The launch of the Renault Laguna Coupé in South Africa introduces an entirely new level of exclusivity, style and dynamism to the local Renault range.
“The Renault Laguna Coupé expresses timeless beauty, linked to absolute driving enjoyment. The result is an athletic two-door flagship coupé with strong allure and a unique position in the local market,” explains Renault SA managing director, Xavier Gobille. Gobille adds that the arrival of the Laguna Coupé in SA adds an enticing and distinctly upmarket lustre to the Renault line-up, symbolising the stylistic excellence and technical fortitude of the brand.
The Laguna Coupé achieves a balance between contemporary attraction and timeless appeal, creating a head-turning model with a silhouette that should have longevity in its appeal. The fluidity and elegance of the styling is evident in the defining character line that originates from beneath the grille and rises confidently across the Coupé’s flanks like a wave of air. It gracefully emphasises the form of the front fenders, then underlines the car’s broad haunches as it progresses rearwards. From there, it flows around the rear and up over the roof, then extends along the length of the bonnet, towards the inside of the headlights. The Laguna Coupé’s uncluttered styling is matched by the assertiveness and sporting character of the steeply raked bonnet, the broad mesh grille and its striking 18-inch alloy wheels.
Inside, the new coupé features a plush interior with a sweeping dashboard design dominating the cabin. Renaul claim a “lounge-effect” through the use of soft-touch trim extending across the dashboard and throughout the entire cabin and reinforced by soft-touch controls and a combination of aluminium and chrome finishes. The two rear seats have been brought closer together, affording rear occupants high levels of airy, all-round spaciousness.
Renault’s leading-edge 4Control chassis makes its SA debut in the Laguna Coupé. Jointly developed by Renault’s engineering team, in association with Renault Sport Technologies, this advanced system delivers a level of dynamic and sporty handling, while also allowing agility at low speeds. 4Control electronically controls the vehicle’s dynamics, using both vehicle data (such as speed and steering wheel angle) and dynamic information (steering wheel movements, yaw) into account. These parameters are analysed to determine the effective turning angle of the rear wheels, which is implemented by an electric actuator on the rear axle. At low speeds, the 4Control chassis with four-wheel steering turns wheels in the opposite direction to the fronts, thus creating a tighter, class-leading 10,1 m turning circle and requiring reduced steering wheel angles for more direct control. From 60 km/h, the system offers greater steering precision and stability by simultaneously turning the rear wheels (up to a maximum of 3.5 degrees) in the same direction as the fronts. Simulating the effect of a longer wheelbase, this gives the driver greater control, and creates an impression of cornering on rails.
In line with its flagship status, the Renault Laguna Coupé is equipped with a powerful Euro 5-compliant 3,5-litre V6 engine, which delivers maximum power of 175 kW at 6 000 r/min, accompanied by 330 N.m of torque at 4 000 r/min. Mated to a responsive six-speed automatic gearbox, the V6 accelerates the Coupé from standstill to 100 km/h in just 7,4 seconds, before attaining a 244 km/h top speed. Despite this obvious athletic ability, the Laguna flagship returns a combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 10 l/100 km.
The Laguna Coupé also features a number of luxury and convenience features including a 10-speaker Bose sound system; bluetooth telephony system, combined with Bluetooth audio streaming and voice recognition functions; a USB port and a jack socket for iPod/MP3 player connections; and a fully integrated Carminat TomTom satellite navigation system.
Renault maintains its proud record of safety, having obtained the maximum five-star rating in the stringent Euro NCAP crash tests for the Laguna Coupé with a score of 36 points out of a possible 37. The Coupé is fitted with eight airbags, including two new-generation adaptive dual-volume front airbags coupled with a seat rail position on the driver’s side. Additional safety innovations include new double side-impact sensors that adapt the response time to the impact force, triggering the release of new-generation dual-chamber/dual-pressure lateral airbags.
The Renault Laguna Coupé has a recommended retail price of R499 900, which includes a 5-year/150 000 km warranty with a 5-year/100 000 km maintenance plan. Service intervals are every 20 000 km.
