Sacrebleu, a Nissan a la Renault?

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Unfortunately, though, this is Renault's opening gambit in the extremely competitive SUV market where some of the leading and long-standing brands are already firmly entrenched.

And if the market leaders in the SUV field are currently struggling to keep afloat one has to admire Renault's bravery to take on the big boys at their own game.... And I am not sure “bravery” is the right word.

Be that as it may, the suits at Renault are pumped up and high-revving about the Koleos and not entirely without reason.

In terms of looks the Koleos is cast in the same basically boring mould as most SUV's, with no real wow factor to differentiate it from the rest.

Renault's marketing-speak for the Koleos is “4x4 outside and Renault inside” and that has some substance, although I would attribute the “4x4” part to its off-road performance, rather than its looks.

By now we are all tired of the hackneyed old description of cross-over vehicles displaying “saloon-car like handling” and “amazing off-road agility”, but the Koleos does justice to both phrases.

The range offers a choice of: two engines, two transmissions, two drive trains and two trim levels.

I drove both petrol and diesel models on a grade 4 off-road course at the De Wildt Game Park near Pretoria and then tried them out on a long stretch of dusty gravel and sand before hitting the highway tarmac for home - and yes, they are comfortable and easy-running on black top roads and quite outstanding in the rough.

But then one must not lose sight of the fact that Renault and Nissan are part of the same family and Nissan's flagships are the Qashqai and the X-Trail, both renowned for their outstanding dual-condition performances, much of which have been borrowed and installed in the Koleos.

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Like the two-litre turbo-diesel that powers the Qashqai which Renault fed some testosterone to boost it from 110 to 127 kW and then stuck under the bonnet of the Koleos.

And the clever croissant-eaters then whipped out the 2.5-litre petrol engine that does duty in the X-Trail and bolted that down behind the Renault badge.

Et voila - you can't go very far wrong with that sort of DNA combination now, can you?

I was really taken by the way the 2.5-litre 4x4 petrol model with CVT transmission handled itself over some seriously ugly terrain.

Just a click to get into full 4x4 mode and it never strained once through sandy river beds, slippery inclines and along boulder-strewn tracks.

Driving a CVT on the motorway is not everybody's cup of tea, and many, including myself, find the constant engine drone, without sound fluctuation for gear changes, rather boring.

To make matters worse the CVT petrol model felt rather lifeless and it had to be whipped hard to get it going.

And it wasn't just the altitude that made it feel sleepy. Renault says it will do the 0-100 km/h sprint in 9.3 seconds and get to a top speed of 193 km/h. We tried and got nowhere near that. Perhaps the energy-sapping Reef altitude must take some of the blame.

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The diesel, on the other hand, was exactly the opposite. It has tons of low down grunt (360Nm at 2000rpm) and is quick off the mark and flinty through the gears.

The diesel's clutch is a bit snappy, but one soon becomes used to it.

The 2.0-litre diesel is by far my first choice of the four options because not only is it much more fun to drive than the 2.5-litre petrol models, it is also about R60 000 less expensive than the cheapest petrol model.

The model choices, with prices are, Koleos 2.0 dCi 4x4 Manual (R270,000), Koleos 2.5 4x2 Manual (R285,000), Koleos 2.5 4x4 Manual (R330,000 and the Koleos 2.5 4x4 CVT (R345,000).

Equipment packages vary from model to model, but all of them have a seven-function trip data computer, power windows and mirrors, aircon, a six-speaker, 140W radio/CD (with audio buttons on the steering column), a 12V socket front and rear, retractable window blinds, cruise control, variable-rate electric power steering, a height and tilt-adjustable steering wheel, halogen headlights and front fog lights.

The Koleos obviously took many of its cues from its Nissan cousins when it comes to practicality and it boasts a number of comforts to add to the driving fun.

I liked the clamshell rear windows that can be opened separately to load small items, the front passenger seat that folds forward to form a table and the 60:40 rear bench split.

The Koleos has storage space aplenty, including mousey-holes under the boot floor, the front seats and the back footwell. The luggage compartment is a generous 450 litres (1380 with the rear seats folded down).

The cross-over Renault also scores well in the passenger protection department, armed as it is with anti-lock brakes with emergency pressure assistance, front, front side and curtain air bags, IsoFix child-seat mountings and a system that within split seconds unlocks the doors, shuts off the fuel system and activates the hazard warning lights after an accident.

The higher specification models have all of these, plus electronic stability control, parking sensors, hill-start assistance and hill descent control.

Like all brands, Renault also offers expensive optional extras such as a BOSE sound system, huge sunroof, fancy roof bars, cell phone kits and connectivity and body trim.

The prices of all models include a three-year/100,000km warranty, a five-year/60,000km maintenance plan and three years of roadside assistance.

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The Koleos is a fine all-rounder which will cruise comfortably on the motorway, perform in sterling style on the pikkie-schlep to school, draw admiring glances from the ladies when yummy-mummy parks outside the coffee shop and will give Himself bragging rights in faw-bah-faw company.

But it has a steep hill to climb, not least of all Renault's image problems.

Price is another key factor, because the Koleos is expensive, particularly when you weigh it up against the Nissan Qashqai.

Add to that a dwindling new car market, high interest rates, tough competition and wide-spread financial uncertainty and you have obstacles that will take a lot more than 4x4 capabilities, fancy accessories and a new name to conquer.

Renault hasn't launched a new vehicle in this country for about two years but they are absolutely determined to re-ignite the brand with the local introduction of its Logan, Twingo and Sandero following hard on the heels of Koleos - so, who knows, perhaps this is the beginning of a whole new era for the French car-maker.