Renault Laguna Sport Tourer 2.0 dCi 175 Dynamique S (2008) CAR review

Renault’s new Laguna hasn’t impressed us yet. Purposively conservative looks, a slightly cramped interior, and a drive that can’t touch that of the Mondeo all count against it. But maybe the Sport Tourer (nee estate) can do better. It’s clearly a ‘lifestyle’ car with a steeply raked almost hatchback like rear window. But to these eyes it’s definitely smarter to look at than the saloon.

So is that all the Sport Tourer is?

Yup. It’s a Laguna estate by another name. The result is a load bay that’s smaller than its rivals: seats up the boot will hold 501 litres to a Mondeo’s 542, and with the seats down the Mondeo bests the Renault’s 1593 litres by a whole 140. But the space you do get is quite usable with no intrusion from the wheel arches and a low lip for loading. The parcel shelf retracts when you tap it, but the release mechanism isn’t the sturdiest bit of kit we’ve ever come across. However it’s a neat idea to have the shelf slotting into the space beneath the boot floor when it’s not needed. The rear seats collapse flat at the push of a button and it’s even handier that there’s sufficient leg room to do it without retracting the head restraints.

Is the boot the only difference between it and the hatch?

Basically, yes. It’s identical to the hatch from the nose to the B pillar, though the more substantial rear end actually helps the side profile by balancing out the beaky front end. Sadly the profile isn’t where the Laguna is most wanting in the looks department. That’s reserved for the headlights which remain oversized and awkward. It’s a shame because the Laguna Sport Tourer has many decent attributes. While we couldn’t get it to unlock automatically the standard keyless start worked very well and locked the car as we walked away, even if the accompanying horn tone is reminiscent of remote locking early Nineties style.