These days, a Sports Utility Vehicle no longer serves the purpose in which its category intended. More often than not, SUVs these days are seen trodding through urban landscapes more often than the picturesque outdoors. Naturally manufacturers have flooded the market with these 'soft-roaders' that are sought for their elevated ride height, space and presumed safety by Mums making school runs.
The Koleos is an example of the concept but with a minor twist. The French SUV, isn't really all that foi gras underneath. The French SUV is actually foi gras with a little sushi and kim chi thrown in. Confused by the food analogies? Ok™allow me to simplify.
Externally, the Koleos is all French but this body is served by a Nissan developed platform underneath. Now the Koleos sets itself apart by possessing a decent off-road capability from its intelligent 4WD system. This system was also borrowed from Nissan's venerable X-trail. If you thought the group hugs ended there, you're mistaken. Rather than keeping production within their own soil, Renault decided to hand off production to their subsidiary in Korea under Renault Samsung Motors in Busan. Thus the reason why the Koleos is also known as the Renault Samsung QM5 over on the Peninsula.
The Koleos is an example of the concept but with a minor twist. The French SUV, isn't really all that foi gras underneath. The French SUV is actually foi gras with a little sushi and kim chi thrown in. Confused by the food analogies? Ok™allow me to simplify.
Externally, the Koleos is all French but this body is served by a Nissan developed platform underneath. Now the Koleos sets itself apart by possessing a decent off-road capability from its intelligent 4WD system. This system was also borrowed from Nissan's venerable X-trail. If you thought the group hugs ended there, you're mistaken. Rather than keeping production within their own soil, Renault decided to hand off production to their subsidiary in Korea under Renault Samsung Motors in Busan. Thus the reason why the Koleos is also known as the Renault Samsung QM5 over on the Peninsula.
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Realising that most SUV owner's idea of outdoors is a picnic at the beach, Renault decided to remove the 4WD system from the Koleos entirely to produce a marginally more economical 2WD Koleos.
Exterior
Externally, the Koleos doesn't differ from the 4WD model leaving outsiders no tell tale clues as to the running gear underneath.
The front fascia comes with the pleasantly styled snout that you find on most of the Renault family. The grilles and body panels all taper towards the Renault insignia while the doe-eyed headlamps reminds one of similar units found on the Clio.
In the rear, the styling is also conservative with little liberties taken by the designer.
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On a whole, the Koleo's design has remained on the straight and narrow path of neutrality which incidentally also means the design isn't going to set any pulses racing. Even the brochure avoids mention of the plebeian design and instead concentrates on the features of the SUV. What the Koleos does have though is the ground clearance that has reduced kerbs and humps to nothing more than a momentary annoyance.
Interior
Hop into the Koleos and you will immediately appreciate the raised driving position where you can lord over the traffic. The front passenger and driver's seats are comfortably supportive with all the buttons on the centre console comfortably within reach of both driver and passenger. The driving position too can be availed through the reach and rake steering adjustment. Beyond the steering lies the rather dull instrument panel. The black background with chrome surrounds would've worked on the Kangoo but on the Koleos, it contributes further dullness to an already sombre interior.
The centre console is headed by an amber lit LCD screen which seems to be the norm on French automobiles. Lower down lies the digital climate control panel that allows dual zone for left and right. Sonic duties fall upon the four speaker 23W system that loads up to 6 MP3 CDs.
Although the car does come with an AUX-in function, it is however an oddity. Instead of allowing users to use the common 3.5mm headphone jack to plug in their MP3 players, the Koleos requires you to use a red and white AV cable. Nevertheless the sonic performance on the Koleos will cater to most listener's needs.
Interior
Hop into the Koleos and you will immediately appreciate the raised driving position where you can lord over the traffic. The front passenger and driver's seats are comfortably supportive with all the buttons on the centre console comfortably within reach of both driver and passenger. The driving position too can be availed through the reach and rake steering adjustment. Beyond the steering lies the rather dull instrument panel. The black background with chrome surrounds would've worked on the Kangoo but on the Koleos, it contributes further dullness to an already sombre interior.
The centre console is headed by an amber lit LCD screen which seems to be the norm on French automobiles. Lower down lies the digital climate control panel that allows dual zone for left and right. Sonic duties fall upon the four speaker 23W system that loads up to 6 MP3 CDs.
Although the car does come with an AUX-in function, it is however an oddity. Instead of allowing users to use the common 3.5mm headphone jack to plug in their MP3 players, the Koleos requires you to use a red and white AV cable. Nevertheless the sonic performance on the Koleos will cater to most listener's needs.
The remote controls for the audio are mounted on a stalk behind the steering wheel which allows for very intuitive control of the audio system. At the same time, this frees up real estate on the steering wheel allowing other important functions a place. For example the cruise control buttons are placed on the left and right spoke of the steering.
In the rear bench, seating is comfortable for two passengers though three would be a bit of a squeeze laterally speaking. Though legroom is comfortable even for my long limbed self.
The Koleo's interior is designed with the family in mind and comes with a plethora of cubby holes dotted throughout the cabin. There are storage spaces in the front door panels, underneath the rear seat floor, a drawer in the centre armrest and a chilled glovebox for keeping your drinks cool on those long road trips. Renault also put in a wide angle mirror that flips down from the roof just above the rear view mirror for keeping an eye on your little tots.
Bootspace in the Koleos is plenty with 450 litres available without sacrificing seating capacity. If you do however need the extra cargo space, the simple pull of a lever will drop the rear seats immediately. This makes loading a rather carefree affair without the need for the driver to flip the seats down manually. With the seats down, the cargo space increases to a respectable 1380 litres.
To ease the loading of cargo, Renault gave the Koleos a useful split folding tailgate that doubles as a bench when outdoors. The tailgate can take the weight of up to two adults with no problems. The tailgate also allows you to slide in bulky cargo all the way to the back of the flat cargo area.
In the rear bench, seating is comfortable for two passengers though three would be a bit of a squeeze laterally speaking. Though legroom is comfortable even for my long limbed self.
The Koleo's interior is designed with the family in mind and comes with a plethora of cubby holes dotted throughout the cabin. There are storage spaces in the front door panels, underneath the rear seat floor, a drawer in the centre armrest and a chilled glovebox for keeping your drinks cool on those long road trips. Renault also put in a wide angle mirror that flips down from the roof just above the rear view mirror for keeping an eye on your little tots.
Bootspace in the Koleos is plenty with 450 litres available without sacrificing seating capacity. If you do however need the extra cargo space, the simple pull of a lever will drop the rear seats immediately. This makes loading a rather carefree affair without the need for the driver to flip the seats down manually. With the seats down, the cargo space increases to a respectable 1380 litres.
To ease the loading of cargo, Renault gave the Koleos a useful split folding tailgate that doubles as a bench when outdoors. The tailgate can take the weight of up to two adults with no problems. The tailgate also allows you to slide in bulky cargo all the way to the back of the flat cargo area.
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Driving it
The Koleos is powered by a Nissan derived 2.5-litre powerplant that chocks out 170bhp with 226Nm of torque. Off the line, the car feels a little overwhelmed by its weight though once up to speed, the car begins to feel livelier at cruising speeds.
Ride comfort in the Koleos is excellent on the highways and doesn't feel significantly different on smaller roads. The suspension continues to perform well even on dirt and gravel tracks. Soaking up the bumps and undulations with ease.
The comfort however does come with a trade off. In the bends, the lacklustre steering feel and dollops of body roll will discourage any lateral adventures.
Despite being the 2WD version, the fuel consumption figures remain nearly identical to the 4WD. At 10.7km/L to the 4WD's 10.5km/L.
The Koleos is powered by a Nissan derived 2.5-litre powerplant that chocks out 170bhp with 226Nm of torque. Off the line, the car feels a little overwhelmed by its weight though once up to speed, the car begins to feel livelier at cruising speeds.
Ride comfort in the Koleos is excellent on the highways and doesn't feel significantly different on smaller roads. The suspension continues to perform well even on dirt and gravel tracks. Soaking up the bumps and undulations with ease.
The comfort however does come with a trade off. In the bends, the lacklustre steering feel and dollops of body roll will discourage any lateral adventures.
Despite being the 2WD version, the fuel consumption figures remain nearly identical to the 4WD. At 10.7km/L to the 4WD's 10.5km/L.
Conclusion
The Koleos might not impress with its looks but it definitely gets your attention with its practicality. Ride comfort and excellent sound insulation makes the car perfect for long road trips with the family. A five star NCAP rating also helps it make a convincing family ride.
The interior might be a little too grey for some, but it definitely doesn't suffer from quality issues. The fit and finish inside is good without any creaks or rattles during the drive. I would say the Koleos has a good chance of teasing some sales away from its Qashqai cousin.
What do you think? Jot down your opinions at the comment box below.
The Koleos might not impress with its looks but it definitely gets your attention with its practicality. Ride comfort and excellent sound insulation makes the car perfect for long road trips with the family. A five star NCAP rating also helps it make a convincing family ride.
The interior might be a little too grey for some, but it definitely doesn't suffer from quality issues. The fit and finish inside is good without any creaks or rattles during the drive. I would say the Koleos has a good chance of teasing some sales away from its Qashqai cousin.
What do you think? Jot down your opinions at the comment box below.
