RENAULTLaguna 1998 - 2001

　　Four years after the introduction of the Laguna's first generation, Renault came up with a facelift that fixed some of the areas that were criticized by customers.

　　Thus, in 1998, the refreshed version of the Laguna I showed not only an improved design for the front fascia but also some technical changes. Even though Renault knew that the improved version will stay on the market only for a couple of years, it had to do that to keep the mid-size hatchback in customers' focus.

　　Since the 1994 version was criticized for poor headlights, the new model featured clear-lens headlamps and darkened background. Still, the front fascia kept the same bird-beak design for the grille, with a lowered center area for the hood bent towards the bumper. A new set of round foglights replaced the previously used squared ones with rounded exterior shapes. Yet, the door handles and mirrors were still black.

　　Inside, the carmaker improved the onboard amenities. Most versions now came with an AC unit, dual airbags, and power windows for the front passengers. Last but not least, a CD player was also on the options list.

　　But the most important upgrades were under the hood, where the carmaker introduced new or redesigned engines. The carmaker installed a new, 1.6-liter unit on the base model, keeping a low starting price for the Laguna. Another important improvement was for the turbo-diesel lineup, which received two direct-injected powerplants that provided 100 hp and 110 hp, respectively. For those who asked for a more powerful version, the carmaker kept the 3.0-liter V6 but improved its power by almost 20 hp.

　　load press release