Viewed objectively, Renault’s Laguna coupé makes no sense. It differs from the Laguna hatchback, on which it is based, in three distinct ways: it is more cramped, less practical and more expensive. Indeed, the three-door Laguna coupé GT 205 Turbo I tested costs £24,345 — that’s £2,615 more than the same car with the five-door hatchback body. Who’d want one of those?

Er, me. Or, to be more precise, if forced to choose between the two, I would beg, borrow or steal the extra to get my hands on this coupé. The point is that while the hatchback is an honest if unadventurous beast of burden, the coupé has the ability to draw the crowds like no car to wear a Renault badge I’ve known in the past 20 years.

Renault’s stylists have done great work, making the car shorter, lower and squatter, injecting something distinctly Aston Martin at the back and a moulding nose reminiscent of the much missed Fiat Coupé. It makes its closest rival, the Peugeot 407 coupé, look awkward, and the car whose position it aspires to, the BMW 3-series coupé, look dull.

It’s good on the inside too. Anyone familiar with Renault construction standards of just 10 years ago will scarcely believe the same company is responsible for the classy interior offered by this Laguna. The materials seem to be in the Audi/Mercedes league and if you go for the range-topping GT model, the leather upholstery doesn’t seem like a cheesy add-on to brighten up an unworthy cabin, it’s a natural fit. The only thing I didn’t like was the optional 3-D sat nav system which, with a Bose stereo, adds £2,200 to the price of the car. The graphics are awful, the controls difficult to understand and fiddly.

So far, so fairly good. However, I was more interested in whether it is as good to drive as it is to look at. Renault is curious in this respect: while a company such as Ford presumes all its customers want their car to be fun to drive, and ensures everything from the humblest Ka or Fiesta steers and handles properly, Renault takes a different view. If you buy one of the borderline feral and therefore not exactly soothing RenaultSport versions of the Twingo, Clio or Mégane, the company will show it knows more about how to make a car handle properly than any manufacturer this side of Lotus; but if you can’t be bothered to make that effort, nor can Renault. Standard Twingos, Clios and Méganes are ordinary to drive.

The Laguna coupé is the first Renault to split the difference between these two groups and try for an approach that results in a civilised and comfortable car that also has something to offer a driver with an open road. The coupé has a shorter wheelbase to make it more agile, and firmer spring and shock absorber settings to stop it wallowing; the GT has four-wheel steering where the rear wheels steer in a different direction to the front wheels in town to make the car more manoeuvrable, but in the same direction above 37mph to make it more stable.

At first you wonder why the engineers bothered. The ride is too firm while the steering feels odd: rather sharp and lacking in feel. Moreover, while the petrol-powered, four-cylinder, 2 litre turbo motor was quiet, smooth and quite strong thanks to its 205bhp, it’s hard to see how the 180bhp diesel motor for the same money would not do the job markedly better: its emissions and economy are superior, yet performance is only slightly dented.

However, as the miles flowed under those elegant wheelarches, the Laguna showed me a side of its character I would not have predicted. It’s one of those cars that comes alive at speed, so the more you throw it around, the better it responds. The engine loves revs, the steering starts to make sense, you forget the stiff ride and revel in its ability to corner flat and fast. If you attack a decent road, the coupé proves a surprisingly entertaining companion.

Therein lies its problem. Will anyone interested in buying this coupé want to drive it on its door handles just to get their kicks? This is a car that should be responsive and communicative at all speeds.

Even so, there is still much to be enjoyed in its quality and appearance. It has a sense of occasion you won’t find in a Peugeot 407 coupé and while it doesn’t get on the same scoresheet as a BMW 3-series coupé for fun, it is a less predictable, more original, attractive and equally well-built alternative.

Me? I’d have the BMW because what a car does will always be more important to me than how it looks. But if your preferences are the other way around, the Laguna coupé looks good.

Renault Laguna coupé

ENGINE 1998cc, four cylinders

POWER 205bhp @ 5000rpm

TORQUE 221 lb ft @3000rpm

T RANSMISSION Six-speed manual

FUEL/CO2 34.4mpg / 194g/km

ACCELERATION 0-62mph: 7.8sec

TOP SPEED 145mph

PRICE£24,345

TAX BAND F (£210 a year)

VERDICT Almost as good as it gets

RELEASE DATE January 2009

ALSO WORTH CONSIDERING . . .

BMW 320i SE coupé £26,315

For: Excellent ride and handling, image

Against: Expensive, dull looks, not that quick

Peugeot 407 coupé 2.2 Sport £21,150

For: Spacious interior, ride quality

Against: Not much fun to drive, strange looks