The Auto Channel: North America | Europe

The new Renault Laguna Carminat: Renault's open invitation to travel

PARIS, France - Portable systems are the uncontested leaders of the extremely buoyant GPSnavigation market and one of the reasons for their success is their price, despite certain shortcomings regarding their integration and practicality compared with original equipment systems. With this in mind, Renault has introduced a competitive new offer with a new Laguna Carminat which combines the performance of an integrated navigation system with a particularly attractive price tag. Compared with the Expression version on which it is based, Renault Laguna Carminat comes with the following equipment for just €700 extra:

Carminat CD Bluetooth® (colour 16:9 navigation screen),

140W Auditorium audio system with fingertip remote control and MP3 playback.

Renault Laguna Carminat will go on sale in France in saloon and estate form with prices starting from €24,000 and is intended to become a permanent part of the current Laguna line-up. Powered by the fuel efficient dCi 110hp engine (130g of CO2/km and combined cycle fuel consumption of 4.9 litres/100km for the saloon version), Renault Laguna Carminat is ideally qualified to meet the needs of professional users and those who drive company cars.

Efficient, time-saving navigation

For anyone whose profession involves motoring, just as they are for private owners, time and efficiency are particularly valuable commodities. Renault has accordingly introduced Laguna Carminat which helps its customers save time thanks to an advanced navigation system which enables them to optimize their itinerary. The Carminat CD Bluetooth® navigation system features:

Integrated GPS navigation with traffic information,

Proposed alternative routes to optimize journey times (without additional TMC aerial),

Flash memory (512Mo): enables local map data from the navigation CD to be stored, leaving the CD player free for audio playback,

Bespoke 'map' key: allows drivers to switch modes with a single click or return to the navigation mode at any time,

A rotary control for changing the scale of the map.

More than one million POIs (Points of Interest) across Europe with new categories (pharmacies, post offices, cash points, etc.).

Continuous navigation, even when the GPS signal is lost.

Rhythm & Bluetooth®

Such an advanced navigation system needs to be associated with a quality audio system incorporating telephone functions. The specification of the audio system that comes with Renault Laguna Carminat has been enhanced by incorporating the following features:

Radio-CD with eight loudspeakers (four tweeters) and MP3 playback, ! 140W Auditorium audio with sound spatialization enabling listeners to distinguish the actual position of the different instruments when the original recording was made. The driver can adapt the sound as a function of who is sitting where in the car (driver on his or her own / driver with passengers / rear mute, etc.),

Twin aerial and double tuner for improved radio reception quality,

Bluetooth® telephone connectivity with voice recognition (1),

Optimized OPP (Object Push Profile) Bluetooth® transfer of telephone and SIM card address book information – either individual contacts, in batches or total transfer – from the telephone's memory and/or SIM card, depending on type of telephone.

Safety-enhancing user-friendly functions

Driving pleasure is also about feeling safe, so Renault has taken special care to provide intuitive, fast controls to ensure that the driver's mind stays focused on the road ahead. The user-friendly design of the integrated functions minimizes the time required to absorb information shown on the navigation system's display.

'One touch' direct access to all functions: audio, navigation system, telephone, settings.

Swift and easy access to key information from the main menu: destination, address book, POIs, telephone numbers, messages, emergency numbers, etc.,

A central pad (rotary control + arrows + Back) to simplify scrolling through menus.

Safe use of principal functions thanks to steeringwheel-mounted controls and voice recognition.

A fuel efficient engine better tailored for the needs of company cars

Multimedia equipment and low CO2 emissions are two major trends in the company car market. Renault Laguna has sought to reinforce its excellence and reinforce its position as the best-selling car in its class in France since October 2007 by associating Laguna Carminat with the dCi 110hp engine. This version delivers record low emissions (130g of CO2/km) for a saloon of its size. And, with combined cycle fuel consumption of 4.9 litres/100km, it combines performance (110hp/240Nm) with particularly low running costs.