... Having owned Renaults before I knew I would be getting value for money and a reliable car. Having now towed my horse to a number of shows, I feel I am able to give my opinion on the car and I can say that I am very pleased with the way my Laguna has handled the journeys.
Obviously, different ... Read review
Advantages: Very comfortable ride Disadvantages: None encountered
...around £3000 for an N reg (1996) great value for money and very reliable. I will certainly be looking at buying another Renault when I look to replace this car. I love this little car! Sorry, but yet again I have to give this car an excellent rating.
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I purchased my 1996 (N reg) Laguna 1.8 RT in May 2002. After driving around for the last two years in an H reg Rover 214si (with no power steering), I thought I was in heaven.
The reason for the change of car was that I needed a bigger, heavier, reliable and safe vehicle to tow a horse and trailer. Having owned Renaults before I knew I would be getting value for money and a reliable car. Having now towed my horse to a number of shows, I feel I am able to give my opinion on the car and I can say that I am very pleased with the way my Laguna has handled the journeys.
Obviously, different versions have different options but I will outline the ones my Laguna has. It is a lower range car so it can only get better if you pay a bit more!!
Dimensions
4,508 metres in length and 1,752 meteres in width with a turning circle of 11.27 meteres between walls and 10.77 metres between kerbs. Kerb weight is 1225kg with a max permissible all-up weight of 1710kg (all according to the manual).
Equipment
My Laguna is equipped with an engine immobiliser which is switched on and off using a door locking remote control device (called a 'plip' but doesn't sound like 'plip', more line 'plonk'!)
For comfort the front seats are fully moveable and so are the head restraints and there is a lumbar support in the drivers seat.
The car has power steering which is a luxury for me. The steering wheel is adjustable and contains a drivers airbag. The steering wheel also has a indicator type control which controls your radio (station, volume and mute buttons) without moving your hands from the steering wheel. The radio has a neat cover which comes down to cover the whole radio compartment so anyone snooping into your car (thieves and the like) will not know what sort of radio is hidden under the hatch! Ha Ha! Neat I thought!! Can't see what station the radio is set to though but I can tell by the number of switches I make on the lever, where I am!
I have electric windows, mirrors and sunroof which all move very smoothly. The heater seems to work well thought I haven't really needed to use it too much yet. The demisters are also very effective. You are also able to control the level of the headlight beam which is useful for when you are towing. The glove box is a fairly decent size but if it were any bigger, it would only get full of rubbish anyway so it is just as well! The door pockets are also of a decent size and keep your nick nacks out of sight fairly well. The centre of the dashboard has a clock but some Laguna's come with such features as radio display (helpful when you put the hatch down over the radio I suppose, pity they didn't put it on all versions but maybe they think the people who buy the cheaper versions have x-ray vision!!), time and temperature.
Storage compartments: glove box, console storage compartment, passenger side glove compartment (with drinks holders), front seat pockets, centre console storage and coin holder, spectacle holder (I put my sunglasses there and couldn't find them for a week after that!!), storage compartments in front doors.
The rear seats split and as it is a hatchback, when folded downt here is plenty of room inside for large bulky objects.
The instrument panel shows, in addition to the usual display you see on most cars, injection warning light (if this lights when you are driving it indicates an electrical or electronic incident - helpful!), brake warning pad wear light, airbag warning light (again this shouldn't light up when you are driving), seat belt not fastened light, coolant temp warning light, low fuel level warning light (helpful for me!!), SERV indicates the car needs servicing (!), STOP and you are supposed to stop (helpful when you are towing your little cherub back from a horse show - not!!)
Radio
The car is fitted with a 4 x 15w Blaupunkt RDS radio and cassette which gives a very good sound (don't know much about radio sounds so can't really elaborate here).
Fuel efficiency
I aren't too good at working out the MPG (miles per gallon) but at £35 to fill at tank at 71.9 pence per litre I get around 450 miles and I don't see a real difference to my bill when I have been towing.
The drive
I am very impressed with the drive of the Laguna. The power steering is a great help of course and cornering is very smooth but with the car being fairly heavy, it can seem a tad bulky (for want of a better word). The car, with its 1.8 engine isn't as quick on the take off but it does hold its own on the motorway and you can get from 60pmh up to 80mph without realising (oops, sorry officer!!). This version is not fitted with ABS. The car is very spacious and comfortable to drive.
Towing
The trailer I was towing weighs around 820kg when it is fully equiped with internal partition and spare wheel.
When I have the horse trailer attached, with my little cherub on board, the car still gives a very smooth ride. I have to take it carefully with pulling away, for the simple fact that a live animal is on board (and they don't particularly enjoy being jolted around on board, and they certainly let you know if they are getting fed up with a bumpy ride, believe me!!) but I don't feel that the car has any difficulty towing the weight which I found surprising at first, as most of my friends hae 4x4 vehicles so I wondered how I would get on with towing with a car.
I feel this a very sturdy car, comfortable with a smooth drive, classy looking even for its age and with a new body shape out, and at around £3000 for an N reg (1996) great value for money and very reliable. I will certainly be looking at buying another Renault when I look to replace this car. I love this little car! Sorry, but yet again I have to give this car an excellent rating.
Advantages: Luxury at a realistic price Disadvantages: None yet!!
...my attention to a gleaming Renault Laguna. He explained that the Escort in question was a work horse and the Renault would much better suit my needs.
Grungingly i agreed to take the car on a test drive thinking it was far to big and fast for my needs. What i found was amazing, it really didnt feel any more cumbersome to drive than my Fiesta, it was smooth and easy to drive. Cars within my price range did not usually include the luxuries of power ... ...when they took it) My Renault has an immobiliser and alarm, all provided by the manufacturer when it was constructed. Both work really well and provide me with piece of mind.
Well worth the buy, mines done over a hundred and fifty thousand miles and it still runs like a kitten. you would be hard pushed to make me go back to Ford. ...
tamara1980 06.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Renault Laguna 1.8 Rt
...was bought a second hand Renault Laguna 1.8 RN for my Birthday!!
First impressions were brilliant! Power steering, which was a god send, Air conditioning, Electric front windows and sunroof, central locking, immobiliser, CD Player, and lots more.
I have been driving my Renault for 3 months now and here are my only niggles:-
Slight knocking sound on car which my mum had with her Renault Safrane (so might be a design thing), I have had this checked ... ...just sometimes annoying!
If it has been raining and you open the rear doors it lets water drip onto the seat.
That's it!
The ride is smooth and I am quite short so the reach adjuster on the steering wheel is good.
Radio can be hidden by a cover which is good and i have the display on the dash so it shows, Time, radio station or CD track, outside temp and whether I have traffic reports selected.
When I got the car second hand it did not have ...
Robertlynas 27.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Renault Laguna 1.8 Rt
Advantages: Great comfort, good drive Disadvantages: none
...416GTI). My husband had a Renault 21 years ago and loved it, so he always wanted another Renault, and the Laguna apealed to him, so loan in place we went down to a local garage, where he had a couple of Laguna's on display, we opted for a 1996 1.8 RT in burgandy it had 53,000 on the clock and was in good condition, all for the grand sum of £4500, with a good part exchange for our previous car.
The Laguna is a lovely spacious car as we have two small ... ...cot's etc in the boot, which it does with ease, as it boasts a large boot.
The car is a hatchback design and comes with driver airbag, electric sunroof and windows and also electric wing mirrors. There is a factory fitted blaupunt stereo, which can also be controlled via a control panel on the steering wheel. The car also comes with a factory fitted immobiliser, but alarms and ABS are optional extras.
The Drive is comfortable, it has power steering, ...
sarah14 17.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Renault Laguna 1.8 Rt
Value for Money
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Quick review of Renault Laguna 1.8 Rt
Good comfortable car.
Reliable and quick, but pretty good on the fuel consumption.
Decent size enables me to transport three kids in the back safely. ...
howletts 25.09.2007
Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Renault Laguna 1.8 Rt
Advantages: lots of space, smooth ride, decent handling. Disadvantages: soft seat, no steering height adjustment, rough engine.
When I started a new job in June 2000 I was given a Laguna to use until its lease ran out in the September, before ordering a new car. It had 84,000miles on the clock and was in a bit of a state.
I had to drive it home from Birmingham to Hertfordshire, and found it a smooth motorway cruiser.
After 3 months and a further 12,000miles I had totally change my opinion, not because it was a bad car, but because it didn't suit me. Also I compared it to ... ...like the steering wheel low, on the Laguna (mine was a 1997 1.8RT a/c) it only adjusted for reach, this meant I had to put up with a high steering wheel. Secondly the seats where far too soft, something I found in my managers new Espace, and a colleagues Scenic.
Another hate after a few thousand miles was it's stiff clutch and over powered brakes which made it very difficult to blip the throttle while changing down through the gears, the lack of ...
npturner 16.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Renault Laguna 1.8 Rt
Value for Money
Road Handling
Comfort
Features
Fuel consumption
Looks
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Advantages: reliable,feul efficient,stylish,and loads of extras Disadvantages: there is always a better car out there whatever you buy
I my RenaultLaguna1.8RT about 2 years ago. Unlike other cars this one isnt afraid of being thrown around a bit. It has a lower centre of gravity than other hatchbacks I have driven and therefore has very good handling.Not only does this car handle well, it is in my opinion one of the sportiest looking hatchbacks around.Feul effecientcy is excellent. Smooth drive and very reliable. For the price I paid I got a wide selection of gadgets and gizmos to keep me amuzed. I particularly like the radio control behind the steering wheel which is very user friendly.Id definitly recommend this car to anyone.It may be economical but it looks and handles like a car which should cost alot more than what you paid for. ...
