Pricey Laguna lacks French flair

Renault decided to take on the big boys with the Laguna Coupé.

Many a Flash Harry newcomer to a poker table, cigar, darkies, gold rings, a wad of cash and brash blarney et al, have been burnt by classy players with skill and finesse.

And in a strange sort of way, this is what has happened to Renault when it decided to take on the big boys who play for stakes of R500 000 or more.

Quite stylish, but...

Into the market strutted the new Renault Laguna Coupé with a price tag of just R100 below the half-a-bar mark and pack of fancy tricks with which it intended to dazzle buyers and baffle and out-class the opposition.

But the French should have realised that bravado, good looks and fancy kit, good as they may be, would have to be exceptional to unseat the old hands who have been playing for these sorts of stakes for a long time. Names that spring to mind include Audi, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Volvo, Lexus, Nissan, Volkswagen etc...

A unique feature of the Laguna Coupé is that has four-wheel steering which Renault calls 4Control.

For a start, no Renault Laguna has ever caused heart palpitations for its looks, dynamic handling and excitement or for being in high demand in the used car market.

To create a whole new image (and price bracket) for the Laguna the clever guys with the white coats, long hair and thick glasses in Renault's design department shortened their lunch breaks by two hours and came up with quite a stylish two-door coupé version of the Laguna.

Nice low and wide and with a menacing Aston Martin/ Peugeot-style front grille, sloping bonnet and a bum like an Alfa, sporty alloys wrapped in low profile rubber, twin exhausts outlets and cheeky bat wing side mirrors, the new coupé not only looks good but promises to deliver an exciting driving experience.

And it succeeds, but only up to a point.

It sounds a little weird, but it can be fun

A unique feature of the Laguna Coupé is that has four-wheel steering which Renault calls 4Control. In essence it operates differently at high and low speeds.

The 3.5-litre V6 is sprightly.

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Drive slowly and the front wheels turn one way and the rear wheel go slightly in the opposite direction. Hit the go-fast pedal and both wheels point in the same direction. Sounds a tad weird, I know, and it takes a little time to get used to, but when you do it can be fun.

I had a good opportunity of trying out this system on a lovely deserted stretch of country road while heading for one of my favourite wine cellars, Perdeberg, situated roughly half-way between Durbanville and Wellington early one morning.

Rather businesslike

And although the coupé provides better feedback than most other Renaults, the steering is nowhere near as sharp as that of BMW and the road-holding lacks the confidence and cling of a Nissan 370 Z or a Volkswagen Scirocco.

There's room at the back for two adults, but perhaps not for too long a trip.

The cabin is also rather black and silver austere (not dissimilar in looks than Audi's better quality lay-out) and although the standard satnav screen and white-lettered gauges add a little zest there certainly are no exceptionally zooty eye-candy to enthuse about.

Also, unfortunately the excellence of the sound system is offset by a rather slow-adjusting climate control although the coupé does have standard nice-to-haves such as Blue Tooth connection, park assist and cruise control.

Keyless is 'kool'

The sporty leather seats are comfortable and electronically adjustable. A little French flair, like white or red stitching would help to liven up the living quarters which feel stark and dark rather than svelte and sexy.

Keyless entry is cool, although our test vehicle was a tad temperamental and it didn't always deliver what it promises, namely keep the key card in your pocket, touch the door and things will happen. I regularly had to whip the key car out and press unlock. And press again. And again....

A few small touches would have enhanced the liviing quarters quite a bit.

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Access to the rear is via two wide-opening doors (a pain in a tight parking lot) and there is enough space at the back for two adults, as long as the journey is not too long because the sloping roof cuts down on head space for tall backseaters.

Overall the inside of the Laguna feels rather average and it lacks the elegance and class of most others in this price range.

A little dozy

Under the attractively sloping bonnet lives a sprightly 3.5-litre V6 which, even with the ability to churn out 177kW and 330Nm, tends to feel a little sleepy, except when you really whip it hard.

Top speed is claimed to be 240km/h, but...

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Renault says it will get from start to 100km/h in 9 seconds and trot on to a top speed of about 240km/h but our test car felt sleepier than that.

The Standard entry level Nissan 370Z costs only R12 500 more than the Laguna and even though its V6 engine is only marginally bigger than the Laguna's power train it is much quicker off the mark, has more top end speed and provides superb rear-wheel drive performance.

Gear swopping on tap

The Renault's six-speed auto shift works smoothly at cruising speed or in gentle city traffic but when you pour on the coals the changes are jerky at times. Again, it's not what one would expect from a R500 000 sporty coupé.

Drivers have the option of tap-tapping the gear selector for up or down cog swops, but there are no sporty F1 type steering wheel flappies and also no "dynamic" or "sport" buttons to liven up the party.

The kit is fancy, but it needs more than that to take on the big boys.

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Irritatingly, when you pull of, particularly on inclines, the response is all or nothing. There is no real in-between; the Laguna either refuses to move or it squirts off the mark. Even after driving the car for a week I came close to running up the tail-end of a blue-rinse granny in her fancy new Volvo when the traffic lights turned from red to green.

The coupé's boot is fairly big, but that's if you can get the damn boot lid to open. Click the key, press the release button on the tail-gate to open the boot and nothing happens. Do it again. And again. Eventually it opens, mainly I suspect because of my foul cursing of its ancestry.

A little more French flair, unt some German efficiency, ja!

And sadly, that's the story of the Laguna Coupé. Looks-wise it holds lots of promise, but the disappointment kicks in from the minute you slide in behind the wheel. The Laguna is not as sleek as the Volkswagen Scirocco, it doesn't have the power and performance of the German and it doesn't match the VW for entertaining handling - and it is R60 000 more expensive than the flagship Scirocco.

The French coupé's interior needs more spice and French flair, the engine is crying out for more race horses, the yes-no electronics could do with a bit of Germanic efficiency and the bean counters should seriously reconsider the car's South African price tag.

Until this happens, this floppy French fellow with the fancy kit and pretend Aston-Audi looks will be taken to the cleaners by the established players with German, Japanese, Scandinavian and Italian name tags.

Specifications

Quickpic movie

RPM TV Episode 123 - Renault Laguna Coupe