Trader Dreamer: Renault Laguna Initiale 2.0 dCi

Who doesn’t like toys to play with? Maybe I’m just childish, but there’s something appealing about having a large amount of technology to play with. Why else do people buy an S-class? Many reasons probably, but ignoring the other ones, let me bestow some specs upon you; auto lights, auto wipers, electrically adjustable heated leather seats, auto dimming rear view mirror, xenon headlights, dual zone climate control, 6 CD multichanger, parking sensors, Bluetooth prepared sat nav, Insurance group 11, 150 bhp, 48.7mpg. Sounds good doesn’t it? It sounds so much better when you find all this could be yours for £2,850?

 

Photo from Charles-Emmanuel

Too good to be true?  Well it isn’t, the Renault Laguna has all this and more, specifically the Laguna 2.0 dCi Initiale. There are many models in the Laguna II range (produced 00-08), including the impressively named ‘Extreme’ and ‘Dynamique Techno’, all of which merit invistagation. The Initiale 2.0 dCi takes precedence in my eyes because it maxes out all of the Laguna’s qualities; it’s still cheap to buy and run, but packs the most toys. The diesel engine provides very reasonable pace too (0-60 in 8.6 seconds). The earlier 2.2 dCi is easier to find and packs the same 150bhp, however it’s greater weight delivers lower performance and economy figures. Supposedly a 175bhp 2.0 dCi also exists, but the 150 is already hard enough to find.

A very capable chassis backs up the decent pace, it offers plently grip, resists roll, and rides well, only numb steering puts it behind its main rival, the Mondeo. However that car lacks a certain French charm that the Laguna has. The styling takes inspiration from the 1995 Renault Initiale concept, which also influenced the Vel Satis. Nice little touches set it apart from the straight-laced German competition. Initiale specification brings the delightful wood trim with square inlays from the Vel Satis, to further remind you that what you are driving something that is not the German norm. There's no lack of quality though, the dash top is pleasingly soft touch, and everything operates in solid fashion.

You wouldn't find a font like that in a German car.

 Photo from Charles-Emmanuel

It’s got a solid crash safety result too; 5 stars from Euro NCAP make the car a safe place to be. Less solid is the Laguna’s reputation for reliability. This tarnished reputation stems largely from dodgy electronics, with the earlier cars being especially problematic. The 2.0 dCi this article focus’ on is one of the final cars, and thus much of the early patchiness should have been resolved. Tyre pressure monitors can throw errors after having had wheels switched during tyre changes. A Renault dealer will charge £45 to reset them, or you can choose to tolerate the error messages. The car is also said to be especially hard on its front tyres, so expect to replace them slightly more often. Electric windows are supposedly prone to failure, however this can often be fixed by doing a memory reset (search online), which costs nothing and is very simple to do at home. The car also features a key card, rather than a traditional key, these can break due to poor soldering inside. Check that cars have both sets of key cards, and that they both work, I replacement is £140 and can only be obtained from a Renault dealer.

Just make sure everything functions as it should, there’s plenty to try out in the process! Also looks for decent service history and receipts and you should have many miles of comfy capable motoring ahead of you.

Here’s some I found

Here's the headline car, with its £2,850 price tag. As well as the extensive list of standard equipment the car also comes with a full service history, tax and ticket. It even has a relatively low mileage of 98k, assuming it all checks out, this car is a real bargain for someone.


Prefer cream leather? This car offers it for a mere £3,195. It also has a acceptable mileage of 93k, full service history, tax and ticket. Blue interior lighting, and a 'sportline' badge are hardly choice modifications, but car still looks tidy and worth investigation. 


How about an estate? The only one in this specification currently available is a low mileage 2007 model, as such it will set you back £6,750. That means that you'll still have some depreciation to suffer, but the car does look very new and offers no shortage of practicality.

Specifications

0-60 8.6 seconds
0-100 n/a

Top Speed 134 mph
Power 150 bhp
Torque 251 lb/ft
Weight 1420 kg
Insurance Group 11
MPG 48.7

Warranty Direct Reliability Index 126
How Many Left 1638 (Some of which will be Laguna III)