Laguna 2.0RT estate 130,000 miles and still going strong,only a bonnet cable,rear shox,centre and back box and both ignition modules have let me down in the last 3 years.Its been a good workhorse carrying six of us ,performance is fair to good except for hills where second gear is needed where my previous car a sierra 4x4 would take them in 4th, economical on a run ,up the hills a bit thirsty,handling very good ,especially with my 17" toora alloys with 205/40 tyres,comfort is fantastic .the interior is nice but the trim scratches easily...all in all a very good car and at the prices there going for now a good buy...
I have a 2000 Laguna Estate dti 1.9 Sport. This car is excelent for me in all ways, Dog Carrier (great Dane), towing my Caravan, or just blitzing about on my own letting off steam. 48 to the Gallon, performance not far short of simular sized petrol engined cars. I have everything I need in one car. Reccomend to anyone.
My present car is a Renault Laguna RN 1.6 Estate. At the kerbside the car looks great and on the road it drives well, and although it is no flyer, it can hold its own on the M8 at rush hour. It is also really economical, normally returning about 40mpg, though we live in a new town with few traffic problems and our driving is mainly of the 'open road' kind we can still enjoy in many parts of Scotland.
What lets the Laguna down seriously is its build quality and the cost of spares. Things like the carpet in the boot area aren't properly fixed in and there is a generally flimsy feel in contrast to my Citroen ZX which had the feel of being built like a battleship.
Cars are expensive and I really don't think things like door catches should give up, but both the tailgate and bonnet catches have given up and were dear to replace. The latest is that the exhaust manifold cracked and cost £540 to replace; this at only 58000 miles. I bought the car at 12000 miles and it seemed a bargain at the time but I don't think I shall buy another Renault. I am seriously looking at things with long warranties on the basis that if the manufacturer has that much confidence, maybe the car won't go wrong, and if it does, it's not my problem!
I've got a renault laguna 1.6 RXE 1998 Break, and i must say that it's one of the best cars i've ever owned. The acceleration isn't that good but as soon as jou hit the 3000 RPM or higher it just flies over the road. she can go 130kmph in the 3 gear!! and the whole car is just has so mutch comfort. I live in the caribean an the roads here are bad, but my laguna broke down. It's really a GREAT car.
Just bought a 1997 1.8 RT h/b. Lots of toys to keep me busy! Looks great, and goes just as well. Mine has 93000 miles on it but it looks immaculate. I paid peanuts for it too!
This is my third laguna a 1.8RT sport 5sp/manual 1999 T its now on 86000miles normal service and no problems 29/34mpg good all round performance love driving it sits well on the road and in my opinion it is a real drivers car can leave most things standing in and out of roundabouts I prefer it to my wifes BMW320i se with the sports gear and fat wheels,give me the laguna every time out of 10 I would give it a 9+ am looking forward to the new model hope it stakes up to this one.
Those of us with any interest in motor racing will have over the past few seasons become increasingly dis-enchanted with Formula 1 as a spectacle. Watching endlessly processional races where the peak of automotive perfection can only make a pass by being quickest through the pits has become somewhat shall we say tiresome. Luckily, there is always the much more entertaining saloon cars in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) to watch, as they slide three abreast around the bends, and run bumper to bumper down the straights. Those of us with any interest in motor racing will have over the past few seasons become increasingly dis-enchanted with Formula 1 as a spectacle. Watching endlessly processional races where the peak of automotive perfection can only make a pass by being quickest through the pits has become somewhat shall we say tiresome. Luckily, there is always the much more entertaining saloon cars in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) to watch, as they slide three abreast around the bends, and run bumper to bumper down the straights. It also has the added attraction of cars we can all readily identify with. Nissans, Renaults, Vauxhalls, Fords, Audis and even (gasp in amazement) Volvos. OK so it's really only a silhouette formula with cars only bearing a passing resemblance to the show-room saloons, but the under-pinnings are all the same, and we can rest assured that a genuinely quick BTCC car is based on solid foundations which will be reflected by a half decent road car, as they say "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear".
This should suggest that the current top dog Nissan Primera is the top saloon car on the road, but a little lax rule interpretation means that the Nissan is based upon a four wheel drive chassis and associated improved suspension and will be until next season. No, the real star of BTCC for the last few years has been the under-rated Laguna, which at the hand of French nutcases like Alain Menu set the standards by which all other front drivers must be measured.
When you have your expectations raised about a car, then the first thing you do is jump in and drive and leave the closer inspection till later.
It's easy to settle into the Renault. The seats are supportive and the gear change, foot controls, steering wheel all seem to be in the right place; no long stretches to first gear and no stupidly off-set pedals made for ballet dancers. Shorter drivers did find the steering wheel slightly to low, but Normal average-sized drivers found it fine.
The two litre petrol motor gives excellent performance, good low-end, strong mid-range and decent top-end fleetfootedness at the expense of a little refinement. The quick, light action gearchange encourages enthusiastic use and the strong, dependable and only slightly grabby brakes bring you quickly to a halt without any drama. The real strength of this car though lies in its handling.
Light yet direct and talkative steering give pin-sharp and instant response to your arm movements, combine this with a chassis which gives a supple ride yet has brilliant balance through corners, and grips hard and long and you get a car which is entertaining to drive. It has all the practicalities of any modern saloon but allows the devil inside you to surface just a little when the mood takes you. It's a car which encourages you to take the scenic route. The pliant suspension helps a little when the roads get bumpier too, keeping the wheels firmly attached to the road, whilst at the same time managing to keep the body under control. It still rolls a little in true French style but it's never intrusive.
When the basic car is so alluring its easy to overlook the other bits and pieces. Here, the Laguna starts to let itself down a little. The interior trim is very jazzy indeed, and whilst it may have been stylish 3 or 4 years ago, and bearable still today, I don't think it will age too well for much longer.
The dashboard designers made an effort to create a swoopy, integrated feel to the interior. Again, 3 years ago it was new, different, stylish. Now it's just beginning to look old and tacky.
The handbrake lever irritated me immensely, bare metal, cleaned by yardbrush bristles as it moves, poking out through a plastic hole. What the hell is that all about? - A normal plastic-leather cloth gaiter would have looked much better and is probably cheaper to make as well.
I did like the sunglasses case stuck over the drivers door, though I mistook it for a mishaped handle at first.
On the whole, whilst the interior fixtures and fittings do grate a little, this Laguna displayed enough dynamic ability for me to happily recommend it as an entertaining drive.
Laguna Turbo Diesel 1996 Having previously driven the petrol version above, I thought my experiences would be identical apart from the engine characteristics and less frequent visits to the local fuel stop.
Interior Yes the interior still grates just as much. No matter how long I try to live with it.
Engine Half decent smoke maker, good bottom-end, gentle whistling turbo thrust, modicum of top-end; much what you would expect, maybe even a little more refined than you expected.
Handling and Ride Oh dear dear dear me, what have they done? Same supple ride of the petrol, but the handling has gone completely to pot. The steering response is now heavy and sluggish and much worse, the car now understeers immediately through corners. It feels like some one has hung a huge great pendulum weight out the front end of the car, and it constantly wants to go straight on. Which, guessing the weight of the turbo diesel lump is probably exactly what they have done. With this lump in, the balance of the car seems to have been destroyed, ruining a perfectly good car.
I was so looking forward to driving this car and now I don't care if I never see a diesel Laguna again.
I have a 2002 Laguna Expression 1.8 and its a good car especially on the motorways journeys however strangely enough it seems twitchy at the back end going round corners when there is imperfections on B road surfaces, my personal opinion is that the suspension/damper settings are slightly off, it isn't serious but can wake you up when it twithches! 2 of my work friends have the Laguna and have noted similar characteristics.
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Owned for 6 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2004.
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My Laguna is a 1997, 1.8L RT Blue Monaco and I also confirm that it is a fantastic car to drive, very confortable ,spacious, with a good handling. Although I am proud to be french when I see how good is the laguna, I beleive that french cars are not manufactured to resist to very damp/humid environments such as in the UK.
After 3 years the pipe leading to the exhaust had to be replaced and I was told that it was also the case on the case for the renault megane. Also in few occasions, when the rain was torential, my car soffered from leaks on the passenger door ( left had side).
The renault laguna is indeed very hard to distroy, I exploded my 2 right had side tyres on a round about, the alloy wheels were just scratched and in spite of the violence of the impact, no damages was made to the steering.
The only real criticism I will make is the poor ratio performance/consumption as I sometime feel that driving a BMW will not cost me more in petrol.
Owned for 5 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed June 2003.
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I have a renault laguna exec 2.0 and its the best car I have ever owned or driven. It was bought second hand 42,000 miles on clock and over past year I have had no problems with it.Handles road great comfortable on long long journeys ( I drove to France and back in it) My kids love the room the air conditioning but it is greedy on fuel.
Owned for 1 year.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed May 2003.
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My Laguna has also suffered with the bonnet catches needing replacement. They were done 15 months ago and renault contributed £100 out of the £140 cost. Now they have gone again and Renault have declined to assist. This is obviously a design fault. Be careful if you are thinking of buying
Owned for 3 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed January 2003.
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IVE HAD A 2.0 RXE FOR THE PAST YEAR AND HAD DRIVING PLEASURE SO FAR.CONSIDERING IM THE SECOND OWNER OF A 55000MILE CAR.I HAVENT HAD A BREAKDOWN AND NO MAJOR MECHANICAL WORK HAS BEEN DON. ACCELERATION IS GREAT , BUT TENDS TO BE VERY THIRSTY IF U PUSH. MY AVERAGE IS BETWENN 36 - 43 MPG.I HATE TO SEE IT GO, I HAVE TO MOVE ON. A GREAT CAR
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