In building the Laguna Sport Tourer, Renault has focused very specifically on the requirements of target buyers and the result is extremely accomplished. All the things it needs to do it does very well. Its problem is that some rivals also do this and do the less important things better to boot.

A few years ago, the family estate car looked dead in the water. Anybody who needed a little more utility than was served up by a typical family hatch or saloon looked instead to the burgeoning wave of compact 4x4s and mini-MPVs that were flooding the market. After a while, however, customers reappraised their requirements. Having a vehicle with added space but which still drove as well as the saloon or hatch they were used to meant just one thing - an estate car, a design to which gradually they have returned. Renault hasn't been slow to recognise this and the Sport Tourer estate version of its latest Laguna plays a pivotal role in this car's European success. Rather than tack on the biggest loading bay in its class, the Laguna Sport Tourer instead plays smart and focuses on real world utility to very good effect.

This car stands or falls on how closely it replicates the driving manners of the Laguna hatch and the good news is that there is precious little difference, only a marginal increase in noise from the rear betraying the fact that you're lugging several more litres of fresh air about with you inside the Sport Tourer. The engine range is a comprehensive one with Renault aiming to cover the full gamut of customer demand for performance and economy. It's the diesel engines that the fleet business that props up this sector of the market will be focused on and that means the 1.5-litre dCi 110 and the 2.0-litre dCi unit that's offered in 130 or 150bhp form. The highlight of the petrol collection is a 2.0-litre 16v engine with 140bhp that was developed jointly by Renault and Nissan but a 168bhp turbocharged unit makes the roster to help sate those who prioritise performance. Six-speed manual gearboxes come as standard on all models but the 150bhp diesel and the turbocharged petrol engine are available with Renault's impressive six-speed auto.

The suspension set-up at the front and rear is respectively 20% and 50% stiffer, while the back end also benefits from a meatier anti-roll bar and you'll certainly feel this on bumpy B-roads. The steering has been quickened up a few notches as well, while the more tightly-geared configuration provides enhanced feel.

"The Laguna Sport Tourer features some smart solutions that make it very usable. ."

The Sport Tourer is a full 108mm longer from stem to stern than the hatchback upon which it's based, and the fact that the wheelbase is similar should tell you that all that additional length has been devoted to its rear end. The rather raked rear screen and swooping roofline tell a conflicting story, however, hinting that space inside isn't going to be class leading. And so it proves. Yes, at 508 litres, the capacity is a full 33 litres better than its predecessor, but it's still some way shy of the 626 litres you'd get in a Honda Accord Tourer or the 554 litres a Ford Mondeo estate will serve up. Whisper it, but it's actually less than the 'smaller' Renault Megane Sport Tourer.

The Laguna counters with some very smart solutions that make it very usable. For a start - and unlike many rivals - the sides of the luggage bay are completely vertical, allowing you to use every cubic centimetre when storing bulky items. Buttons on the door pillars and levers in the boot fold the seats flat without any other manual intervention, while the parcel shelf retracts automatically and can be stored under the luggage bay floor. It's clear that a lot of thought has gone into making the most of what the Sport Tourer has.

Prices start at around £17,000, a premium of around £1,000 over the equivalent hatch. Customers get an impressive three year, 100,000 mile warranty as standard. The Sport Tourer bodystyle is offered in familiar Renault trim designations starting with Expression and Dynamique. All variants get alloy wheels, a CD-RDS stereo with fingertip remote control, air conditioning, an alarm, body coloured bumpers, door mirrors and handles, driver's seat with lumbar adjustment, electric windows all-round, electrically heated door mirrors and a leather steering wheel. At the top of the range, the Dynamique S models will cater for the sporty-set with Alcantara and leather interior trim, metallic detailing and a flat-bottomed steering wheel that references Renault's F1 involvement. The Initiale is the level with most equipment lavished upon it so customers can expect wood and leather as well as the latest technological advances. There's a choice of two satellite navigations systems, keyless entry, keyless ignition and bluetooth hands free technology.

Unusually, it's the smallest diesel engine in the Laguna Sport Tourer range that will raise the most eyebrows. At 1.5-litres in capacity, it looks an impossibly small unit to power a decently-sized estate car but it's not shy of torque to haul even a fully loaded Sport Tourer. The 110bhp power output gives it a fighting chance and the real reason for its inclusion, the headline-grabbing 55.4mpg economy and 136g/km CO2 emissions, should attract a ready supply of cash-strapped company car users. The fleet market will be pivotal to the Laguna's success or failure and the 1.5-litre engine's 18,000-mile oil-change service intervals will help win it admirers in this sector.

Renault has undertaken an extensive testing programme to ensure the Laguna's durability in the toughest of conditions. 120 models were put through over six million kilometres of trials at locations around the world chosen for their harsh climates and demanding terrain. The majority of the work was carried out in Argentina, Australia, Malaysia and Russia to test the Laguna's performance in extreme heat, cold and humidity as well as at high altitude, in dusty conditions and on poor surfaces. Even the British road network on a bank holiday weekend shouldn't present a problem.

Renault has undoubtedly played a very smart hand with the latest Laguna Sport Tourer. It manages to pack a lot of utility into a very manageable overall size, it features a range of excellent engines, superb safety provision and decent equipment levels. It's been ruthlessly honed for the needs of its target market. It's refined, it will devour motorway miles with no fuss and will do so at a competitive price. The thing is, this sort of super-focused targeting has been done before in this class with Vauxhall's Vectra, a great motorway car that was lambasted by the media because it wasn't exciting to drive or look at and didn't handle brilliantly. I suspect the Laguna Sport Tourer will receive the same treatment.

What it boils down to is asking yourself whether you are content to pay what Renault is asking and get these core features or whether you'll pay a premium for a Mondeo or an Accord and get all the fringe benefits of superior handling and sharper styling. Choice can be so problematic.

TOP 5 LAGUNA DEALS

The results below show the top LAGUNA deals on buyacar

	Renault Laguna 2.0 dCi 180 GT 5dr Tourer Estate
	ETR	Mthly £327	Saving £5,730	Price £16,634
	Renault Laguna 2.0 dCi 150 Initiale 5dr Tourer Estate
	ETR	Mthly £322	Saving £6,749	Price £16,397
	Renault Laguna 2.0 16V Initiale 5dr Tourer Estate
	ETR	Mthly £300	Saving £6,163	Price £15,360
	Renault Laguna 2.0 T 16V Initiale 5dr Auto Tourer Estate
	ETR	Mthly £317	Saving £6,639	Price £16,254
	Renault Laguna 2.0 dCi 150 Initiale 5dr Auto Tourer Estate
	ETR	Mthly £339	Saving £7,136	Price £17,186

typical 11.90% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000