A few months ago we drove the all-new Renault Koleos, shortly after its South African debut.
ALSO READ: RENAULT KOLEOS DRIVING IMPRESSION
Renault hasn’t waited long to make improvements to this product, as the Dynamique version will now be sold with a Handsfree Power Tailgate and Electric Parking Brake as standard.
Through use of your remote key or placing your foot underneath the rear bumper; the motorised tailgate opens and closes automatically providing you with easy access within just five seconds to the 464 litre boot. It can also be closed automatically, by means of the close switch situated in the boot lid.
This additional enhancement replaces the manual footbrake. The electronic parking brake immobilises the vehicle when the engine is completely switched off. The brake is then gradually released according to the engine torque or a change in elevation, for added driving convenience.
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.
Pricing:
The Renault Koleos Range offers 3 derivatives –
Koleos Expression 2.5 CVT 4×2 R 399 900
Koleos Dynamique 2.5 CVT 4×2 R 449 900
Koleos Dynamique 2.5 CVT 4×4 R 489 900
Price: From R314 900
Renault has added a new flagship to the Koleos range. It’s the Koleos 2.0 dCi Dynamique Premium Automatic 4×4 and, while it ain’t cheap at R439 900, it is an attractive package, because it marries a turbodiesel engine to a sophisticated six-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive. The engine is good news, because it boasts frugal consumption. We like the gearbox, because it offers swift, smooth gear shifts. And all-wheel drive means dynamic, sure-footed handling. Its array of standard equipment is very impressive includes an integrated TOM TOM satellite navigation system.
Renault has finally gone the crossover route with its Koleos – a true multi-cultural project. designed by Renault, developed by Nissan and manufactured by Renault Samsung Motors at their Busan plant in Korea.The Koleos can be had in petrol and diesel guises, both of which feature a 4×4 drivetrain that borrows a number of components from Nissan’s X-Trail. The 2,5-litre 16-valve petrol engine develops 126 kW, while the 2,0-litre turbodiesel develops 126 kW and a handy 360 N.m of torque. Both of these engines can be mated with a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed CVT gearbox.
Measuring 4,52 meters in length, 1,85 meters in width, and with 206 mm of ground clearance (188mm in the diesel), the Koleos combines Renault’s typically svelte styling cues, such as trapezoidal headlights and crisp creases in the sheet metal, with a purposeful stance.
The sloping rear end opens in a 60:40 split that facilitates easier access to a flat-floored load bay. The cabin offers comfortable seating for five adults where comfort features include under floor storage compartments, a refrigerated centre glove box between the front seats as well as BOSE sound system. Refinement is an area in which Renault hopes to excel with the Koleos, and extra features such as an “acoustically damped” windscreen, a balancer shaft and a twin-mass flywheel for maximum refinement of the diesel engine should go some way to ensuring a quite road-going environment.
The suspension set up is similar to that of the Nissan X-Trail, with MacPherson struts up front and a fully independent, multi-link, rear set up. The All mode 4×4-I system distributes torque to where it is most needed, so under normal driving conditions only the front wheels receive torque but, when grip decreases, up to 50 percent of the available torque can be directed to the rear wheels.
Other technical highlights include a hill-hold function that grips the vehicle in place for a few seconds to assist with a smooth take-off on a steep incline, as well as a hill decent system that enables the driver to control a steady decline at a maximum speed of 7km/h when navigating rough terrain.
Like many of its Renault stable mates, the Koleos bristles with safety features such as Isofix anchorages on the outer rear seats, six airbags, ESP and traction control as standard and brakes with ABS, EBD and EBA. An additional safety feature is an electronic clutch that detects at any point a break in traction on any of the wheels.
Pricing will be announced closer to the vehicle’s arrival on the local market in October.
A driving impression of the Renault Koleos appears in the August ’08 issue of CAR.
