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.

Every now and then we drive a car that leaves a lasting impression on us. Our 2009 list includes the fabulous Audi R8 5.2 FSI – its supercar performance, looks and useability make it such an accomplished car. Nissan’s GT-R is also on our list of memorable motors, not for the same reasons as the Audi, but because it stands out as a masterstroke of engineering by the brand known locally for Sentra’s, Tiida’s, X-Trails and, oh yeah, their 370Z. But another car stood out for us, not for its blinding performance, howling engine or head turning looks. Instead it makes its presence felt in entirely the opposite manner.

The BMW 730d is a luxury saloon that serenaded its way into our hearts in 2009 – a position from which it may be difficult to unseat.

The BMW 730d is dripping with technology and for us to mention every element would take more vocabulary than we’d care to think. Instead we’ll tell you of the elements that make the new 7 such a superb motorcar.

Interior
Stepping inside the new BMW 7 Series, one’s immediate impressions are of space, eloquent design and of course luxury. Interior leg, shoulder and headroom are more than ample and makes us wonder whether the extra room offered by the 750Li’s 140 mm extended wheelbase is necessary. Coupled with this generous personal space are a host of storage compartments for one’s personal items and an enormous 500-litre boot that will accommodate executive luggage with ease.

Once settled inside, your attention is drawn to the elegant and modern interior design. The driver’s controls and functions are clearly arranged and accessible, thanks to the hallmark BMW driver oriented layout. Apart from the seats, leather is used extensively throughout, including the door trim, armrests and on the dashboard as an option. The exposed seams and stitching along instrument panel, doorsills and air vents provide a hand stitched feel to the interior upholstery. As standard, the dash is finished in a newly developed soft skin material almost identical in look and feel to high-quality leather. The various lines, blends of trim such as leather, chrome, gloss black and aluminium accents work together to create an interior with an air of sophistication.

The luxurious appeal of the 7 Series is accomplished through the interior design and finish but also the convenience provided by its technological wizardry. From the driver’s perspective, a few functions stand out. BMW’s Active Cruise Control for example, works to maintain the 7′s speed regardless of whether you’re in traffic or cruising on the highway. The system automatically reduces your speed up to a standstill if a slower vehicle appears in the lane ahead. If you’re stopped for more than three seconds, the touch of a button alerts the car to pull off again. The system also maintains the following distance set by the driver. In this way, the car practically drives itself except for your steering inputs.

Another technological convenience are the Adaptive Headlights and Night Vision infra-red camera. The thermal imaging camera is displayed on the 10.1-inch full colour LCD monitor in the dashboard, which incidentally also receives a TV signal, and offers increased visibility at night. This system works incredibly well and supplements the already excellent xenon headlights to make driving at night far safer. In addition, BMW has achieved a world first by incorporating the detection and recognition of individual persons and their behaviour. This is done by a control unit analysing the video data and using intelligent algorithms to look specifically for pedestrians, which are highlighted in yellow on the LCD display. Should the system detect any danger to individual persons, the driver receives a warning via the display, or via the optional Head-Up Display if fitted to the car. Other features include cameras mounted on either end of the front bumper to aid in manoeuvering in tight spots, or to provide visibility when creeping out of a side road to join the main traffic flow.

The iDrive system controls access to all function and vehicle settings via the LCD display, an 80GB hard drive is standard on all models and ensures enough space for storing around 100 music CD’s. The satellite navigation is easy to use and has the latest maps, which impressed us when navigating recently developed areas of the city. Also impressive is the Integrated Owners Manual, which offers information on all the car’s functions and equipment through video and slide-shows. This makes it quick and easy to get to terms with all the features of the new 7 Series. Rear passengers also have access to all multimedia functions via their own iDrive controller. Individual 9.1-inch LCD screens integrated into the front seat backrests, stereo jacks for headsets and AUX-In plugs for a personal music or DVD player. In addition, all audio and video sources are accessible from the rear seats.

Exterior
Although the styling has undoubtedly improved over the previous generation, the latest 7 Series is still not overly attractive in our opinion. It’s mainly the front portion of the car that we dislike. The short overhang preceding the front wheels gives the impression of the car having a squashed nose. Moreover, the traditional kidney grilles dominate and preside over a rather insipid looking lower air intake that also houses the front fog lights. Thankfully the rear end has more muscle, with a set of haunches that stretch to accommodate the 245/50/18 sized tyres. The chiseled shoulder line that runs the length of the 7 Series, and incorporates the door handles, adds definition and connects the front and rear of the 5 metre limousine.

At 1,9 metres wide and 5 metre’s long, the 7 Series is a big car to park, which means you sometimes need to look for a spot where other drivers haven’t parked on the limits of their bay. Even with the park distance control and various cameras, you still need to be awake when manoeuvring in close quarters.

One thing the 7 does have is presence. On the road it fills its lane and subconsciously coaxes slower drivers to keep left for the luxury barge approaching.

The Drive
The 730d is a superb car to drive. Actually you don’t really drive this car, as that would imply effort on your part. The 730d transports you with the light and velvety appeal of an expensive chocolate mousse. Cosseted in the multi-way electronically adjustable leather seats, cooled by vents feeding cool air into the seat and backrest surface, you are transported in complete comfort. Sound insulation is good, with noise levels from the road, engine or wind being negligible and offers a cabin that shields occupants from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. Progress from the powerful diesel engine is effortless but propels the 730d with vigour when the occasion arises. Travelling in the 730d is so good it borders on being therapeutic, in fact, to some extent we’d say that it is, as the car coerces you into a slower pace of life in contrast to the rush of modern day living.

All this doesn’t mean to say the 730d is a lazy car for retired statesmen or execs, far from it, the 7 Series features the best chassis, drivetrain and engine technology BMW has to offer. Said another way, the 730d can eat up the kilometers very quickly if it has to. Despite its weight, 1 940 kgs, the car handles very well and corners with minimal bodyroll. The impressive handling is due in part to the Dynamic Damping Control that allows you to choose from a combination of suspension settings from comfort, sport or sport+ depending on the road surface and your desired driving pace.

Another technological feat is the Integral Active Steering. This system can control the steering angle by way of the additional Active Steering transmission on the front axle and, for the first time, changing the steering angle of the rear wheels by up to 3° through spindle drive and a concentrically arranged motor – meaning four wheel steering. Using data from wheel rotation speed, steering wheel movement, the yaw rate and lateral acceleration of the body provided by sensors, the 7 Series adjusts the steering angle for optimum control at all times. What this means in reality is that less steering input is required to turn the car at higher speeds and therefore less lateral force is at play during cornering, which means passengers won’t feel the speed as much when compared with a conventional steering system.

Performance
If you’d asked us what words come to mind when thinking of the 730d BMW, ‘performance’ would not have been one of them. Tipping the scales at almost two tonnes and being powered by a diesel sounds like a recipe for going nowhere slowly. However, we should know better when thinking of BMW, because the manufacturer has always managed to extract surprising amounts of power and torque from their engines over the years and the 730d’s 3,0-litre 24-valve straight-six is no exception.

Producing 180 kW at 4 000 rpm and a mountain of torque – 540 N.m from 1 750 rpm – the 730d reaches 100 km/h from rest in 7.2 seconds. To put it in perspective, that’s not far off the 6.9 seconds required by the new VW Golf GTI to do the same. Flat out, the 730d will achieve a top speed of 245 km/h. But it’s not about sprint times or top speeds, the diesel engine is silky smooth and propels the luxury sedan with ease. Mated to an equally smooth 6-speed automatic transmission, the combination works almost seamlessly to produce an uninterrupted flow of power to the rear wheels. Although the drive-by-wire gear selector offers a sequential mode, we didn’t find much use for it because the automatic tends to respond well to throttle inputs in its conventional mode. When needing quicker gear and throttle response, selecting ‘sport’ mode for the dynamic chassis control proved adequate, while at the same time firming up the steering and suspension to match the driving pace.

Just as surprising as the power and efficient delivery thereof, is the fuel consumption achieved by the engine. BMW claim 7.2 l/100km on the combined cycle and although we achieved a figure of 9.9 l/100km during our test period, the figure is still impressive considering we covered a myriad of road conditions from heavy stop/start traffic to brisk open road cruising and everything in between.

Overall, the BMW 730d offers a refined and luxurious motoring experience, combined with dependable composure when utilising the power and torque from the diesel engine.

What we like…

• The plethora of useful features such as night vision, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control and more.
• Excellent sound system with hard drive storage capacity, iPod and bluetooth connectivity.
• Silky smooth diesel engine and automatic transmission.
• Dynamic Chassis Control that transforms the car from boulevard cruiser to highway bruiser.

What we would like…

• An audible warning together with the visual ones for the pedestrian detection system.
• Stronger brakes. It stops well but could do with the 375 mm discs from the 740i as opposed to its 348 mm ones.
• More ‘intelligence’ for the auto headlights – it only worked well when approaching one car at a time, otherwise it switched to hi-beam between each successive car in the oncoming lane, causing them to flash you back.