New Renault Laguna Coupé debuts in Paris

Although Renault has already displayed its new Laguna Coupé at the Cannes Film Festival this year, followed by a few laps of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit in front of F1 fans, the Paris Show will be the first opportunity for most people to check out the sleek new two-door.

What's all the fuss about?

Renault continues to expand its line-up and car nuts are being catered for like never before. The Laguna Coupé started life as a concept car, but it was clear that the French firm had honourable intentions to turn it into a showroom model. Impressively, the road car retains much of the svelte looks of the concept. Though the headlights are obviously shared with the regular Laguna, the coupé features unique bumpers and a distinctive profile. The rear-end is particularly smooth and bears more than a passing resemblance to other Renault concept cars of the past five years.

Anything that stands out?

The Coupé is intended to sit at the top of Laguna range and so it will spearhead the arrival of a pair of new V6 engines. The 3.0-litre diesel unit puts out 235bhp and 332lb.ft of torque, while the Nissan-based 3.5-litre petrol V6 produces 240bhp and 243lb.ft. Other units will be available in time. In a bid to offer driving dynamics commensurate with such power output, Renault will fit the new Coupé with its Active Drive chassis, which features an impressive new four-wheel steering system that offers enhanced stability at speed and greater agility while cornering or parking.

When can I buy one?

There are not a lot of coupés on sale right now based on mass-market D-segment cars, so the Laguna Coupé should fare well, even if it is very much a niche model. Renault dealers in the UK will start taking delivery of their first cars towards the middle of October and the range will expand in time to include Renault's 2.0-litre engines.

Shane O' Donoghue