2003 Renault Laguna expression from UK and Ireland - Comments

Excessive fuel consumption.

This car retains all the things I liked about the previous model, for example: comfort, handling, safety, but falls down on cost of ownership due to high fuel consumption.

This is not my first encounter with Diesel cars, I have owned two Vauxhall Vectra 1.9 Diesels, and without any special effort I was able to obtain MPG figures of between 48 and 52 depending on type of journeys. I chose the Laguna partly because I was very happy with my earlier petrol model, and also because all the test data indicated that the Diesel model was very fuel efficient. It is with great regret that I have to report that this car does not deliver anywhere near the figures quoted in the tests. I waited until I had done 5000 miles before contacting the dealer in case things improved as the engine freed up but to no avail.

I appreciate that fuel consumption figures can be subjective based on the mix of urban to motorway driving, so I have based my complaint on a worst case scenario. The worst figure that is quoted in the brochures, for Urban cycle is 38MPG. I recently did 300 miles which was all urban except for 30 miles on the motorway and I clocked 33.6 MPG, which I will round up to 34MPG because I know from taking my own measurements that the computer readout is around 1MPG low on a tankfull. By any standard this is not good , especially as I consistently got around 36MPG in my old petrol Laguna. On my usual mix of journeys I am obtaining around 45MPG whilst driving in what I consider to be a fuel efficient mode.

I had a diagnostic check done at my local Renault dealer and they ran all the computerised tests and gave it a clean bill of health.

Conclusion....if you are considering a Laguna Diesel based on the test data in the Renault blurb, beware! When all is said and done ..what is a Diesel any good for if it cannot deliver 50MPG?

I totally agree!

I also have the Laguna 1.9dci, but am unable to get any better than 35mpg, I have previously owned a Passat and a Cavalier Tdi both of which averaged 45- 48mpg, the dealer refuses to accept anything is wrong and overall the car has been a nightmare and now my friends insist on going in another car rather than mine as it keeps breaking down...

I am interested in your comments as my 3 month old Laguna 1.9dCi also is giving about 36 mpg on a combined route and at the best 44 mpg on a motorway run (computer figures) Completely unacceptable in my view having being previously used to VAG products and having made my selection based on the published figures which show the 1.9dCi as similar to the 1.9 Tdi Passat. I also noted in Diesel cat this month a Megane test with a similar figure.

Anybody else out there with the same view?

I agree with the comments regarding fuel consumption. I also run a VW MK4 Golf diesel that returns 60mpg+. The Laguna gives 40 to 42mpg on long motorway runs at between 60 to 70 mph using the cruise control. I have also a bad squeak/rattle from the dashboard, this has been solved by the dealer (Mill Lane Renault, Aldershot). This is my 5th Laguna so they are doing most things right.

Regards

Barry Street.

Well sorry to disapoint you all, but Iv'e had my Laguna 1.9dci from New Feb 02, and have had exceptional consumption, I often go away for weekend with the kids and return 55+ mpg on a 250 round trip, in fact the lowest average consumption I've ever had was 42 mpg when I didn't do any motorway driving.

I do however believe it has a lot to do with the way the engine is driven, as when my wife gets hold of it and rev's it like a petrol the consumption drops below 40, the tip is change gear at just over 2000rpm, it's got so much low down torque you don't need to rev it, unless of course you've got a heavy right foot!...

From my understanding, the Renault 1.9 dCI unit really doesn't like urban driving, and the economy falls massively because of that. Out on the open road (keeping below 2-2500 revs), this engine will do pretty well.

It's the same in the Megane too. In that car, the 1.5 dCI does *much* better around town for economy, but on the open road there's little between that and the 1.9.

The fuel consumption is very disappointing for a 1.9 diesel. I drive 75 miles a day to and from work of which 70 miles is motorway. Cruise control is set at 77 mph and I'm lucky to get 43 mpg. My last car was a 1.9 Passat, which did 50 mpg. With a 6th gear and therefore lower revs than the VW it doesn't make any sense. I also suffer rattles from the dashboard, which are very irritating. These two gripes aside, it's very comfortable good-looking car, with a great head rest (which you can actually rest your head on).

My 1.9 DCi Tourer has consistentley dissapointed me with its fuel economy. Only 'very' steady M-Way use can bring it close to 45 MPG. With the aircon on and in a hurry- 1 up with no load this can easily drop to 36-38 MPG. My previous 406 with 10 less bhp and a 5 speed box knocked spots of this. The 6 speed box seems to do nothing to help the economy.

Totally agree, the only way I can get anywhere near what I would expect to get is to drive at idle speed in third gear or to reset the trip computer while crusing on the motorway, otherwise the best I can get is 33-38 around town (38 by freewheeling down every hill in sight) or 42-48 on the motorway.

The power form the DCi is quite impressive (120bhp from the 1.9dci or better still 150bhp chipped!)

Renault Laguna, 53 plate 1.9 DCi.

Dear all.

My wife and I run two French Made full sizes cars, the Renault and my C5 2.0 HDi. (I also have my Cousins 1.8 Mondeo while he works in the middle East.)

Fuel economy as previously mentioned by another respondent is so dependent on how you use the gear box and the torque from the engine.

As most Diesel cars produce their peak torque at around 2000 rpm, that is where the best fuel economy is available.

I change up at 2100 and use all six gears in both cars and average 48 mpg in mixed motoring (I live in London) and on a recent 1200 mile trip to Italy in the Laguna averaged 54 mpg. My Petrol engined Mondeo, with it's peak torque at 4000 rpm will max out at 38 mpg, but I usually get around 33 mpg. I do around 15-20,000 miles which means I am much better off in a Diesel.

However, the Citroen is slightly better than the Renault overall. I would add that the juicy torque build up from beth engines is quite satisfying on the open road between 2500 and 3500 rpm, which if used and enjoyed drops the fuel economy down to the mid to low thirties.

Drive it like your heart says so and enjoy that glorious turbo surge, or do as your head and the physics dictate and keep it below 2200 revs and enjoy the efficiency. Try it!

I don't think the fuel economy problem is down to how people are driving the Lagunas. These is blatantly an engine management problem. I drive various company pool cars. In the VW's or Peugeots on the motorway with cruise on at 70mph I see 50-60mpg average depending on the car. In our Laguna I have NEVER had more than 45mpg with the cruise on at 70mpg, so how can they say the combined mpg is 50? Also I find that there is much much much less low down torque then any of the other diesels we have. The Laguna seems to struggle up to about 2000rpm then it will rocket off above that. The VW's are very good as they pull really hard from idle, so you can change gear in them at just over 1500rpm without labouring the engine.