Renault Laguna GT: In Detail

Press Release

Distinctive GT styling

With its distinctive streamlined profile, Renault Laguna GT expresses an elegance that goes much further than sporting aptitude alone. The long plunging bonnet terminates in a highly assertive front-end with a radiator grille characteristic of the most powerful Renaults. Purposeful- looking lateral air-intakes suggest an insatiable appetite for the open road, corroborated by the wise gaze of the headlamps against the neat black background. Renault Laguna GT is fitted with generously sized 225/45 18-inch special high performance Bridgestone Potenza tyres, a Formula One spin-off, mounted on special Celsium wheels. The highly efficacious braking system uses 320mm diameter discs at the front and 300mm discs at the rear. Aerodynamic sills reflect the promise of the Active Drive chassis extend from the front of the car to the characteristic straight-section twin tailpipe at the rear. Sports tourer attributes run through to every last detail, such as the gloss black wing mirrors and smoked rear lamp units.

Sports interior

As well as appearing on the outside centre pillar, the exclusive GT logo is also embossed on the light grey alcantara of the front seatbacks. As on all Renault Laguna models, the interior design exudes a most impressive sense of comfort and quality, in all seats. Sports design details abound, highlighting the exclusive capacities of the GT version: special three-spoke leather sports steering wheel with grey stitching, cross-drilled aluminium pedal, sports gearshift lever knob, dark charcoal Riviera leather upholstery with reinforced lateral support. Extreme attention has been paid to materials and finish, true to the car’s unwavering commitment to pure motoring pleasure.

Equipments and technology

The Renault Laguna GT range starts with the Dynamique equipment level and features a long list of top-end equipment selected to favour travelling comfort, including a three-mode (Soft/Auto/Fast) dual-zone automatic climate control system complete with toxicity sensor and automatic air recycling. Driving comfort is enhanced by the availability of parking brake assist, cruise control with speed limiter and automatic headlamp and wiper activation, while acoustic comfort was dialled into the model from a very early phase in its development thanks to features that have made Renault Laguna a benchmark in this area, too. Nothing has been left to chance on the active and passive safety fronts either. Renault Laguna and the GT version particularly excel in terms of their active safety performance as demonstrated by the latest EuroNCAP test results. Its principal innovation concerns improved side impact protection thanks to a twin impact sensor system and new-generation double thorax/groin airbags.

The affordable overall equipment and performance package of this flagship version sets it apart on the sports saloon marketplace and ensures the ultimate in reassuring driving pleasure.

Advanced technology for an unforgettable ride

Four-wheel steering systems of the 1980s were essentially mechanical, with the front and rear wheels linked and pre-determined angles aimed at making up for shortcomings in the vehicle's handling (e.g. a tendency to understeer). Such systems were gradually superseded by the advent of ESP. Meanwhile, towards the end of the 1990s, carmakers like Nissan were beginning to develop solutions based on electrically- and even hydraulically-operated activators with a view to taking the dynamic performance of their vehicles forward. Electronic control of the rear wheels has enabled handling to be fine-tuned even further, notably in the case of rear-wheel drive vehicles.

The Active Drive system builds on this approach by ensuring a more dynamic and more reactive response to make the absolute most of the inherent qualities of Renault Laguna GT's remarkable chassis and consequently deliver even greater driving enjoyment. In addition to the complex modelling of the vehicle's handling, real-time response to the driver's instructions (every 10ms) and its ability to adapt to different conditions, New Laguna GT's Active Drive four-wheel steering system means that active safety systems are only required as a very last resort, which means drivers benefit from more efficient and even more reassuring reactions when faced with an unexpected driving situation.

LAGUNA GT ENGINE