The all-new Renault Koleos lands in SA

For starters, it is aimed at males and females in their early forties, ideally from an urban area, who works in a management capacity with a desire to drive a vehicle that reflects their personality all in a high-status and boldly designed SUV.

The unique selling points of Renault’s latest offering is both remarkable and commendable. It has a powerful design, a refined interior equipped with the segment’s very best journey-enhancing features, marked by premium quality. In addition, there is extreme cabin comfort offering class-leading roominess, acclaimed four-wheel drive technology providing credible off-road capability and uncompromised safety standards. Perhaps the one point that grabs my attention is the starting price at only R399,900.

Let’s take a look at the all-new Koleos.

Restyled front and rear

At first glance, it has a very strong presence and stance. It has taught yet smooth lines for an SUV that has off-road capabilities. The newly designed front grille adds to this ‘aesthetic’ presence with the signature Renault C-shaped daytime running lights as well as full LED headlamps. This gives a state of robustness and high status.

Renault Koleos Dynamique

The New Koleos is available with Pure Vision Full LED main- and dipped- beam lights. For significantly enhanced night-time visibility, this technology provides a beam that is 20% more powerful than that of halogen headlights.

At the rear, the unique LED taillight that runs the entire length of the boot, from side to side, adds to the attractive appeal of the SUV. This amplifies the impression of width and draw attention to the centrally-positioned Renault diamond. The chrome moulded exhaust is embedded into the rear bumper.

What’s your mood?

The interior of the Koleos ensures the wellbeing of passengers and once seated either in the drivers’ or passenger seat, you get the impression of being submerged in quality. For example, the new Koleos features a stylish satin-finish chrome for the steering wheel inserts, gear lever and air vent surrounds, along with pleasant-to-the-touch finish for the centre console.

Another eye-grabbing feature, and one that I love, is the customisable LED cabin lighting, with a palette of hues ranging from green and blue, to yellow, red or violet, to complement the mood of the driver and/or passengers.

Another innovative feature worthy of premium models is the front cup holder that can be chilled or heated. Now that’s a great addition!

The spacious cabin is complemented by a large configurable boot (464l) and numerous storage solutions. Handles easily located in the boot enable the Easy Break system, allowing the 60/40-split rear bench to be folded instantly to free up an impressive total carrying capacity of 1,795 litres.

High-end equipment

The Koleos is at the forefront of the SUV world and offers a host of high-end equipment and features. An extra-large touchscreen with exclusive Renault R-Link2 functionality for an enriched driving experience. Voice recognition for onboard GPS navigation, hands-free telephony and radio.

There are Apple CarPlay and Android Auto allowing compatibility for smartphone mirroring. There's also a Rear Parking Camera, for ease of manoeuvrability, and Cruise Control and Speed Limiter.

Off and On Road capability

We were perhaps lucky that at the launch, there was a moderate fall of rain probably enough to put the new Koleos through its paces in the dirt and mud. It handled with ease and not once did we expect to get ‘bogged’ down in the mud. The ground clearance of up to 210mm adds to the SUV appeal of the vehicle, which is amongst the highest in the market. You know that you are sitting high up, and this adds extra confidence when crossing small rapids and muddy terrain.

Unlike many competitor models, the new Koleos features a control switch that allows drivers to choose the transmission mode. Very easy to use, it is situated to the right of the steering wheel and enables the driver to select one of three modes, viz 2WD, 4WD AUTO or the exclusive 4WS LOCK.

In 2WD mode, the Koleos runs with front-wheel drive, irrespective of the conditions, for optimised fuel consumption. In 4WD AUTO mode, the ALL MODE 4x4-i system permanently analyses conditions and grip levels and uses the information provided by its sensors to calculate the ideal front/rear torque split. When travelling off-road or in conditions where grip is at a premium, such as mud, dirt or sand, the 4WD LOCK mode allows the driver to engage permanent four-wheel drive at speeds of less than 40kph to distribute available torque equally between the front and rear axles (50/50).

On tar roads, we were able to get into a high gear very quickly. Equally impressive was the braking as we were able to decelerate with relative ease.

Range offering

The Renault Koleos is currently available in two trim levels – Expression and Dynamique.

The Koleos is powered by a 2.5 Petrol Engine CVT (4x2 & 4x4), with a power output of 126kW, 233Nm of Torque, CO2 emissions of 188g/100km and controlled fuel consumption of 8.8litres/100km.

Peace of mind

As is the case across Renault’s entire product range, the new Renault Koleos comes standard with a 5-year/150,000km mechanical warranty; plus, a 5-year/90,000km service plan and a 6-year anti-corrosion warranty, with service intervals at 15,000km.

Verdict: A value for money that ticks all the requirements of an SUV. On and off-road capabilities were impressive indeed. It comes complete with all the bells and whistles.

Range and pricing

The Renault Koleos Range offers 3 derivatives:

• Koleos Expression 2.5 CVT 4x2: R399,900 (incl.)
  
• Koleos Dynamique 2.5 CVT 4x2: R439,900 (incl.)
  
• Koleos Dynamique 2.5 CVT 4x4: R 479,900 (incl.)