THE old adage that if something's worth having it's worth waiting for is certainly true of the new Renault Laguna Coupe.
Several years in the planning and perfecting, the French car maker revealed a sequence of concepts - notably the Nepta and Fluence - leading up to January's arrival of this stylish three-door offering.
To describe the Laguna Coupe as eye-catching would be to understate its beauty. Mask out the diamond badge and few eyebrows would be raised if the words Aston and Martin were uttered.
Elegant, sporty and slightly aggressive go part of the way to summing up the Renault's appeal; to go the rest of the way you need look no further than the pricing.
Top-selling models like the BMW 3 Series Coupe cost the best part of £5,000 more yet such is the Laguna's build, design, technology and appointment that its attraction is compelling.
Of the five engines in the line-up, two are petrol powered - a 2.0 Turbo unit producing 205bhp and fiery 3.5 V6 with 240bhp - while 2.0 dCi diesels feature both 150 and 180bhp alongside the tested 3.0 V6 oil burner.
Entry to the Laguna Coupe experience means paying £21,645 for the lower powered diesel and that comes in basic rather than the upgraded GT trim level.
Opting for the latter means you get Renault's 4Control chassis with four-wheel steering, which acts on the angle of the rear wheels relative to your speed.
The sense of precision is very noticeable and makes the car extremely stable through bends, plus there's the security of knowing it is also linked to the ESP and ABS electronic systems.
Performance from the V6 is potent and progress seamless via the six-speed automatic transmission while I managed an average fuel return of around 34 miles per gallon.
On a practical level, sacrifices usually have to be made for a coupe's styling. The Laguna does better than most, in particular thanks to easy rear access due to front seats which automatically slide when you pull the tab.
And once in the moulded back seats there's adequate legroom for two passengers and just about sufficient headroom.
But then this coupe's interior is well arranged with accessible instruments, the only criticism being that the silvery central compartment for gearshift, satnav controls and ashtray looks a bit cheap and there are similar, though more grainy, panels on the front doors and across the fascia.
You can fit a fair bit in the boot, even if the opening is quite small, and because the tailgate doesn't raise very high it's easy to bang your head when loading - I did that three times in a week.
These are small concerns though in a car that's both a pleasure to drive and be seen in. All models are well equipped too, the likes of 18-inch alloy wheels, climate control, front sports seats, rear parking sensors, xenon headlights, fingertip audio system with MP3 and Bluetooth plus Renault keycard coming as standard.
FAST FACTS
Renault Laguna Coupe GT 3.0 V6 dCi 235 auto
Price: £28,555
Mechanical: 235bhp, 2,993cc, 6cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6-speed automatic gearbox
Max speed: 150mph
0-62mph: 7.3 seconds
Combined mpg: 39.2
Insurance group: 18
CO2 emissions: 192g/km
BiK rating: 29%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 100,000 miles