RENAULT reckons this third-generation Laguna has been designed and engineered to be its flagship car.

It also represents the company's renewed commitment to quality. Bosses reckon it has what's required to be placed in the top three in the large family cars class.

It's a shame then that the French giant has apparently chosen this moment to abandon its commitment to excitement and avant garde design.

For a car company with such a great track record of cutting edge designs (think Vel Satis, Espace, Avantime and Megane) the Laguna looks a bit frumpy. It reminded me of the old fifth generation Honda Prelude circa 1997, particularly at the front.

There's nothing offensive about the Laguna's shape but it fails to turn heads in the way I've come to expect of a new Renault.

This is, apparently, a deliberate ploy.

Boss Carlos Ghosn vetoed a more radical shape because he feared it would strike fear into the hearts of fleet buyers - a notoriously conservative bunch.

The result is a design that could just as easily have come from South Korea as the south of France.

Still, Renault has lavished more than a billion euros on this latest Laguna.

Underneath there's still a touch of the outgoing Laguna but the chassis is stiffer (although by how much Renault isn't saying), the suspension sportier and, despite being both longer and wider, it is an average of 15kg lighter than its predecessor.

As a mark of its confidence this will be the first Renault to come with a three-year, 100,000-mile warranty as standard.

That's great, but if my experience is anything to go by then the claims department could be in for a busy time.

The first test car didn't make it out of the Northern Echo's car park. It was delivered with a defunct electric seat adjuster. Embarrassingly, I couldn't move the seat squab far enough forward to actually reach the pedals. At least I can say for certain there's plenty of legroom, especially in the front.

The second tester arrived with a strange malady - the petrol filler cap would sometimes spring open with a mind of its own.

There were other niggles, too. I'm a staunch critic of so-called automatic' windscreen wiper systems beloved of many car makers these days. In my experience they can't differentiate between light rain and bone dry. But the Laguna's wipers didn't work at all - even in a moderately heavy downpour.

I fiddled and adjusted the sensor's sensitivity but it made no difference.

The keyless unlocking feature also operated sporadically. Sometimes the doors would spring open on cue; other times I nearly wrenched my arm off as I tugged on a locked door.

Some of the ladies in the office commented that the credit card-sized key' would be too large for a purse - it was certainly too big for my wallet so I had to remember to slip it into my jacket pocket.

The cabin is all-new and has been redesigned with better visibility and ease of use in mind.

Overall, the re-design has been a success, although the use of silver plastic on the centre console looks like something you'd find on a 1980s Alba music centre.

The test car was fitted with optional 3-D satellite navigation controlled via a BMW i- Drive-style interface which uses a dial and buttons on the console.

This works well. Programming new destinations is a simple matter with clear instructions and a well-designed front end. The CD audio system is needlessly complex, however.

When they work, the seats are comfortable and easy to adjust. The driving position is fine, with good forward visibility, although the rear window is slightly narrower than is usual these days thanks to the body's rising tail.

Renault's 2.0 Dci engine is a peach of a diesel that's very much at home beneath the Laguna's bonnet.

It cruises very quietly on the motorway when it sips fuel at the rate of about 42mpg - not a bad return for a big un.

There's precious little poke below 1,500rpm, though, so you need to keep it on the boil, particularly around town, where it's possible to get caught out exiting junctions and joining roundabouts.

The six-speed gearbox lacks the precision you'd expect of, say, the Ford Mondeo or a Mazda 6, and the gear lever flaps around disconcertingly.

The second-generation Laguna was the first family car to win a fivestar NCAP crash test rating and this new model is even better.

In addition to the usual air-baggery, Renault is particularly proud of the powerful brakes (I concur) and its directional bi-xenon headlamps, which offer 90 per cent greater illumination through a sweeping bend.

A tyre pressure monitor is available as an option throughout the range. Service intervals have been extended, too.

The diesel engine can now go 18,000 miles between oil changes and components like spark plugs and filters have been designed for longevity.

The new Laguna underwent a more demanding test process than any Renault before it.

Has that testing resulted in a winner or a lemon? Niggling problems coloured my option of the Laguna early in the test.

By the end, I'd come to forgive many of its foibles as the car's strengths came to the fore.

Fleet managers will like the lowered running costs, drivers will enjoy the refinement and comfortable cabin.

This still isn't enough to make the Laguna a better driver's car than a Mondeo - or even a VW Passat - but drivers looking for a pleasant car for comfortable motorway cruising could do a lot worse.

SPECIFICATION

Engine: 2.0-litre turbodiesel with variable vane turbocharger
Max power: 150bhp
0-62mph: 9.5 seconds
Top speed: 124mph
Emissions: 158 grams CO2/km
Fuel consumption: 47.1mpg (combined)
Equipment: Electric windows, automatic wipers, CD, radio alloy wheels, leather steering wheel with remote audio controls, Renault card keyless entry, heated door mirrors, part-leather electrically adjustable seats, six airbags, Thatcham approved cat 1 alarm system.

2:56pm Wednesday 14th May 2008

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