Most car enthusiasts are also 007 fans and when I was a wee lad, all I wanted to do was to become 007 someday driving an Aston Martin like Connery and ‘whacking’ bad guys and not have my suit and hair ruffled and continue driving my Aston right after with the hot chick on my side. As we get older, I am sure many of you reading this have continued to fuel the 007 franchisee by purchasing model cars and watching the movies but trust me the use of BMW’s and Ford’s have never made quite an impact until Craig entered the scene with the latest Aston, brief it may have been but the few minutes, the car did what it was supposed to do, get us all excited about the brand once again. Now most of us will never smell the leather inside an Aston or even touch the wax outer coating since its asking price buys a Bungalow in Sungei Buloh. All this has changed recently when TC Eurokars launched the Laguna Coupe, which by no means is an Aston, but one look, maybe even a 2nd and 3rd will have you admiring its lines starting from the rear and making its way to open gaping mouth in front.
Could this car look any more right? Renault designers clearly understood that showroom appeal today is even bigger than ever before and Malaysians do not buy a coupe for practicality. They buy it for looks and style and here is where this Laguna shines. The design integrates and harmonizes to look like a proper sports car.
Inside you get a cabin that is simple and functional. The metallic strip that runs along the dash is the only OTT piece. The rest is a somber gray on gray and we feel that this is the only letdown inside the cabin. A brown leather trim with baseball stitch would have given it’s a more LV feel.
Instruments are simple and easy to learn and the BOSE entertainment system is great. Cabin sound quality is superb. Front electric seats are comfy and rear seats are equally comfy with hip and head room for adults. Access to the rear is easy enough for a GT coupe.
The Laguna Coupe delivers on the open road as it takes to the pavement with little feedback to passengers, absorbing all the inadequacies of our roads. It dives very little under hard braking, squats very little under hard acceleration, and offers more neutral handling characteristics than most front-drive coupes. The steering provides excellent steering control over bumpy roads and added traction and safety when cornering on slippery roads. The wide and slim 18 tires offer plenty of grip and very little tire noise even when we reached 180km/h. The Laguna’s handling in the curves is also commendable. The 2-liter Turbo is surprisingly enthusiastic as it provides very good midrange response, but under hard acceleration there is some turbo lag. Its engine note when on the boil is also a little disappointing offering no excitement which should have been provided for in a car looking this good.
Golfers will have no issue as with the rear seats folded, 2 full sized bags and golf buddies will travel is style to the club. Then there is keyless go, auto wipers and headlamps and the high 5 star safety rating to add in. Now comes the interesting part. With the Aston costing in excess of RM1million, this Laguna Coupe is a steal at just below RM260,000.
Renault Laguna Coupe Specifications
Engine: 4-cylinder Turbo
Displacement: 1998cc
Max power: 170bhp @ 5000rpm
Max torque: 270Nm @ 3250rpm
0-100km/h: 9.2secs
Top Speed: 220 km/h Transmission: 6-Speed Auto
Price: RM258,829.89
