Renault Koleos vs Holden Acadia
What's the difference?

Renault Koleos

$12,980 - $26,990

2022 price

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Holden Acadia

—

2020 price

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Summary

2022 Renault Koleos

2020 Holden Acadia

By Tim Nicholson

By Laura Berry

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Inline 4, 2.5L

V6, 3.6L

Fuel Type

Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

8.1L/100km (combined)

8.9L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Decent value
Visually appealing
Spacious, comfortable cabin

Truck-like looks
Advanced safety tech
Good value

Dislikes

Average ride quality
Dated multimedia and in-car tech
Lacks engagement as a driver’s car

2000kg braked towing capacity
Engine needs to rev hard to make grunt
Wireless charging not standard on LT

2022 Renault Koleos Summary

There’s no shortage of models to choose from if you’re after a family-friendly medium SUV. The problem is, it might take a while to get your hands on one, with lengthy wait times for some of the best sellers due to current delays caused by a global parts shortage and supply chain dramas.

But there are a handful of models with healthy stock in dealerships right now and available for immediate delivery. One of them is the Renault Koleos.

It's coming to the end of its life cycle and lacks the shine of some of its fresher rivals, but it’s a lot of car for the money.

We spent a week with the limited edition Koleos Black Edition to see if it is worth a trip to your Renault dealer, or if you should sit tight and wait for one of its newer rivals.

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2020 Holden Acadia Summary

If the Acadia had an accent it would be a southern drawl because this big seven-seat SUV is built in Tennessee, USA, and wears a GMC badge when it’s at home.

In Australia of course it wears a Holden one and comes straight from the factory in right-hand drive. So how does it suit Aussie conditions? Does it even know the importance of a sausage on a piece of bread bought outside a hardware store on a Saturday?

All this and more was learnt when the entry grade LT front-wheel drive came to live with my family.

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Deep dive comparison

2022 Renault Koleos 2020 Holden Acadia

Verdict

To be fair to Renault, when the second-generation Koleos launched in 2016, it was a competitive offering. The problem is, a bunch of medium SUV rivals have been replaced in that time and some of them - Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson, to name a few - are high-quality offerings with an engaging drive and the latest tech and in-car features.

Unfortunately, that leaves the Koleos towards the rear of the medium SUV pack.

It offers solid value-for-money, handles reasonably well and is still one the best-looking SUVs on the road. But beyond that, the Koleos can’t keep pace with those top-notch rivals.

Verdict

The Holden Acadia is a proper seven-seater SUV in that it will fit adults in the third row without turning your friends into enemies. It’s also practical and well fitted out with storage places and utilities such as USB ports.

I was particularly impressed with the advanced safety equipment on-board even at this entry LT level. Yes, it’s a V6 petrol and it’s not the most fuel-efficient SUV, but our time with it showed that with cylinder deactivation and the stop-start system it might not be as thirsty as you’d think.

Renault Koleos vs Holden Acadia What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Renault Koleos vs Holden Acadia
What's the difference?