It’s a brave move launching a new car with a one-size-fits-all strategy but that is exactly what Renault importer, Motorcorp Distributors Limited (MDL) aims to do with the new Renault Laguna dCi wagon.

Rather than dilute the product offering with a choice of lift-back or station wagon and a choice of petrol or diesel engines, MDL CEO Wallis Dumper felt that the New Zealand market would be best served solely by the diesel wagon.

“At $54,990 the Laguna wagon is great value for money,” says Mr Dumper. “It comes at a time when people are seriously considering replacing their petrol cars with the better economy and lower emissions of a diesel motor that meets Euro IV regulations.

“The Laguna Wagon 2.0 dCi Auto provides an alternative for buyers who don’t want a Japanese brand and who cannot justify the expense of a German marque.”

We had the practical and attractive five-door five-seat Laguna 2.0 dCi for a very pleasant weekend test and we came away impressed with the car’s performance and handling, amenity, interior comfort and space.

At 4801 mm long and 2060 mm wide (including mirrors), the Laguna is bigger than its predecessor and more spacious while its body is around 15kg lighter and certainly more attractive thanks to the fast-back style of the tailgate.

The Laguna Wagon weighs in at 1658 kg and can tow a braked trailer of up to 1500 kgs which makes it attractive as a multi-purpose fleet and family proposition.

This wagon has some neat functions like the 60:40 split rear seats that fold flat at the flick of switch in the rear cargo bay, the cap-less fuelling system which prevents dirty hands at the diesel pump, and the bi-xenon directional headlamps that provide up to 90 percent more light when cornering than halogen lamps. The Laguna wipers and headlamps will also turn themselves automatically when required to, plus there’s even a chilled glove box to keep the water bottle cool.

However the electric variable power steering took some getting used to, it felt almost too light at parking speeds, and then seemed to weight up too quickly as the car gained road speed. Tyre noise from the 17-inch alloys shod with Michelin was relatively well suppressed as was road noise and harmonics inside the cabin.

Renault says that they have made the suspension stiffer at the front and rear to ensure greater control and less body roll than the older model. Certainly this car feels quite taut through corners, but there is still a little bit of body roll but not enough for passengers to complain about. The front seats provide plenty of support too!

Naturally being a Renault the Laguna has a five-star Euro NCAP impact rating and benefits from the latest research and development in active and passive safety features. There are new generation side-impact sensors situated in the B pillar and front doors of the Laguna wagon which have the ability to deploy the side airbags in half the time that it takes other systems to do so.

The variable geometry 2.0 litre 110kW turbo diesel engine provides its maximum torque of 340 Nm arrives at just 2000 rpm, which makes for ease of over taking on the open road or idling around town in stop – start city traffic. Renault quotes fuel consumption of 7.1L/100 km in the combined cycle and emissions of 188g/km.

The six speed auto adaptive transmission has a sequential manual mode operation

and will change down automatically on over run to provide engine braking.

A particulate filter is standard on the Laguna dCi wagon and the company accountant will be delighted to hear that servicing is only required annually or every 20,000km.

Specifications:  

Body type                   Five-door wagon

Drive                          Front-wheel-drive        

Engine Type                Inline 4-cylinder VGT diesel                  

Engine Capacity            1995cc

Max power                   110kW @ 4000 rpm

Max torque                   340Nm @ 2000 rpm

Fuel Consumption          7.1L/100km

C02 emission                 188g/km

0 to 100kph                   N/a

Front suspension             McPherson Strut

Rear suspension              Flexible H-axle

Roof Rack                      Yes

ABS Brakes                    Yes

Air Bags                         6      

ESP                               Yes

Air Conditioning               Climate

Lap/diagonal belts            5

Satellite Navigation           No

Electric seats                   No

Burglar Alarm                   Yes   

Panic Button                   No

Boot release                    Yes

Cargo Cover                    Yes

Boot Capacity                  508/1593l

Wheel type                     17-inch Alloy

Spare Tyre                      Full-size

Price                              $54,990