RENAULT has set itself a tough target - becoming one of the top three brands for product and service quality by 2009. The French car maker is determined to snap at the heels of Volkswagen and Honda, and its alliance with Nissan is already paying off.

Leading the way in this move upmarket is the new Laguna. The previous model was already ranked as one of the best cars in its class for reliability, having performed an impressive reversal of fortunes since the first phase of the car was launched seven years ago.

Working on that sound base, designers and engineers set to work to improve the quality of the car, starting by carrying out 9,000 customer interviews across Europe to discover precisely what people wanted.

As a result, everything has been upgraded, from the well-fitted and smartly-finished interior materials, down to the precision engineered clunk' of the doors.

To be sure that it could offer a 100,000-mile warranty, instead of the average 60,000 miles, 120 pre-production Lagunas were subjected to the equivalent of almost four million miles of driving through some of the world's harshest climates, including the severe humidity and tricky urban driving conditions of Malaysia to the extreme cold and snow of Russia.

Those tough tests led to improvements in the soundproofing, to prevent engine and road noise filtering into the cabin, and a new quieter air conditioning system, developed in conjunction with Nissan.

All this effort has clearly paid off, with the sweeping dashboard and interior having an altogether more Germanically-solid feel than any previous Laguna. That dependable feel is evident in the fluid handling and comfortable, stable ride. In turn, that feeling of stability is backed up by the Laguna building on its predecessor's achievement of becoming the first car to score a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

Renault says its latest-generation protection equipment, using up to eight airbags, is triggered even faster and warning lights signal if any of the five seatbelts are not fastened.

The glass area on the capacious Sport Tourer is large and the pillars have been positioned to improve visibility.

There is a heap of technology on board, from cruise control, speed limiter, navigation system, and voice- or fingertip-controlled Bluetooth telephone equipment, and all the main systems are controlled through a selection of buttons and a twistable knob between the front seats. This takes a little getting used to, but once you have mastered it, it is easy to manage everything without taking your eyes off the road.

Auto facts Renault Laguna Sport Tourer Dynamique 2.0 dCi

  • Price: £19,350
  • Ins group: Nine
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 46.3mpg
  • Top speed: 131mph
  • Length: 480.1cm/189in
  • Width: 181.1cm/71.3in
  • Luggage capacity: 17.7 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 14.5 gallons/66 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 160g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/100,000 miles