2002 Renault Laguna Sports Tourer 2.0 cdi (petrol) from UK and Ireland

Summary:

As dangerous, expensive to run and eye catching as the typical

Faults:

Accelerator failure: On four separate occasions the accelerator has failed, this is extremely dangerous as the pedal "feels right" but the engine will only rev to 2000. The result is that the car lurches forward about 15 feet and then continues along at 8mph. If you have just pulled out of a side turning on to a busy road into the path of a lorry you are probably going to die.

Computer trip failure: most of the time the information is gobbledygook.

Buckled wheels: This car has low profile "extra load" tyres. The tyres are extremely hard and the smallest pothole causes the most alarming noise. I have just had three? buckled wheels replaced. All were buckled on the inside with no visible signs of impact. Now how do you buckle three? wheels without causing visible impact damage. It took the Dealer 8 days to obtain the wheels which either means Renault stock control is poor or they cannot keep up with demand.

Key card: sometimes does not work, has been replaced and gets very hot.

Electrical fault: On four occasions the car would not start. The dealer had the car for ten consecutive days and he could not start it either. Eventually I was told it was a "faulty earth".

General Comments:

A good looking, head turning car.

A comfortable quiet ride, with plenty of room for the passengers.

A spectacular array of driver friendly accessories.

Unreliable to the point of being lethal.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th January, 2003

17th Jun 2003, 06:32

About your accelerator failure: I had the same problem with my Renault Clio.

It is a shortcut problem with the wing nut (which should be about next to the gas pedal). You should go to your dealer and have it fixed (it's a matter of 5 minutes).

2002 Renault Laguna Dynamique 19.dci from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Brilliant package

Faults:

Electrical ignition fault has come on twice.

After this has happened, I noticed that it was after refueling, and if I stopped the engine and locked the car, it would remove the problem.

Apparently it's due to a faulty turbo pressure switch that cuts off the turbo, hence the limp home mode.

General Comments:

The new Laguna II is my 5th Laguna, and I have to say that apart from the niggle of the ignition fault, I have had 20K of faultless comfortable driving.

I tow a caravan, and this car has amazing pulling power, which is way above its class, plus the wide track gives it good stability.

The level of trim is impressive, and the half leather helps with the kid's spills and food remains.

I think the other reviews are over the top from people who expect something that's not achievable. Remember this is a Renault costing 17k, not a BMW or AUDI costing 25K, but look it has twice as many extras including. You'd never get half leather, air con, CD, electric sunroof, alloys, spots, and spoiler included on a BMW or Audi.

I also had a pressure sensor light up, but a check of the pressure showed it was over inflated, so a few pounds removed and all was well.

So overall I rate this car very highly. I know it's got a few electrical faults, but the ride, economy, equipment and general ease of use massively outweigh any small faults.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd December, 2002

7th Dec 2002, 17:20

Interesting comment about Audi, BMW etc. However, and this is a very important point, when you spend £19,000 on a new car you do expect the thing to run - and I mean further that 274 miles and it should last for more than 24 hours without braking down. The Vehicle Inspectorate, together with Which Magazine (Consumer's Assoc) are at this moment trying to force Renault to recall the faulty batch of Laguna's. I am now in discussion with the BSI to have Renault UK Ltd's ISO 9002 certificate canceled due to their totally lack of customer care. By the time I've finished with Renault, they'll wish they had stopped importing cars into the UK years ago.