Press Release
Chassis
Driving pleasure
New Laguna has been manufactured with the aim of offering real driving pleasure. Its benchmark performance on the road is first class. The car offers top driving comfort through its fine-tuned chassis and needle-sharp steering. It has an optimal weight distribution with a range of engines and gearboxes which offer high performance while being economical with fuel.
A reactive chassis
Developed to go beyond the dynamic qualities for which its predecessor was recognised, the New Laguna's chassis offers outstanding roadholding around bends. The steering is more sensitive to the touch, while maintaining its suspension quality through its vertical dampening. Renault's engineers have paid particular attention to the exact nature of the trajectory and the roadholding qualities of the car's body.
One characteristic of its turning capability is the specific roll which characterises the turning angle taken by the car vis- à-vis the road. With the New Laguna, it is 1.9° (the segment average is 2.2°) for a transversal acceleration of 5m/s2. This situation corresponds to driving conditions on a winding road or at a roundabout outside of the city with a diameter of 400 m, driven at a speed of 60 km per hour.
The suspension provides a high degree of comfort thanks to the control of high amplitude vertical movements. The adoption of a rear bi-tube dampening system, added to pressurised technology at the front, lessens the shock when driving over obstacles at a moderate speed. When turning, comfort is assured through better restraint of the passengers, thanks in part to a more solid chassis, but also due to more robust seats which ensure more dynamic comfort. Their side restraint enables the passenger to appreciate the car's road-holding qualities even more.
The front axle is the pseudo McPherson type. The diameter of its anti-roll bar has been increased from 19.5 to 24 mm. Light and compact, the supple rear axle is in the form of an H, with anti-roll bars varying in diameter from 28.8 to 30.5 mm. The springs are 20% stiffer at the front and 50% stiffer at the rear, resulting in better control during vertical movements – without the vehicle being too sporty. New Laguna is still astonishingly comfortable, thanks to greatly improved suspension: in association with helicoidal springs of varying ?exibility, the dampeners are pressurised at the front and in the form of bi-tubes at the rear. The reinforcements are situated at the appropriate points in the body, strengthening the body mass and increasing the capacity to withstand impact: in short, impeccable reliability.
Three tyre sizes are available according to the engine size : 16 inches in three widths: (195 and 205/60, as well as 215/55), 17 inches in 215/50 and 18 inches in 225/45, for heightened performance.
Precise steering
The accuracy of the steering is based on a reduced steering ratio and a stiffened steering column, with an aim to offer the driver more driving pleasure through the steering. With a ratio of 1/16e (i.e. A 16° angle of the wheel for a 1° angle of the steering wheel), driving movements are rendered easier and the car becomes more agile. The increased stiffness and the systematic tracking and reduction of clearance give the driver more direct, accurate contact with the road, reducing response time between the steering wheel and the change of direction. The reduction of vibration arising from imperfections on the road surface has improved driving pleasure as a consequence. All the powerful engines or those equipped with particulate filter offer variable hydraulic assistance. As a first for Renault in the segment, New Laguna inaugurates a new h generation of assistance, through the utilisation of a driven electric pump unit (PEG). Available with the main petrol and diesel engines with manual gearbox, it allows the driver to obtain assistance through the use of the electric pump output, in accordance with the driving conditions. This output depends on the speed and the level of assistance required (speed and angle of the steering wheel) which allows an optimal fuel consumption, by driving the pump electrically when necessary. For the 1.6 16v petrol version, there is constant hydraulic steering assistance.
