Renault unveils Laguna Coupe in Cannes

With the Monaco Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival both taking place this weekend on the shores of the Mediterranean, Renault chose the latter as the backdrop for its latest model unveiling. The new Laguna Coupe is getting a preview amongst the stars of Cannes with a stylish new look that gets away from some of the downright bizarre hindquarters of some recent Renaults. Along with the midsized coupe, the French automaker is revealing a pair of new V6 engines fueled by gasoline and diesel.

The gas engine comes in at 3.5 liters and 240hp, and while we are unlikely to see the Laguna on US shores anytime soon (or ever, for that matter), the diesel engine will be appearing under the hood of cars from Japanese partner Nissan in 2010. The 3.0L diesel V6 was shown last fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show, generates 235hp and 331 lb.-ft. of torque, and is expected to join the Nissan Maxima lineup in a couple of years. The front-wheel-drive Laguna coupe should have some interesting chassis dynamics thanks to its four wheel steering system. Renault will provide full details on the new coupe at the Paris Motor Show in October.

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Renault Laguna

Renault Laguna is a big car and it gets a big engine, a 3.0-litre diesel V6 doing 230bhp and 332lb ft. It's been co-developed with Nissan and we'll see the same thing in a host of big Renaults including the coming Koleos 4x4, as well as the next Nissan Murano.

The transmission is a six-speed auto. A new four-wheel-steering system turns the rear wheels through small angles, helping both stability at speed (when the rears go in the same direction as the fronts) and parking manoeuvrability (by countersteering the rears). Both the powertrain and the fancy steering will be available in production.

As for the show-car bits, the luscious, far-too-fragile-for-reality details that make the interior a palace of surprise and good taste, well at least they show that Renault's designers are still in possession of a mojo.

A few weeks ago, in the crowds of the Tokyo motor show, I bumped into Anthony Grade, VP of design at Renault. He's no softie, because being brought up in a family including Michael and Lew Grade he doubtless learned to stand up for himself. But he was bruised about the treatment we'd meted to the Laguna hatch - "And the estate, which I think is a really good-looking car".

Like everyone at Renault I've talked to, he insists there never has been a successful car of this size that wasn't subdued on the outside. He also said that the Twingo is proving appealing to the youngsters it's aimed at, where the old Twingo was really only a favourite with Parisienne femmes d'un certain age. Most of all, he said, you've got to see the whole programme not base judgments on the first five minutes. The Ghosn-era Renaults are only just kicking in, and there are a lot more to come next year. He claimed the next Megane, due in the autumn, is a radical and good-looking car, because radical is OK in that size category.

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New Renault Laguna

Reps, hold on to your polystyrene coffee cups: it's turning into a bumper season in the corporate car world.

Hot on the heels of the exemplary Ford Mondeo comes the latest iteration of Renault's omnipresent Big Car: yes, it's the third-generation Laguna. And it looks, well, rather like a Laguna.

Due to go on sale in the UK in early October, the revised Laguna appears fairly conservative, with definite hints of Peugeot 407 and new Mondeo (as well as a hefty chunk of old Laguna, naturally) in the styling.

However, Renault is flagging up major improvements in build quality, refinement and green credentials, promising a more invigorating daily commute.

Despite developing a couple of extra centimetres of middle-aged spread in every direction, the new Laguna is about 15kg lighter than its predecessor.

This, combined with some 35mg of recycled plastics used in manufacture, backs up Renault's claims of a more eco-friendly Laguna.

The greenest engine in the line-up is a new 1.5-litre dCi, which develops 100bhp but boasts economy of 55.4mpg. With CO² emissions of just 136g/km, this puts the Laguna firmly into Passat BlueMotion territory.

There's also a two-litre petrol engine - available with 130, 150 or 175bhp - that will come with the option of Renault's new six-speed auto' box.

There's no genuinely hot version in the pipeline, however, with a 170bhp two-litre Turbo petrol engine topping the range.

However, Renault promises a more dynamic driving experience from the new Laguna, with more precise steering and less bodyroll.

The front and rear suspension has been stiffened by 20 and 50 per cent respectively, while there's a new anti-roll bar and more tightly geared steering to sharpen road responses.

We're not expecting a hardcore driver-focused experience, though. But with Renault promising the quietest drive in its class, the Laguna could be a worthy challenger for the Mondeo in the refinement stakes.

We'll find out when we get a proper look at the Laguna at the Frankfurt motor show in September. Don't forget that coffee.

© Source: insideline
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New Renault Laguna

Renault tells us that the new Laguna 'boasts elegant lines'.

That's all well and good, but it's hard to argue when all it has shown us so far is a few snaps of various bits of the car and a video showing a heavily disguised prototype.

Still, come June 4 we'll get to see the car in its entirety and Renault is promising a big step up in quality over the outgoing model, although that wouldn't be much trouble.

As well as the teaser shots you can see here, you can also have a look at www.insidenewlaguna.com and chortle as Renault's Formula One duo Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen claim to be testing the car.

© Source: topgear
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