After six years in the market, the Renault Laguna has reached that point where a replacement is due, but for the time being, the French carmaker has given the entire range (liftback, estate and coupe) a mini makeover and a splash of new technology features for 2013.
The important additions/changes are the EDC dual-clutch automatic gearbox, the R-Link touchscreen infotainment unit and a slightly revised front-end design. Garnishing the pointy end of the latest Laguna and Laguna Estate are LED daytime running lights (the Coupé received them earlier), which as Renault states, “underpin the range’s modernity and dynamism, day and night.”
In the press release, the French automaker also says the Laguna Collection 2013, which is the revised model’s name, features “the best of automotive technology for maximum driving enjoyment”. It is amusing how they try to advertise the car’s dynamic abilities in a meaningful way, and it almost sounds like something you would see at the end of a cliché BMW ad…
If fuel-efficiency alone is your primary concern when looking for a car, then the 1.5-liter DCi Laguna hatchback (or the Coupé), mated to the new six-speed dual clutch automatic, returns a claimed 4.3 l/100km (54.7 mpg US / 65.7 mpg UK) and emits 113 g/km CO2. The 2.0-liter diesel can be had in three states of tune with 130PS (128HP), 150PS (148HP) as much as 175PS (172HP). However, only the most powerful 2.0-liter unit is offered with the EDC.
Inside the car, owners will be able to specify Renault’s seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, along with a Bose sound system which comes with “a centrally mounted loudspeaker,” which “reproduces rich, realistic bass frequencies throughout the cabin.”
Order books for the revised Laguna are set to commence at the end of April, with first deliveries announced for mid-June.
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY
