Renault Laguna... hatch or sedan?

[jeffgoddin]

I know it says it's a 5 door hatch (better called liftback) but it's so much longer and heavier than any other hatch that it feels more like a sedan. What do you say?

Nice 3.0L V6, by the way (even though the spec sheet calls it an I4). Again more suggestive of sedan.

 

[tankuroded]

Semms sedanish:

BTW, this should be in Cars in General subforum.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

I might be mistaken, but I think the correct term is 'Fastback'.

Don't count me on this though, I'm not an expert on body shape terminology and their hopelessly blurry definitions.

Famine, your assistance is required

 

[Ingram]

The Laguna is a hatchback/liftback, depends on where you're from I guess! An example of a 'Fastback' would be the Porsche Panamera, but it doesn't necessarily need to have a boot which provides direct access to the cabin.

You say it is heavier than most hatches, which are you comparing it to? Size-wise it is comparable to sedans like the Peugeot 406/Honda Accord.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Ah okay. Thanks for that clarification 👍

 

[tankuroded]

I might be mistaken, but I think the correct term is 'Fastback'.

Don't count me on this though, I'm not an expert on body shape terminology and their hopelessly blurry definitions.

Famine, your assistance is required

Correcting my mistake: Is a sedanish hatchback a fastback?

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

Stay away from Renaults. They're bound to have problems, and even the steering wheel isn't properly positioned. It's off center.. And the clutch pedal is more like on-off switch, there's no low down torque whatsoever which means that you WILL stall unless you rev it to 3k or more before lifting the clutch pedal sllloooowwlllyyy.. The brake assist kicks in too heavily, making the stopping just as tricky as taking off from standstill.

 

[Finnish Bomber]

Stay away from Renaults. They're bound to have problems, and even the steering wheel isn't properly positioned. It's off center.. And the clutch pedal is more like on-off switch, there's no low down torque whatsoever which means that you WILL stall unless you rev it to 3k or more before lifting the clutch pedal sllloooowwlllyyy.. The brake assist kicks in too heavily, making the stopping just as tricky as taking off from standstill.

I have one, it's the 2.0l model. Nothing you say is true

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

You're just lucky.

 

[Scaff]

I have one, it's the 2.0l model. Nothing you say is true

I worked with them for just under eight years, during which I drove hundreds of the damn things, right across the passenger car and light commercial range.

I'm more than willing to state that while they have some issues (and every manufacturer does), quite a bit of exaggeration is going on in Leonidae@MFT's post.


Scaff

 

[jeffgoddin]

It's my understanding that hatch refers to a door which opens more out than up, and lift is more up than out.

And yes, tankuroded, I can see from the replies how this could have been better posted in the cars in general forum... but it was looking over the cars in GT2 that got me wondering.

Laguna has a stock wt of 1470kg, while the other hatches are all much lighter, especially the FF's. 4WD's will understandably carry a little extra weight. The S3 is 1375kg, next 323ti at 1330kg, Clio sport at 1250kg, Golf GTI 1.8T at 1236kg, and on down from there, with most falling between 1160kg and 900kg.

In terms of length, the Laguna is over 4500mm, while the closest hatch is the 323ti at 4210, Civic Type R at 4185, and most between 4000 and 3600.

Also, almost all hatches are I4's with 2.0L or less.

So, I'm hearing technically hatch but more sedan in spirit, so I'll compare it there.

 

[Scaff]

It's my understanding that hatch refers to a door which opens more out than up, and lift is more up than out.

And yes, tankuroded, I can see from the replies how this could have been better posted in the cars in general forum... but it was looking over the cars in GT2 that got me wondering.

Laguna has a stock wt of 1470kg, while the other hatches are all much lighter, especially the FF's. 4WD's will understandably carry a little extra weight. The S3 is 1375kg, next 323ti at 1330kg, Clio sport at 1250kg, Golf GTI 1.8T at 1236kg, and on down from there, with most falling between 1160kg and 900kg.

In terms of length, the Laguna is over 4500mm, while the closest hatch is the 323ti at 4210, Civic Type R at 4185, and most between 4000 and 3600.

Also, almost all hatches are I4's with 2.0L or less.

So, I'm hearing technically hatch but more sedan in spirit, so I'll compare it there.

Oh its a hatch, I managed the UK product launch training for two generations of Laguna.

I think what causing a bit of confusion is that you are used to US market hatchbacks, which then to be traditionally no bigger than a Civic or Golf.

European hatches can be much bigger, and the Laguna sits in the same segment as the VW Passat, Pug 406, Ford Mondeo, etc. For which its size and weight are all perfectly normal.

The V6 fitted to the Laguna was actually a piece of crap, being far to underpowered and heavy for its own good. The 2.0i 16v was a much better bet in them (and would have been a better one in GT2 as the RM version turned the car into the BTCC race car which was a 2.0i 16v).

The best thing that V6 ever did was end up (after a lot of changes) in the Clio V6.

You are however right that most hatches tend to had 4 cylinder engines (even at this size), however almost all manufacturer had a range topping V6 at this segment.


Regards

Scaff

 

[jeffgoddin]

I might be mistaken, but I think the correct term is 'Fastback'.

And fastback is like the 240Z or '83 RX-7, it means the rear glass slopes straight from the roof to the end of the car (I think this is right...)

 

[AlexGTV]

Stay away from Renaults. They're bound to have problems, and even the steering wheel isn't properly positioned. It's off center.. And the clutch pedal is more like on-off switch, there's no low down torque whatsoever which means that you WILL stall unless you rev it to 3k or more before lifting the clutch pedal sllloooowwlllyyy.. The brake assist kicks in too heavily, making the stopping just as tricky as taking off from standstill.

Yikes.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

I worked with them for just under eight years, during which I drove hundreds of the damn things, right across the passenger car and light commercial range.

I'm more than willing to state that while they have some issues (and every manufacturer does), quite a bit of exaggeration is going on in Leonidae@MFT's post.


Scaff

Each to their own. We have two Lagunas as company cars and I'm basing my statement on my experience with those. While the older one is somewhat reasonable to live with, the one with keycard ignition is more trouble than what it's worth was when our boss purchased it.

 

[homeforsummer]

Each to their own. We have two Lagunas as company cars and I'm basing my statement on my experience with those. While the older one is somewhat reasonable to live with, the one with keycard ignition is more trouble than what it's worth was when our boss purchased it.

My dad had one. Not very reliable, but far from being a bad car in other areas.

 

[YSSMAN]

I think what causing a bit of confusion is that you are used to US market hatchbacks, which then to be traditionally no bigger than a Civic or Golf.

Pretty much. The last "big" hatchback we had here in the US that was not a wagon came from Mazda...