2002 Renault Laguna Authentique (Estate) review from Australia and New Zealand

Honestly, nothing has gone wrong with the car. It has been fantastic!

I purchased this car as it was an

ex-demo at a fantastic price.

The vehicle had already traveled 11,700km, but was in excellent condition.

Not a single thing has gone wrong so far and it drives like new.

It certainly has the looks to get a few stares when you're driving around town.

Performance is fantastic. It has a 3.0 V6 but has the same power as a Holden Commodore, but roars like a V8 when you put your foot down to the floor.

The interior materials are of the highest quality and they look it, too.

The Axis fabric on the seats is hard wearing and it is very easy to clean.

Although the radio is standard, it can produce the purest sound and the bass and treble can be easily adjusted. But wait...there's more! It also features a special service that allows you to tune into the latest news and traffic information around your country.

One thing I was pleased about were the radio controls fitted to the steering column, not the actual wheel itself.

The brakes are sensitive, very sensitive, but you get used to them after a while, and that's good just in case of an emergency stop.

You know you're in a safe car and you can feel it as soon as you start driving it. It has six airbags and plenty of other safety features to keep you on the road under almost any weather conditions.

There are also several other features that surprise you including adjustable headlights, illuminated vanity mirrors and one particular one that I just love - the ignition system.

Instead of your ordinary key with two or three large buttons, you are given a credit card sized Renault Card which has two buttons for locking and unlocking the vehicle.

It is only about three millimeters thick and is simply inserted into a slot in the dashboard. After that, just press the start/stop button and you're on your way.

I took the vehicle to our local Renault dealer for a service and they couldn't have been more pleasant.

The whole car was checked for problems and everything turned out fine. We were even asked if we would like a lift to the local shopping center in the courtesy car until our car was ready to be picked up. Fantastic service all round.

Overall, the Laguna is an absolutely wonderful vehicle in every aspect.