Design wise the car is now bigger but lighter and has more space and headroom while on the engineering side it has a stiffer body build which gives it a more rigid feel.

Renault spent millions of euro to get the driving dynamics right and the result is better handling, better lights, and better side impact protection. A company spokesman at the recent launch boasted that 1,000 engineers spent 32 months working on designs to improve the reliability.

Reliability will be the big test for the new Laguna.

The outgoing model was awarded a five-star NCAP crash test rating but proved to be unreliable. This time around several prototypes were built to make sure that all the electronic equipment worked perfectly.

The new car goes on sale here on 12 October and comes with a three year 150,000km warranty to show the company's faith in their new model. Initially two diesel versions will be on sale and there will also be two petrol powered models but we will have to wait until March for these to come on stream.

The most important engine for the family market will be the 1.5 litre CDi 110bhp which is also used by Nissan in Quasqai. Renault say that in the new Laguna this engine returns 54mpg and has a modest 136g/km of C02 emissions. The second diesel on offer, a 2litre 150bhp unit will be popular with the fleet market. The service interval has been extended to 30,000kms for the diesel models and 20,000kms for petrol engines which will cut down on ownership costs and impress fleet managers.

Renault Ireland expects the market to be split 50/50 between fleet and private buyers.

In a brief test the diesel engines behaved well and were well sound-proofed with little noise of vibration coming into the cabin at speed. The brakes have been improved over those in the old model and thankfully the anti-skidding device, ESP, is standard.

Inside the Laguna there are good improvements to the trim and the dash layout has been tastefully redesigned and is more upmarket. A big improvement overall.

Initially the Laguna will be offered as a five-door hatchback and a 'Sports Tourer' estate. Later expect to see a Sports Coupe.