The Renault Laguna Coupe might not be the sportiest of sports coupes but if it's refinement, build quality, safety and practicality you're after, it's one of the very best. The car looks the part too, which in this style-conscious area of the market, is more than half the battle.

Striking cars have long been part of the Renault repertoire but the marque has had its fingers burned on more than one occasion after putting faith in avant-garde creations that ultimately failed to take off. As a result, the French company is more aware than most of the fine line that exists between wowing the public with an innovatively styled vehicle and alienating prospective customers with a product that looks a bit odd. More recently, it appeared that the conservative approach was winning out at Renault. Cars like the Laguna and Koleos compact 4x4 made strides in terms of interior quality but looked as though their designers had penned the bodywork from the end of a rather tight leash. With the Laguna Coupe, however, some of the old sparkle is back. Is this the car to usher in a new era of ravishing Renaults?

Big coupes aren't exactly 'where it's at' in the UK automotive market at present. The sector where the Laguna Coupe competes has looked healthier in terms of sales and this is even more emphatically the case if we make the distinction between cars like the three-door Laguna and prestige models such as Audi's A5 and BMW's 3-Series Coupe. The list of large non-premium coupes that will constitute this Laguna's direct rivals runs to the Peugeot 407 Coupe, the Volkswagen Passat CC and very few others. Renault's top brass will tell us that their's is the car to reinvigorate the sector.

Two petrol engines and a trio of diesels make up the Laguna Coupe range. The entry-level choice is Renault's 150bhp 2.0-litre dCi oil-burner but that same engine can also be ordered in 180bhp guise where it packs a hefty 400Nm maximum torque. The base petrol option is a 2.0-litre turbocharged effort with 205bhp. All of the four-cylinder units are available with a manual gearbox while the entry-level diesel also gets an automatic option but if you step-up to either of the six-cylinder power options, it's automatic or bust. The 3.5-litre V6 petrol has 240bhp and can sprint from 0-60mph in 7.4s which is only 0.4s faster than the 2.0-litre Turbo car.

"The Laguna Coupe fills the affordable grand tourer role with aplomb."

The 235bhp 3.0-litre V6 dCi engine is a more rewarding and cost-effective choice with its 450Nm torque suiting the languid automatic transmission. The Laguna Coupe has a similar firmed suspension set-up to that of the sporty GT model from the standard Laguna range and although the car displays good body control and changes direction very smartly, it never feels seriously sporty. The ride quality is pretty good, however, while both engine and wind noise are extremely well-suppressed making the Laguna Coupe a great car to cover big distances in.

All of the GT models in the Laguna Coupe range feature Renault's 4Control chassis with its four-wheel steering technology. This allows the rear wheels to pivot and assist those at the front when cornering. The intended result is increased precision in higher speed turns along with enhanced manoeuvrability at lower speeds and it does the trick. More feedback through the steering would be welcome but in general, the 4Control system makes the Laguna Coupe easy to place on the road and does much to inspire confidence through faster bends.

Compared to the Laguna hatchback, the three-door body of the Coupe model is 5cm shorter and 4cm lower. It's also a massively more rewarding car to look at. The long front overhang of the hatch is retained and from some angles, it makes the Coupe appear slightly ungainly but that's the only real bugbear. Employing a classic coupe roof line that falls away to the rear, the Laguna is an elegant proposition. There may even be a hint of Aston Martin about the way the LED tail lights curve around the rear corners and the boot lid lifts to form a narrow lip spoiler. Inside, the impressive interior of the Laguna hatch is carried over with quality soft-touch materials and a neat control layout. The fascia itself is so soft you could lose your keys in it.

Those sleek exterior lines are always going to force some compromises in terms of interior practicality but the Laguna Coupe does work as a four seater. Rear seat passengers can be accommodated in reasonable comfort although those over six feet tall may struggle with the headroom. The boot aperture is narrow so inserting large items could be a struggle but the space inside is generous with a 423-litre capacity available. The levers mounted on either side of the boot interior drop the 60:40 split rear seats in one movement and raise the available load length from 1m to 1.8m.

It's a choice of standard or GT trim for Laguna Coupe buyers. The basic package gets you 18" alloy wheels, an advanced Arkamys 3D sound system, automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, climate control and rear parking sensors. The GT models cost £2,000 more but add the 4Control chassis, keyless entry and start, leather trim and an automatic parking brake. All the Laguna Coupe models get eight airbags, ESP, ASR traction control and CSV understeer control which go a long way to ensuring another polished Renault performance in the NCAP safety tests.

Where the Laguna Coupe customers will come from is something of a murky issue. Will they be attracted out of traditional medium range saloons and estates willing to sacrifice some practicality for the Coupe's extra hit of style? Will they drop down out of pricier premium coupes like BMW's 3 Series Coupe or Audi's A5 attracted by the Laguna's value proposition? Will we see punters stepping up from harder-edged sports cars like Mazda's RX-8 or Volkswagen's Scirocco into the more grown-up feeling Renault? All are possibilities but as long as enough willing buyers materialise from somewhere, Renault won't be particularly bothered.

No prizes for guessing which Laguna Coupe is the costliest to run. The 3.5-litre V6 model returns combined cycle economy of 28mpg with 238g/km emissions. It's a tough car to recommend given that the V6 diesel is slightly faster, returns 39mpg with 192g/km and only costs £500 more. Elsewhere, the base diesel model can manage a creditable 47mpg with 157g/km emissions while it's 34mpg and 194g/km from the 2.0-litre Turbo petrol model. The Laguna looks and feels a quality product and that should play well when it comes to retained value but the lack of a premium badge will count against it.

Renault is a manufacturer that's expected to do things with a touch of style but some of its recent offerings, although highly competent in other areas, have lacked the visual drama that used to set Renault's apart. For that reason the Laguna Coupe is an encouraging development. With its curvy lines and classy styling cues, it's arguably the most elegant contender in the large non-premium coupe market. On the road, it's a similarly assured performer with quick steering and outstanding refinement and comfort.

Those looking for a focused sports car driving experience might be disappointed but the Laguna Coupe fills the affordable grand tourer role with aplomb. The 4Control four-wheel steering system on upspec models is very effective, aiding accuracy at high speeds and manoeuvrability when you're travelling more slowly. There's also a sizable boot and room for a pair of adults in the rear which helps make the car a viable alternative for buyers moving out of medium range saloons and hatchbacks.