We don't go in much for comparisons at CARkeys, but since a large proportion of the UK motoring press has been bouncing the important new additions to the Ford and Renault ranges off each other, we may as well join in, even if only briefly.The new Laguna was introduced in this country shortly before the third-generation Mondeo, and the accepted wisdom appears to be that the former briefly held the position of being the best car of its type on the market before the latter came along and knocked it off the pedestal.I'm absolutely in agreement that the Mondeo is a splendid device. At the same time, though, I can't help thinking that there is an in-built media assumption that Ford makes better cars than Renault, and that the Laguna was doomed to being considered second best as soon as its closest rival became available.I think this sells the Laguna short. A week at the wheel of the turbo diesel tested here was enough to persuade me that if you're interested in buying a car of this size, there's nothing about the Renault that makes it in any way an inferior choice, allowing for the usual real-world considerations of personal preference, relationship with your local dealer, and so on.The first Laguna to appear at these offices was the V6 Tourer (estate, really), a car we liked a lot and one which, in its silver paintwork, attracted enormous attention from onlookers who loved the way it looked. The diesel was a hatchback and it came in a subdued shade of dark green, but if anything it was viewed even more favourably by passers-by. If I parked it in town, people would invariably stare at it appreciatively, and when I emerged from the shops or whatever to get back in, there would usually be at least one person standing beside the car, appreciating its unusual yet pleasing lines.At which point it would generally occur to me that whatever Renault is paying Patrick Le Quément and his design team, it's not enough.Looks ain't everything, of course, and it's a delight to discover (especially since the outgoing Laguna was a very clunky, old-fashioned beast by the time it finally went out of production) that this car is just as attractive under the skin. It's well-equipped and comfortable, and although it is not the finest-handling vehicle of its type ever produced, it's more than adequate for the kind of uses an owner might wish to put it to, including some fairly energetic motoring on spectacularly scenic roads.Contributing to this, no doubt, is the fact that either the engine is not as heavy as might be expected of a diesel, or that Renault has done a fine job in disguising its weight. Whichever is the case, it's a very special engine indeed, for two reasons. The first is that it is unbelievably quiet. When I first drove the car I wondered if it was actually a diesel at all, the only real clue being the red line on the revcounter, which is a lot lower than it would be on a car with a petrol engine. There is just no clatter at all, and you have to be pushing on quite hard before the characteristic bass tones give an audible reminder of what fuel is being used.The second reason is that the Laguna can pull astonishingly high gearing. There are six speeds in the gearbox, and the highest of them gives about 35mph per 1000rpm. Clearly, autobahn cruising would not be a problem, but this is also a useable gear in other circumstances - I was able to accelerate up significantly steep hills without having to drop down to fifth. This is not uncommon in similarly-geared German cars with big V6 engines, but the Laguna uses a 1.9-litre four-cylinder! I can happily say that I've never come across such a flexible engine of under two litres, and I reckon this just might be the most impressive feature of the whole Laguna range, if by no means the most obvious one.The keyless entry system is far more widely known, and although it is not confined to this particular car, this is not a bad opportunity to say that I'm very impressed with it, after some initial concerns. Remote control buttons on the bionic credit card lock and unlock the doors, and you put the same card into a dashboard slot to switch on the ignition before firing up the engine, using a button which also serves to turn the power off again at the end of the trip.Those of us who are involved in motor racing are keen on the starter button concept anyway, but overall I felt that the system worked very well. Having since gone back to cars in which you have to fiddle around with silly old keys, I reckon the Laguna is now state-of-the-art in this respect and every other car is a generation behind.I can't quite sum up the whole car in the same way, but the Laguna is undoubtedly one of the most impressive cars I've driven recently, and this particular version is also one of my current favourite diesels.Second opinion: All that and amazingly economical for its overall size, too, because this is a roomy machine, both for passengers and for luggage. The noise levels are about as low as they could be, and the Laguna is an excellent waft-along motorway car as well as a formidable hillclimber, thanks to having as near as dammit 200lb/ft of torque at 2000rpm. At the moment, Renault tends to get more publicity for styling and interior design than it does for engineering, but it's difficult to see any significantly better common-rail turbo diesels on the market. There's a 2.2-litre on the way, but I'd be very happy with the 1.9 dCi, despite the daft lettering Renault uses for these engines. I'm not wildly enthusiastic about the keyless entry system, having once pulled the "card" to bits taking it out of the slot. Fortunately, it all went back together again. That time. Ross Finlay. Engine 1870cc, 4 cylinders Power 120bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 51.3mpg / 146g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 10.7 seconds Top speed 124mph Price £17,050 Details correct at publication date
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