Renault Koleos 4WD 2008 review

It has taken a long time for Renault to join the four-wheel-drive club. There is no real reason for the delay, when you remember that it was Frenchman Thierry Sabine who created the famous Paris-Dakar off-road rally 30 years ago to spark a new European boom in 4WDs.

Sabine is gone now, but Renault revived plenty of memories when it chose Morocco — always on the classic Paris-Dakar route — to preview its Koleos.

The Koleos, named after a European butterfly, is far from a typically aggressive Dakar rally vehicle, even though it trumps the earlier Renault Scenic RX4 with genuine off-road capability.

It comes thanks to Nissan. The Koleos gets the all-mode 4x4-i running gear from the latest X-Trail, even if it is tailored more for young urbanites with a sense of weekend adventure than intrepid transcontinental explorers.

Renault admits it has been slow to join the 4WD movement, but plans to catch up fast.

“We were a bit slow. It's a cultural thing: the French don't have much of a need for an SUV,” Renault's Christophe Deville says.

“But now we want to be in this SUV segment because it is progressing,” he says.

Based on the Nissan X-Trail and the first product of the alliance between the French and Japanese carmakers, Koleos is being built in South Korea by Renault Samsung Motors.

Renault Australia senior communications manager Craig Smith says South Korean manufacture means pricing will be keen — starting at $30,000 and ranging up to the low $40,000 — when the Koleos arrives in Australia in September.

There will be three trim levels, with 4x4 and 4x2 petrol models and a diesel 4x4, with a 4x2 diesel to come within six months of launch.

Transmission options range from a six-speed automatic to a six-speed manual and continually-variable transmission.

ON THE ROAD

Quite opposite to the boxy X-Trail, the 4.5m Koleos is elegant with a swooping roofline and rising waistline. The only hint of aggression is in the front and rear skid plates.

The cabin is stylish and modern, with an attractive wave-design dashboard.

Luxury features include a seven-speaker Bose system with subwoofer, cruise control with speed limiter, electronic handbrake, optional panoramic sunroof (about $2500), trip computer and a start/stop button.

“It certainly won't be a spartan model,” Renault Australia senior communications manager Craig Smith says, even if Bluetooth and satellite navigation will not be available and iPod connectivity is only an option.

Some interesting features are a chilled glovebox, a horizontally split rear tailgate with a 200kg limit on the lowered door, and automatically folding rear seats at the push of a latch by the tailgate.

Other features are B pillar air vents with airconditioning fan controls in the rear and aircraft-style trays on the backs of the front seats.

The 2.0-litre diesel engine will come in 110kW/320Nm and 127kW/360Nm. Renault claims fuel economy of 7.2 litres for 100km for the lower output model with CO2 emissions of 191g/km in the 4x2 six-speed manual.

The diesel engine features in other Renaults and will be available in the X-Trail in Australia from July.

The 2.5-litre petrol engine has 126kW at 6000 revs and 226Nm at 4400 revs, with thirsty fuel consumption ranging from 9.3 to 9.9 litres for 100km depending on transmission and drive, with emissions from 223-230g/km.

Koleos is the first Renault with 4WD from launch. The all-mode 4x4-i drive system developed by Nissan for the new X-Trail can be operated in 2WD, auto and 4WD modes with a switch.

In auto mode, it runs in front-wheel-drive until sensors detect slip. The electronic coupler then diverts a maximum of 50 per cent of torque to the rear.

It takes into account wheel speed, yaw, forward and sideways acceleration, steering wheel angle and accelerator pedal position.

Renault claims torque is split fast enough in most conditions to avoid intervention by stability control.

From standstill, torque is evenly split for the first 50m for better launch grip and the Koleos also has an automatic hill-start assist.

Safety gear runs from electronic stability control to anti-skid brakes and six airbags with curtain airbags that extend to the second row.

The Koleos will be the second Renault in Australia with a three-year 150,000km warranty after the launch in July of the Laguna diesel hatch.

Smith says Renault Australia plans to sell 100 to 150 a month, making it the biggest-selling model, topping the Megane sedan at 70-80.

“We have 25 per cent of the market segments covered, but with Koleos that will lift to about 40 per cent,” Smith says.