It was launched five years ago. Today, there are around 1.2 million Lagunas on European roads. And the market is still hungry. To meet this heavy demand, around 1,000 of these units roll off Renault's assembly line in northern France every day. And the car has left fellow French competitors Peugeot 406 and the Citroen Xantia far behind.
Not content with success, Renault is adding better value to the Laguna,without increasing its price. For starters, instead of the regular telescopic radio antenna, there is an integrated screen-printed aerial on the rear window glass. New 16" alloy wheels, new leather/cloth combination upholstery, three-point safety belts combined with head/chest airbags, additional fog lamps, electric door mirrors in colour-coded housings, new colours are all standard. Whew!
The top-end Initiale version has Renault's new Carminat-navigation system as standard. In collaboration with the French government and France Telecom Mobiles, an electronic unit placed inside the car uses satellite information to determine the position of any driver who has been involved in an accident, has broken down or is simply lost. All he has to do is use any of the three buttons: red for an emergency call, orange for a breakdown call, and green for navigation assistance. This Odysline installation however is optional.
And not to forget, along with all these goodies, two new engines are offered by Renault for the Laguna. One is a 1,998cc, 16-valve engine featuring variable valve timing, and it develops a power output of 140 bhp at 5,500 rpm and produces a torque of 19.5 kgm at 3,750 rpm. The other option is a 1,870cc common-rail diesel powerplant, the first in any Renault vehicle, which seems to be more exc
