Renault Laguna 1.9 dCi

I owned this car for 9 months and have managed to rack up 30,000 miles, so I believe i'm in a good position to coment on all aspects of owner ship.

Design

The 'sports tourer' has been designed with the 'not so sure about estate car' market in mind. The sports tourer acheives this by a gradual transition of the tail gate which granted does look good but the load capacity suffers and theres a danger of loads resting / going through the rear window! On the outside the laguna is fairly tame compared to the rest of Renaults range, I personaly think it looks great.

Inside

My Expression model comes with a great spec for a car of its price I wont list 'em - check out the Renult UK site for details. the interior is clean and tidy the dash has flip down panels to cover the CD player and any valuables, the centre arm rest is very comfortable and has a lot of storage space inside along with a lighter / phone charger port. The massive sun roof gives the car a nice bright roomy feel and is fantastic in summer even though the 2 stage air conditioning comes as standard. Theres plenty of room in the back for 3 adults and the instant switch child lock controled by the driver is invaluable on such a family orientated vehicle as is the 5* NCAP crash test score. Worth a mention is the key card, simply slot it in the dash and press the sart/stop button to activate the engine(replacment card = £100!!!!)

Drive

With 120 BHP on tap the dci engine never feels inadequate and has enough torque to tow my 1 ton box trailer over 10,000 miles this year. the suspension feels good when your thowing the car around country lanes and the wide tyres have excellent grip but this car comes into its own on motor ways, sitting in 6th gear at a brisk pace is never tiring or uncomfortable and with conservative driving I have managed to sip 54.3 mpg out of the tank.

Loading up
Ive never had any problems with load capacity in the laguna and I regularly travel with 3 mountain bikes a full PA system and luggage for 1 week and still had enough room for a clear rear view mirror. The low load hight allows easy access, the parcel shelf simply clips in and out and the seats fold flat enough. The only thing I would suggest is a liner to stop the interior scuffing which does happen easily.

Reliability
After 30,000 miles I have had no trouble with this car even towing a trailer, service intervals are 18,000 and the computer on the dash bourd lets you know if you need oil and counts you down to the next service!

Verdict
As you can tell Im very fond of this car I will be sorry to see it go, Im having to sell because of my insurance - its only group 9 but because of my age and milage Im paying over £2k pa!!!!
I believe its a great buy and Ive heard its a great company / fleet car because of its low tax bracket.