Renault has announced prices for the Laguna and reduced prices and improved the specification of the Megane, Clio, Scenic and Kangoo car.

The car will be priced from £14,270 and will be available in two body styles, five door hatchback and Sport Tourer, five trim levels and seven engine options.

##Laguna II(2)--none--The new Laguna##

The five Laguna II trim levels start with Authentique, moving up through Expression, Dynamique and Privilege ending with the Initiale luxury model.

Standard equipment includes air conditioning, electric rear-view mirrors with body-coloured surrounds, power-assisted steering, on-board computer, 60 watt hi-fi with single CD player, electric front windows, tinted windows, reach and rake adjustment on leather trimmed steering wheel and front foot well lighting.

Safety and security equipment fitted across the range includes remote-controlled door locking, deadlocks and electric steering lock operated with the Renault Cars, ABS with EBV electronic rear brake proportioning valve, emergency brake assist, electronic tyre pressure monitoring system, adaptive driver and passenger side airbags and safety belt with two pretensioners on the driver's side.

All this comes at a lower price than the outgoing Laguna. For example the entry-level Authentique 1.6 16v is £14,270, which is £655 less than the existing Alize 1.6 16v, whilst the value of the extra equipment fitted to Laguna II is £450, giving a total of £1,105 extra customer value.

The phenomenon continues through the range with the added customer value reaching £1,830 for the Dynamique 1.8 16v, priced at £16,595.

The new Laguna also has lower insurance groups than its predecessor, starting at 7E, the lowest rating in the upper medium sector.

Renault also claims to have reduced maintenance and operating costs for Laguna II by 40% compared with the previous generation Laguna with a new warranty and servicing package introduced at the Birminghan motor show.

It consists of three-years, 60,000 miles vehicle warranty, 18,000 miles or two year servicing interval costs, three year paint warranty, 12-year anti-corrosion warranty and three-year Renault Roadside Assistance.

Other changes to the Renault car range include price cuts and three new engines for the Megane - 1.8 16v 120bhp petrol and two diesels, the 1.9 dTi 80bhp (replacing the 1.9D 65bhp engine) and 1.9dCi 105bhp (replacing the 1.9dTi 100bhp model).

The new trim levels are Authentique, Expression, Expression+, Sport, Dynamique, Dynamique+, Privilege and Privilege+.

The new entry-level hatchback Authentique 1.4 16v costs £10,300 OTR compared to £11,900 for the previous Megane 1.4 8v. The hatch and classic Expression+ 1.6 16v is £11,800, a reduction of £1,600 compared to the previous Alize 1.6 16v which was £13,400.

The Coupe Dynamique+ 2.0 IDE 16v is now £14,300, a reduction of £2,000 compared to the Sport Alize 2.0 IDE 16v.

Clio prices have been reduced by an average of 5.6% and by between £500 (Liberte 1.2 3-door £7,495 OTR) and £755 (Alize 1.4 16v 3-door £9,395 OTR).

Prices for the Kangoo car have been reduced by between £500 and £1,000. The range now starts at £8,600 for the RN 1.4, a reduction of £900. The top-selling RXE 1.4 is reduced by £1,000 to £9,500.

Scenic prices for 2001 are reduced by between £800 and £1,100. The new dTi 80bhp turbo diesel and 1.8 16v 120bhp engines also debut in the Scenic, bringing the engine options to six.

The entry-level Scenic 1.4 16v is reduced by £800 to £12,300 OTR and now has air-con. The Alize 1.6 16v is reduced by £1,100 to £13,600 OTR and the Sport Alize 1.6 16v reduced by £1,000 to £14,200. Prices for the new RX4 2.0 16v petrol and dCi common rail diesel variants have been reduced by £800 and £600 respectively.