Sport Tourer puts Renault on map

Soft-touch materials compliment an attractive dash design, while slick switchgear and a solid assembly add to the newly gained up-market feel that has eluded the French firm for many years.

And Renault has raised the bar further with this range-topping Sport Tourer GT. Getting behind the wheel reveals excellent visibility that helps you to over-look the Sports Tourer's generous size. And even the tallest of drivers can get comfortable, with the steering wheel moving for reach and rake and the seat featuring a raft of adjustments.

But the cabin is not an intuitive place to be, as the vast array of buttons and dials on the indicator and wiper stalks are only marginally less confusing than the challenging sat-nav controls. And at night, there's no illumination on the steering wheel buttons, which means resorting to Braille to guess the functions.

Renault has opted for a multimedia controller in the centre console, which uses a rotary dial that can be pushed about like a joystick, surrounded by an array of buttons. The joystick is small and fiddly to use, and the system takes time to master.

On the plus-side, space is good wherever you sit, with the sloping roof not eating into too much headroom for those sat at the back. However, the sloped tailgate means boot space is eroded if you want to fill the Laguna to the gunwhales.

Though the rear seats can be folded at the push of a button and without the need to remove the headrests, which is a system that many car makers could learn from.

It's bristling with gadgets and gizmos, such as the keycard system to gain entry and start the engine. The automatic handbrake - which engages when you stop and then releases as it feels you take up the drive on the clutch - is a particularly neat touch and avoids the need for a bulky lever that eats into cabin storage space.

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