Renault refreshed its mid-size vehicle range, Laguna, in 1998, four years after it introduced the model on the market.
When the French carmaker decided to change its naming system and went from numbers to names, the Laguna was the one that replaced the 21 lineup. But it wasn’t just a tiny detail; it was more like a revolution. When the customers started to understand the change, Renault brought a refreshed lineup for both body shapes: the hatchback and the station wagon.

Renault received numerous complaints about the 1994 Laguna’s headlights, which suffered from some quality issues, which was why it decided to change them. The new model featured clear-lens headlamps and darkened background. But it kept the same bird-beak design for the grille, with a lowered center area for the hood bent downwards towards the bumper. A new set of round foglights replaced the previously used squared ones with rounded exterior shapes. The carmaker changed the black plastic moldings around the bumper and tailgate at the back, creating a continuous line from side to side.

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. In Italy, Portugal, and Greece, the vehicles with over two-liter displacement were heavily taxed. With the new oil-burners, which were highly fuel-efficient, the carmaker increased its market share.