##lagna.jpg --Right##THE Laguna has always been one of our favourites for its all-round excellence: it's good to drive, comfortable, very well-equipped and exceptionally keenly priced. What faults it has (a notchy gearshift and some areas of poor finish) are easily outweighed by such virtues, and now that Renault has replaced its lethargic old eight-valve four-cylinder petrol engines with powerful and economical new 16v units in all the four-cylinder models, it makes a convincing case for best value in class.

In the RTi V6's case, read best in class, period. What other family saloon can top 145mph, accelerate to 60mph in 7.5secs and still cost under £19,000? Above all, what car costs less to run than cheaper alternatives and undercut them on contract hire rate? The answer is the Laguna RTi V6 - one of the greatest performance bargains of our time.