping the same platform as before is that Renault has lost the opportunity to increase interior space in the car, an area that it loses out to rivals.
In particular, headroom is rather limited for adults in the back. The problem is that the roofline starts to taper down towards the rear from the halfway point of the car, meaning that rear seat passengers lose nearly 50mm in comparison to the front occupants and tall passengers in the back are going to have to crouch. There's much better rear seat headroom in the Tourer estate version, but the majority of buyers would have hoped a revamped Laguna hatchback would have offered a more competitive package in this regard.
In terms of specification, the entry-level is surprisingly good for its class, including stability control and a host of airbags as standard.
Of the three levels on offer, the mid-range Dynamique seems the wisest choice with a host of extras you would like to see on a car in this class. It's €2,400 more than the entry price on the 1.5-litre diesel version. The Privilege specification is another €1,200 on top of that and it's simply not worth the extra expense. Instead - if you have it - spend this money on options like metallic paint or a Bluetooth hands free phone kit.
This car is an ultra-conservative family car for an avant garde brand like Renault. Yet that's probably what the brand needs right now.
If the assurances we have been given about quality hold up, then the Laguna could well be a solid buy. It retains a level of comfort and relaxed layout inside that many long-haul drivers will appreciate.
The initial engine range might not be extensive, but the 1.5-litre diesel should not be ignored because of its size.
On the road the balance between comfort and handling ability are much better than we've had from French cars for some time.
Taking Renault at their word on reliability, then the Laguna is certainly worth a look from those currently on the look-out in the family car market. It would make it onto our test drive schedule in this segment, alongside Mondeo, Avensis and Passat.
ENGINE: A 1461cc four-cylinder 8 valve common-rail diesel engine offering 110bhp @ 4,000rpm and 240Nm of torque @ 2,000rpm. Six-speed manual transmission
SPECIFICATION: Standard features include: ABS with EBD; ESP with ASR; front, side and curtain airbags; height adjustable rear seats; two rearseat Isofix child seat fittings; electric front windows; radio/CD; 16" steel wheels; air-conditioning.
Dynamique specification adds: 17" alloys; auto headlights; cruise control with speed limiter; rear parking sensors; electric windows front and rear; climate control; rear reading lights; MP3/USB/iPod connection.
Privilege adds: hands-free keycard; automatic parking brake; rear sunblinds.
Optional extras include: front and rear parking sensors, bluetooth phone kit; Sat-Nav; DVD player on rear seats; 18" alloys; metallic paint.
Factfile
L/100KM (MPG)
Urban: 6.1 (46.3)
Extra-urban: 4.6 (61.4)
Combined: 5.1 (55.4)
CO2 emissions: 130g/km
Annual road tax: €313
Price: €30,550 (€25,590 to €39,990)