Renault Laguna Wins Coveted 'Used Car Of The Year Award' For 2003

The Renault Laguna has won the prestigious 'Auto Express Glass's Guide Used Car Of The Year Award' for 2003. The judges praised the car for its stylish design and for improvements in quality and reliability over the previous model. Good choice of body styles and ready availability on the used market mean it is easy to find an example that best suits the buyer’s needs. Acclaim was also given to the Laguna’s improved residual values.

The Laguna completed a hat trick of wins, taking the Family Car and Diesel Car awards to accompany the overall Used Car of the Year award. Renault also claimed victory in the Supermini class for its Clio. Honda was another manufacturer claiming an impressive haul of honours, achieving three wins for the Civic, S2000 and Civic Type R in the Compact Family Car, Roadster and Sporting Car categories, respectively.

To be eligible for the Used Car Honours, a vehicle must have been available to buy new for more than 12 months. Key evaluation criteria for the awards include:

• Depreciation
• Whole life costs
• Practicality
• Reliability
• Market sentiment
• Road test reports
• Driver feedback

A special award was presented to Volvo to recognise the quality and durability of its vehicles which have a life expectancy of around 18 years, compared to an average of 11 years for models from other manufacturers. Volvo was also commended for pursuing a clear, consistent design philosophy.

The full list of 2003 winners is as follows:

• USED CAR OF THE YEAR - Renault Laguna
• SMALL CAR - Toyota Yaris
• SUPERMINI - Renault Clio
• COMPACT FAMILY CAR - Honda Civic
• FAMILY CAR - Renault Laguna
• COMPACT EXECUTIVE CAR - Lexus IS200
• EXECUTIVE CAR - Volvo S80
• ESTATE CAR - Volvo V70
• COMPACT MPV - Vauxhall Zafira
• MPV - Kia Sedona
• SUV - Toyota RAV4
• 4x4 - Land Rover Discovery
• COUPE - Audi TT
• ROADSTER - Honda S2000
• CONVERTIBLE - Vauxhall Astra
• SPORTING CAR - Honda Civic Type R
• DIESEL CAR - Renault Laguna dci

Jeff Paterson, Glass’s Senior Car Editor, commented: "Vehicle manufacturers continue to make significant improvements in the quality and long-term reliability of their cars, thereby ensuring that competition for these honours becomes more intense each year. In 2003 particular credit must go to Renault for its versatile Laguna, and to Honda for producing three worthy winners in separate categories."

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