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By
JOHN CRAWFORD
6 October 2008
It must be said up front that the Renault Koleos is greater than
the sum of its parts. It is also a great achievement of global
co-operation and design. It’s what they call in the car biz, a
crossover. Meaning it can be driven in the country and in the
city, but it’s not a truck-type 4x4.
The
vehicle has been designed in France by Renault, using a 4x4
drivetrain sourced from Nissan in Japan. And it’s built in Korea
by the Renault-Samsung manufacturing plant. It’s a tri-nation
achievement.
The
Koleos is Renault’s first off-rounder, and what a beginning. It
is an excellent first try. It is thoughtfully well-designed, goes
well and is well built and finished.
A
300 km test drive in Melbourne’s rural and city environs proved
that the Koleos is competent on-road and on dirt trails, and at
home in the urban jungle dropping kids off at school, or for a
weekend visit to the hardware warehouse.
Renault
has simplified the choices with two trim levels which also differ
slightly in equipment specifications. There is the Dynamique
(Charcoal/cloth) and the Privilege (Beige/leather).
The
Koleos offers the Dynamique 4x2 (two-wheel-drive) petrol variant
with a six-speed manual, or CVT automatic transmission; or Koleos
Privilege 4x4 (four-wheel-drive) petrol/diesel models with the
choice of six-speed manual or six-speed adaptive auto.
Renault
Australia has specced the car well, with keyless card and
start-button function; automatic handbrake; dual-zone air
conditioning; cruise control; electronic child locks; electric
exterior mirror adjustment; automatically-activated headlamps and
windscreen wipers.
The
Dynamique has a single CD/AM-FM audio system and the Privilege has
a Bose-developed audio system with seven speakers and subwoofer.
Both models have an auxiliary input jack for MP3/iPod players.
The
rear tailgate is a clever ‘clamshell’ design allowing many
options for access and load-carrying. One option also allows the
front passenger seat back to fold, allowing long loads up to 2.6m
to be carried.
On
the road the overwhelming first impression is how quiet the car
is. It is well insulated from road noise and mechanical noise
(especially impressive in the diesel) is heavily muffled, and the
suspension copes with every possible road surface with aplomb and
confidence.
In
the safety stakes Renault has scored well. The Koleos has ESP as
standard, plus ABS. The car boasts a five-star Euro NCAP crash
test result, using dual front, dual side and curtain airbags.
Fuel
economy is particularly impressive for an off-roader. The
2.5-litre Euro 4-compliant petrol engine uses 9.6 L/100km (carbon
emission 230 g/km); and the 2.0-litre diesel
boasts 7.9 L/100km (manual) with 209 g/km; and 8.3 L/100km
(auto) with 221 g/km.
Renault
says it is working on further reducing carbon emissions well in
advance of both the levels, and the introduction date, for
forthcoming Euro-mandated reductions.
The
transmissions offer both Hill Assist Start, and Hill Descent
controls, which during our test worked very effectively. The
Koleos has excellent ground clearance and both good approach and
departure angles to allow easy navigation of difficult terrain off
road.
There
seems to be something for everyone in the package offerings, with
the more expensive models boasting excellent equipment levels. The
pricing range means you pay for what you need, but the standard
inclusions suggest good value for money across the range.
The
Renault Koleos is attractively-styled, performs and drives well,
with commendable economy and good safety levels. Because of its
European design it is a good blend of subtle style, genuine
off-road ability with great load-carrying versatility.
It’s
an excellent combination which seems sure to do well for this
innovative French car company.
The
complete Renault Koleos range, with prices (excluding on-road
costs) is:
Dynamique 4x2 2.5-litre petrol six-speed manual: $29,990
Dynamique 4x2 2.5-litre petrol CVT: $32,990
Dynamique 4x4 2.5-litre petrol CVT: $36,990
Dynamique 4x4 127kW 2.0-litre diesel six-speed manual: $39,990
Dynamique 4x4 110kW
2.0-litre diesel six-speed automatic: $39,990
Privilege 4x4 2.5-litre petrol CVT: $41,990
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Marque Publishing Company
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