Renault Koleos Reviews

Not that the end result is always what the rest of the world desires.Renault learned that with its quirky Vel Satis - altogether too different for anyone outside France - and even the decisive big-butt Megane. This time, however, the French polish on a decidedly non-French segment could see Renault on a winner.The Koleos is claimed to be the first French off-roader on the Aussie market -true, if you ignore Renault's failed soft-road makeover of the Scenic.“This is the most important product for Renault since the relaunch into Australia in 2001,” Renault Australia boss Rudi Koenig says. “It doesn't matter who you are, you have to have the product. For us, it's the Koleos.“We tried with the Scenic but that didn't really work. With the Koleos we will go from competing in 34 per cent of the market to 40 per cent ... that is very significant.”Renault has thought long and hard to give the Koleos every chance in one of the most competitive segments in Australia. Renault hopes to sell 150 Koleos a month, sales Koenig is confident will be largely incremental.It will launch in 4x2 and 4x4 configurations with a mix and match of petrol and diesel engines with manual, automatic and CVT (continuously variable transmission) gearboxes.The end result is not as complex as it may seem with two levels of trim and six variants.The entry-level 4x2 comes in Dynamique trim with 2.5-litre petrol and 6-speed manual at $29,990. You can add $3000 for the CVT.The 4WD version of the trim, also in petrol and coupled to the CVT, is $36,990. The twin diesels, essentially the same engine but in 127kW trim for the 6-speed manual or a detuned 110kW to stop the 6-speed automatic box overheating, are 4WD at $39,990.At the top of the tree is the petrol CVT in Privilege trim at $41,990.Standard fare is six airbags, stability control, electronic handbrake, 17-inch alloys, cruise control, a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and dual-zone airconditioning.The Privilege steps up with front and rear parking sensors, hands-free entry and engine start, seven-speaker Bose sound system, leather trim, heated front seats and easy-fold rear seats, 12V socket in the boot, removable centre bin and various storage options.Metallic paint is an $800 option, a panoramic glass sunroof is $1890 and bi-Xenon headlights (for Privilege only) are $1950.Based on the Nissan X-Trail platform, using the selectable Nissan 4WD system and a petrol engine from Nissan - the twin-tune diesel is from Renault's own stable - it is what Renault has done with the style and character of the Koleos that sets it apart.There is nothing boxy and off-road about the look of the Koleos. It retains a good degree of SUV - command seating and higher ride - but in a manner that won't draw snarls and glares around the school gate.“While the Koleos is capable of getting off-road, it is the urban jungle that it will occupy most,” Renault Australia marketing boss Christophe di-Perna says. “There is no reason why you should have to sacrifice comfort.”While the exterior differentiates from the X-Trail, it is on the inside and on the move that the gulf widens. There is little about the cabin that is truly quirky. Stylish is about as long a leash as the Renault fashionistas were allowed.The materials look and feel richer than the price suggests, particularly in the lighter trim. The instrument binnacle is well set out and easy to read and most controls are readily to hand.Space is good, although rear leg room is not for anyone planning a career in basketball. Headroom is generous throughout.There are no such caveats with cargo space. The 450 litres available behind the seats - 1380 with the rear seats folded - gains from easy access through the horizontally-split tailgate.On the go the Koleos is no sports car, though it doesn't claim to be. The suspension is compliant to the point of softness, yet on extremely broken suburban roads it behaves admirably. Pushed along on open sections there is significant body roll, but it is not an environment where many Koleos will spend significant time. Neither is it that disconcerting.Steering is vague but, with exceptions such as the Mazda CX-7, is the norm for the urban SUV.All three engines have their charm. The pick is the 127kW and 360Nm 2.0-litre diesel but that comes coupled only to the six-speed manual - a considerable deterrent to many.So if you are not towing - the manual is rated at two tonnes while the auto drops to just 1350kg - there is little given up by choosing the lesser automatic diesel.The 126kW 2.5-litre petrol, coupled to the CVT is likely to be the top seller, not only because it is the only combination availablein both 4x2 and 4xs4. It is a fine light-duty combination around town with good take-off and acceptable mid-range. If you take the Koleos away from made roads the 4x4 models won't disappoint - and why should they, using the same capable system used in the X-Trail.

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 ROADQuite 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.