The Review Site - 1997 Renault Laguna 2.2D

Brief summary of the item: 2.2 litre naturally-aspirated diesel engine, 12 valve.
5 door hatchback with remote central locking, steering wheel controls for stereo, electric windows all round.
Good Points: Nice interior, lots of space and nice colours.
Nice electrics, lots of toys - and a sunglasses holder!
Good looking car from the outside,
Professional feel to driveability.
Bad Points: Poor engine.
very thirsty yet still underpowered.
Expensive maintenance cost, known for gearbox failure after 100k miles and dash lighting failing.
Terribile visibility.
General Comments: Don't buy one. I always wanted a Laguna and thought I'd found a nice one, until i saw it in daylight the next morning. I'd already realised I'd bought a dog though, as the gearbox was rattling and popping out of 5th before I'd even gone 20 miles in it.
I should have returned it to the seller immediately, but like an idiot I took the hit and had the gearbox rebuilt. That worked fine for 6 months, but then the cam belt snapped and destroyed all 12 valve stems amongst other things.
I found it generally rather slow. A turbo might have helped but that would have cost even more fuel, and I refuse to believe it'd do more than 40mpg. My little diesel Clio did 60mpg no problem. The handling was boring although nice and predictable and the visibility extremely bad - I did shunt a builder's Rover parked behind me once, I couldn't even see it in the rearview!
All in all, the ICE is excellent and the interior very comfy, especially for passengers. But, if you want to buy a driver's car, a Laguna is not for you.