Used Renault Laguna Estate 1994 - 2001 review

What's the used Renault Laguna like?

The Renault Laguna Estate is a big, boxy estate, built for space, not looks. But, despite the fact it's an old design (which makes it cheap to buy), it's okay to drive and well equipped.

There's plenty of space in the cabin as well as a trio of three-point belts across the rear seat. It's light and airy inside, although the seat fabrics look tatty after a while. The boot is very good, too, with a wide, flat cargo area.

Overview

The Renault Laguna Estate is a cheap load-lugger that may cost a mint to run

Pros

• There's lots of usable space and good levels of equipment, the ride is pleasantly soft
• too

Cons

• It's unreliable
• Also, the seven-seat option cuts luggage space drastically

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You can find some seven-seat models, but they're rare and not really worth bothering with. Their rear-facing extra bench is suitable only for young children and, when not needed, folds to the side, which eats into luggage space.

The Laguna estate rides best when loaded but it's always smooth, although the steering is short on feedback and grip runs out early.

Euro NCAP awarded the car three stars for occupant safety, which is average for a mid-1990s design.

Our recommendations

Which used Renault Laguna should I buy?

Seven-seat versions are scarce and those extra two seats eat into the boot space, so we'd stick with five-seaters.

That decided, the 1.9 turbodiesel, available from the car's 1999 face-lift, is the pick of the range. It pulls hard from low revs, is acceptably smooth and very economical. Otherwise, the 1.8 and 2.0 petrol motors are both fine. We'd give the 1.6 a miss because it struggles when the car is full.

All models from 1999 have a decent amount of equipment, including anti-lock brakes, front and side airbags and remote central locking. The RT model is the cheapest but it's worth looking for the Alize, where air-con is standard. Top-level models are RXE and Monaco - they're rare, but worth having if fairly priced.

Buy privately or from independent used-car traders, and go for models with a manual gearbox. It may be sloppy but it's still the best bet as the autos are notoriously unreliable.

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