Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling

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Sun 19 Aug 2012 20:52
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - RicardoB

Since 2009 when it first appeared on the market, I have "liked and been tempted" by the Laguna coupe. It's been a classic case of head versus heart; my heart loved the look of it, the fact that it had a certain "exclusivity" - OK, Renault's marketing and dealer reputation left a lot to be desired and the look of the hatchback didn't exactly help. In fact, such was the poor image that Renault have stopped selling them in this country. And the head saying "impractical, massive depreciation and, yes, it's French so will be dodgy in the electrics in particular".

But, having just reached a certain age, and the fact that my current car was getting ready for changing, I thought, let's face it, you can identify "issues" of one sort or another with most makes and models, and life is getting shorter. I can't afford, nor would I want an expensive German coupe, so, yes, I have gone and done it... One appeared for sale at a local main dealer, in the colour that I like most - oyster blue. It's half way through its Renault warranty and it's taken the depreciation hit.

So, a test and deal was done, and I now own it. And so far, so good!

OK, I'm ready for the anti French brickbats, but you know what, I don't think I'm too bothered about those. It looks nice, drives and handles well - it's not the GT four-wheel-steering - the maintenance of that would scare me, is comfy and being the "smaller" diesel, seems a right mix of power and economy for my 15k or so miles a year.

I have to admit that I still have that "head niggle" but as I sit here and look through the window at it, I have to say that sometimes, if you can, you just have to do these things!

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Sun 19 Aug 2012 21:23
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - craig-pd130

They're a good looking car and quite a rare sight, hope you enjoy her.

Is it a 2.0 diesel? 170bhp or so?

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Sun 19 Aug 2012 21:26
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - Avant

Good luck with it. Renaults aren't all disastrous: I had seven big family Renaults in a row between 1980 and 2001, and all were reliable. Admittedly this was before their builduality slumped in the early 2000s, but there's evidence that it's got better. Provided that the last owner looked after it, as no doubt you will, it should give good service - as well as being the car you really want.

Perhaps second only to clothes buying, car purchase is an area where the heart can rank alongside the head without the total loss of marbles.

Edited by Avant on 20/08/2012 at 01:37

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Mon 20 Aug 2012 00:31
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - Auristocrat

Renaults aren't all disastrous: I had seven big family Renaults in a row between 1908 and 2001, and all were reliable.

That's not bad over 93 years.

(Edit - thanks for spotting that - corrected! In theory that would be possible - Renaults were around in the 1900s although how reliable they were I've no idea.)

Edited by Avant on 20/08/2012 at 01:39

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Sun 19 Aug 2012 21:27
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - gordonbennet

I'm not usually interested in fashion statement type cars, ie i simply do not understand the comedy trio on TG drooling over the Alfa Brera, a more ugly design i could not imagine.

The Laguna Coupe though is simply a beautiful car, well done for going for it, sometimes you have to do these things, saw one yesterday actually, let the chap out so i could have a drool, a pleasure to rest the old mincers on.

I don't suppose it will be the best behaved you could buy, but i doubt it will be the worst either, looked after properly it should give years of pleasure.

Enjoy it, its different to almost everything else and thats hard to find in the world of boring euroclone cars.

2 years ago we had to choose another car for SWMBO, we had a number of boxes to tick, we ended up with a '08 Citroen C2 VTS HDi, a car only 4 weeks previously i never knew existed, and i used to deliver PSA group cars by the hundreds every week, so far its been totally reliable despite what others might have suggested and goes like hell which pleases her no end.

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Mon 20 Aug 2012 23:03
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - RicardoB

Thank you for comments. And HJ, yes, I read and watched your test many times - although I know that the one you tried was the whopping 3 litre diesel!

Mine is the 2.0 150 Tomtom. Plenty powerful enough for me.

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Tue 21 Aug 2012 12:25
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - corax

A really nice looking car. I always thought that they had a resemblance to the Fiat coupe at the front end.

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Tue 21 Aug 2012 21:26
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - Xileno

Laguna III and its close relative the Coupe are well-built and reliable cars. People have walked away from these due to the reputation of the early MK II model but even by 2004 these were much improved. Canny buyers can pick up a Laguna III and Coupe for not much money yet they are hugely better than the public think. My favourite is the 2.0 dCi 150, it offers strong performance and economy combined with superb engine refinement and low cabin noise intrusion.

If you can live with the looks of the standard Laguna they really are one of the great unsung buys second-hand, a decent car shunned due to the reputation of its predecessor. The Coupe addresses the looks but some test reviews have criticised the ride for being a bit hard.

Renault are already well down the path of constructing well-built and reliable cars, which began with the Modus and Clio III , continued with the Laguna III and later fed down to Megane III and Scenic/Grand III. Alas for Renault this type of thing takes a long time to filter down to the buying public, who have evidently taken their money elsewhere. Hopefully when the Clio IV comes out (always one of Renault’s best-selling models) people will start realising that Renault is now a well-built and reliable product. Renault must get the pricing right and it’s a shame the 1.6dCi isn’t available. Maybe it will come later. The new 4+ package should help woo a few buyers as well.

A Renault built in the last four years or so is a much safer bet than ever before – but don’t tell anyone otherwise they will all want one…

I’ve always been a fan of the underdog. If you do some careful research you can bag a bargain and the Laguna III is definitely one of those cars which deserves to do much better. Just don’t expect it to be worth much in three years.

Shame Renault don’t bring the Latitude to the UK. Now that would be a seriously fine car to own.

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Wed 7 Oct 2015 23:47
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - GORDONROY

bought one today a 60 plate with only 36k on the clock

cant wait to pick it up now

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Thu 8 Oct 2015 10:09
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - Oli rag

Fantastic looking car. Hadn't seen one in ages until the other day, such a contrast to the challenging looks of the hatchback.

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Thu 8 Oct 2015 12:15
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - arno65

I have a 2010 2dci Laguna dynamique 150FAP eco2 tom tom sport tourer and I love it. It has covered 118000 odd miles and all we have done in two years of ownership is have it serviced, just once according to the schedule, and had new pads and discs fitted. A couple of tyres and that is it. To my mind this car is superb and one of the best kept secrets. Renault spent a fortune on getting this car right but ,alas, the damage had already been done with the old Lagunas. I am now looking to replace this car with a later model one which has the revised grill. A feature this car should have had from the beginning. If you want a similar new car in the UK now you will have to go to Ireland to get one. I would recommend this car to anyone thinking of buying one.

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Thu 8 Oct 2015 22:36
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - RicardoB

I'm the one who started this thread just over three years ago, and am pleased to see it being picked up again.

I can also report that I still have my Laguna coupe and I still like it - especially its looks - and exclusivity.

Mine is the 2.0 150 dci TomTom and is now on about 78,000 miles. I have just had to have the rear discs and pads replaced, which is probably not too bad after this sort of time and mileage - car has just turned five years old - can't believe it!

I pamper it a bit, by having the oil and filter changed more often than the service schedule says - every 6 months. The ride/suspension is a little firm, but then again, it is a coupe, more in the GT sense as opposed to fast sporty. You will see elsewhere on this site that I changed the original 18" wheels and tyres for Laguna III 16" ones, the idea being that deeper profile rubber will absorb more of the bumps - and are less expensive to replace!

These cars are a very rare site but on the odd occasion that I see another one, you get all "car club like" and flash and wave! A few weeks ago, I found myself alongside a white limited edition "Monaco" model, and its driver saw mine. We drew up at traffic lights and exchanged pleasantries. The Monaco driver said that his was a company car that was about to be changed, and he would be sorry to see it go. I was able to reply, "aha, mine is mine!"

The only time that I was less than happy with the car was about 18 months ago, when it developed a fuel injection fault, and would either take ages to start, or cut out when driving along. The fault turned out to be some of the pipework in the engine compartment, which has been replaced - and so far, touch wood, after 15,000 or so miles since, it is still OK.

Finally, although it isn't a hatchback, the rear seats fold down, and I have managed to get a surprising amount of stuff in it when needed.

So, good luck and I hope you get the same interest and enjoyment - and yes, because of the ignorant masses, the prices are very low!

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Wed 11 Nov 2015 00:45
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - STEVE-94

Hi all,

I have loved the looks of the Laguna Coupe ever since I first saw one. About a year ago I took one for a test drive at a Kia dealership and had my heart set on it but unfortunately I could not bring myself to pay the high insurance premium as I am only 21. However, a year later I have got another quote and it has come down quite a bit so I am about to start shopping around for my dream Laguna Coupe.

I am looking at the 150bhp model as I think this suits my needs the most. Is it a practical car to live with everyday in terms of carrying rear passengers and parking etc? Also, is there anything I should be looking out for or any further advice you could give me?

I hope to hear from you soon :)

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Sun 15 Nov 2015 00:37
Renault Laguna Coupe - After years of pontificating and drooling - GORDONROY

Hi . Had our 2.0dci 150 tomtom edìtion for a few months now

And yes it is pretty practical but dont expect to carry six footers

In the rear

Vision out the massive rear window is remarkably good even

When raining it stays nice and clear without the need of a wiper

The boot swallowed our monthly shopping with room to spare

Although you always have the option of dropping the easiest dropped

Rear seats to drop ive saw in any car

Go get one ,you wont be dissapointed by your aquisition

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Mon 12 Jul 2021 23:07
Renault Laguna Coupe - Christov03

I'm the one who started this thread just over three years ago, and am pleased to see it being picked up again.

I can also report that I still have my Laguna coupe and I still like it - especially its looks - and exclusivity.

Mine is the 2.0 150 dci TomTom and is now on about 78,000 miles. I have just had to have the rear discs and pads replaced, which is probably not too bad after this sort of time and mileage - car has just turned five years old - can't believe it!

I pamper it a bit, by having the oil and filter changed more often than the service schedule says - every 6 months. The ride/suspension is a little firm, but then again, it is a coupe, more in the GT sense as opposed to fast sporty. You will see elsewhere on this site that I changed the original 18" wheels and tyres for Laguna III 16" ones, the idea being that deeper profile rubber will absorb more of the bumps - and are less expensive to replace!

These cars are a very rare site but on the odd occasion that I see another one, you get all "car club like" and flash and wave! A few weeks ago, I found myself alongside a white limited edition "Monaco" model, and its driver saw mine. We drew up at traffic lights and exchanged pleasantries. The Monaco driver said that his was a company car that was about to be changed, and he would be sorry to see it go. I was able to reply, "aha, mine is mine!"

The only time that I was less than happy with the car was about 18 months ago, when it developed a fuel injection fault, and would either take ages to start, or cut out when driving along. The fault turned out to be some of the pipework in the engine compartment, which has been replaced - and so far, touch wood, after 15,000 or so miles since, it is still OK.

Finally, although it isn't a hatchback, the rear seats fold down, and I have managed to get a surprising amount of stuff in it when needed.

So, good luck and I hope you get the same interest and enjoyment - and yes, because of the ignorant masses, the prices are very low!

Hi, was wondering what improvements you noticed, if any, to the ride comfort when changing the wheels to 16" from 18"... I've had my coupe for two months. Its great looking, especially from the rear! I find it more practical than it looks, though I am finding the ride comfort on poor roads quite disappointing. I've come from a Ford Focus which I was glad to get rid of, but do miss its good road composure....

[just tided the post a bit so people can easily see the question from the quoted text, although as this is a very old thread I doubt the OP will respond. Mod]

Edited by Xileno on 13/07/2021 at 07:56

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