Renault Laguna

Laguna I (1994–2001)

With development underway from 1987, design work under Patrick Le Quement began in 1988 with a final design approval in March 1989 and design freeze by early 1990. Road testing commenced in 1991, and continued throughout 1992 and 1993. The first generation Renault Laguna was unveiled in November 1993 and launched in January 1994, as a replacement for the Renault 21, initially coming as a hatchback only. In September 1995, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, an estate version was introduced. This was known in some markets as the Laguna Sports Tourer, and replaced the 21-based Renault Savanna/Nevada. It was initially launched as a 1.8 RN/RT, 2.0RT/RXE and 3.0V6. A sports pack with deep front spoiler, rear spoiler and alloy wheels was available on 2.0 versions. This coincided with Renault's participation in European Touring car championships.

The Laguna's equipment levels were generally much higher than the Renault 21. From launch, all models came with power steering, electric front windows, and remote central locking as standard. Most of the range had a driver's airbag. Later twin airbags, anti-lock braking system, air-conditioning, and a CD player became either optional extras or standard equipment.

Facelift

In April 1998, the Laguna received a moderate facelift, including a restyling of the hatchback and the sports tourer versions, and a redesigned front. This also included a different facelifted design of the taillights, most noticeable are the circular fog-lights in the front.

The engines were updated and, in some markets, equipment levels were enhanced again. Five new engines featured in the completed facelifted line-up:

For 2000, the final edition of this Laguna - the Laguna Concorde, was introduced. It included semi-leather seats, and vocal warnings like "Welcome. The vehicle computer... is now checking systems for you". The on-board computer would notify the driver of any doors not being closed, lights left on etc., weather ("Please brake carefully the road is watery") or other faults in the electrical or mechanical circuits. The onboard voice synthesizer warnings system was also available on the earlier 1998 RXE and V6 models. This is the same basic unit as used in the Renault Safrane.

The Mk1 model has many bad reviews and reliability issues with everything from rear wheel bearing problems (a common Renault problem over several models) and heavy depreciation to problems with the bonnet latches (Renault use an unusual system that is difficult to set up properly). The reviews tended to be worse for the hatchback, with it suffering many more complaints and breakdowns than the estate variant, although no reasoning for this has been found.

The Laguna Concorde model was the last guise of the "old" Laguna's to be marketed, prior to the release of the Laguna II in 2000. The last of the Mk.1 Laguna's were registered in February 2001, and the Concorde range all feature a cream letter "C" on a dark green background. This was with the outline of an actual Concorde above the letter.

In 2000, import rights for all Renault models sold in Japan, including, but not limited to, the Laguna I, were handed over from Yanase Co., Ltd. locations to Nissan Red Stage Store locations, after Renault had acquired a stake in Japanese automaker Nissan the previous year.

Laguna II (2001–2007)

After almost seven years in production the original Laguna was replaced by an all-new model in December 2000, which shared its chassis with the Nissan Primera (which arrived a year later). The engines were upgraded, and the equipment list made longer. It was the first vehicle available in Europe to achieve 5 stars in the EuroNCAP crash test results, a feature which was soon followed by all other models in Renault's range. This generation was made available in liftback or estate (Grandtour) styles only.

The Laguna featured a 'keyless' ignition system which, instead of a key, used a credit card style device to unlock the car and start the engine. The styling of the second generation Laguna was heavily influenced by the Initiale concept car. This was the 2002 Semperit Irish Car of the Year in Ireland.

The Laguna estate was only available with five seats, unlike the previous model which has seven seats as an option on some versions. It was badged as Sports Tourer or Grandtour, depending on the country. It was also marketed as a lifestyle vehicle, rather than a load carrier.

Unlike its predecessor, the Japanese-spec Laguna II was not available at any Yanase Co., Ltd. dealership location, as Yanase had ended its import rights for Renault after Renault had acquired a stake in Nissan when the Laguna I was still in production. Instead, the Laguna II was sold exclusively through Nissan Red Stage Store locations.

Facelift

The Laguna II was facelifted in March 2005, according to Renault with improved security, driving performance and comfort.

It also had a moderate redesign of the air intake at the front of the car, now matching the design of the Megane. An electronic handbrake was also introduced, this was previously seen on the Scenic and Espace. The engines were much the same as before, with the 1.6 and 1.8 petrol units being offered in some markets, while other countries get a 2.0 petrol unit (turbo or non-turbo) and two diesels (1.9 or 2.2 direct-injection).

After the facelift, a whole new diesel engine was introduced, the 2.0 dCi with 150 hp (112 kW) and another variant of the engine which produced 175 hp (130 kW), In May 2007, this variant was the most powerful 2 litre diesel engine in the world.

Laguna III (2007–2015)

The Renault Laguna III was officially announced in a press release on June 4, 2007. The car was unveiled to the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and it went on sale in October 2007. The car comes as a 5-door liftback, as a 5-door estate and a 3-door coupé. This third generation is based on the platform D, shared with the Nissan Altima, the Nissan Teana, and the Nissan Murano.

The Laguna III was the first car to have gone through the Aubevoye Technical Centre's Electro-Magnetic Compatibility unit, in the course of its development.

It was first presented as a concept car, at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, which followed some styling cues of the previous Renault Fluence concept car. The production version was revealed at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, coinciding with the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix to take the wraps off. The brand new V6 dCi engine delivers 235 hp (173 kW), while the new 3.5-litre petrol powered V6 offers 240 hp (175 kW). The Laguna Coupé later appeared before the general public at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008.

In January 2008, spy images of a then–possible Laguna Sedan appeared on the internet. It was expected the car having appeared at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. However, this never made it to production. The Renault Latitude and the third generation (L43) Renault Samsung SM5, which is made by Renault Samsung Motors, South Korea is based on the Laguna III.

Facelift

A facelifted version of the Laguna III, called the Phase 2, débuted at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, and sales began in November 2010.

It has an aggressive front end compared to the older model. The range has been redesigned around six trim levels: Expression, Black Edition, Eco Business, Bose, GT 4Control and Initiale. Engine side, the only change is the engine 1.5 dCi 110 hp, with CO2 emissions decreased from 130 to 120g/km.

Engines

Successor

Renault was rumoured considering changing the Laguna name to Atalans for the successor. In May 2015, Worldcarfans reported the successor would première on July 6, 2015, and would also replace the Latitude in the European market. The coupé version would also be discontinued, due to low demand. On 6 July 2015, Renault announced the successor will be called Talisman, as part of its intention of unifying nameplates worldwide.