Used Renault Koleos review: 2008-2014

Graham Smith reviews the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Renault Koleos as a used buy.

The French brand’s wagon came from an alliance with Nissan.

New

The Koleos came from the alliance between Renault and Nissan. It was based on Nissan’s renowned all-wheel drive X-Trail platform, although with its fresh, attractive looks there was little hint of that.

Renault introduced the five-seater Koleos all-wheel drive wagon in 2008 with two levels of trim, the base Dynamique and the feature-laden Privilege. Two years later, in 2010, it added the front-drive Expression as the entry model. There was a styling update in 2012.

Koleos buyers had the choice of petrol or turbo diesel engines, the former a 2.5-litre four-cylinder (126kW/226Nm). In the turbo diesel, a 2.0-litre four, outputs varied with the transmission — in manual guise it produced 127kW/360Nm and was detuned in the automatic to 110kW/320Nm.

The manual was a six-speed on all engines. The automatic options were a continuously variable transmission on the petrol engine and a regular torque converter six-speed auto on the turbo diesel.

When equipped with Nissan’s well-respected 4x4-i set-up, the Koleos could run in two-wheel drive mode, auto, or four-wheel drive, selected with the flick of a switch.

In auto mode it ran as a front-driver until wheel slip was detected, at which point is also started feeding drive to the rear.

The Koleos’s cabin was stylish, modern and quite roomy, although tall occupants might complain of being cramped in the rear. There was a high standard of fit and finish and the cabin materials looked and felt of a decent quality.

Now

Owners we talked to were unanimous in the praise of the Koleos. The only criticisms voiced were minor in nature; there was certainly no serious concerns for a second-hand buyer. Those with petrol-engined models were happy with the performance and economy they were getting, a sentiment echoed by the equally content diesel owners.

Even the CVT came in for some praise and, significantly, no one reported problems with it, which should give confidence to anyone thinking of buying a Koleos so equipped.

More good news for prospective Koleos buyers is that owners are generally reporting good distances from tyres and brakes.

Always check for a service record. Regular maintenance is critical for a long and reliable motoring life so make sure the car you are considering buying has been regularly serviced according to Nissan’s recommended schedule.

The Koleos isn’t a hardcore off-roader, some owners could have taken them to the beach or down a bush track, and they’re quite capable to doing that. Just make sure they haven’t been beaten up in the process.

Take a look around the body for dings and dents, check the rear bumper to see if it has ever been ripped off, and get down and look for damage to the underbody.