Renault Koleos: Return to the trail

The comeback Koleos is a well-appointed and safe city wagon ... with a hint of family baggage

2016 Renault Koleos

THE original Renault Koleos didn’t do much in Australia.

Cloned from the Nissan X-Trail as a spin-off from the Renault-Nissan Alliance, it was all right but not much more.

For me, it was too small, a bit agricultural and did not have enough Renault-ness in the way it felt or drove.

Now the Koleos is back and has much more going for it. The interior is noticeably bigger and more welcoming, the driving has improved and the pricing is better, from $29,900.

Photos of the 2016 Renault Koleos

Renault Australia needs to get people to notice, then put it on the shopping list against the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, VW Tiguan and Mazda CX-5, my class favourites.

“Definitely, people are noticing,” says Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar.

“We’ve been on sale for a couple of months and we’ve exceeded our sales forecast, with around 200 cars a month. What caught us a little bit is the high take-up of the Intens, the high-spec model. We expected it to be about a 30 per cent split and it’s coming out at closer to 50 per cent.”

The Koleos is still built up from the X-Trail, at least on the mechanical side, but the cabin is more refined than I remember from the Nissan with great seats, good outward vision and plenty of standard equipment.It’s also well equipped on the safety front, with six airbags, rear-view camera and rear parking radar on the base model, and a safety pack that adds $1490.

The Intens, at $43,490, gets blind spot, front collision and lane-departure warnings. We’re still waiting to see an official ANCAP safety score.

“When you look to the segment and ask what buyers are looking for, (it’s) space, comfort, refinement and technology. And, of course, value for money,” says Hocevar.

“The reassurance bit is where we are understated. We need to shout this from the rooftop. We are coming from the position where French auto brands have not had a strong position for a long time. It’s about getting the price right, with the right equipment, and put a strong warranty in place.”

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The Renault support package is a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with roadside assist, and capped servicing at less than $900 for three years. The annual service allows for up to 30,000km of driving.

ON THE ROAD

The Koleos is a good city car that’s let down by a dozy 2.5-litre petrol engine coupled with a constantly variable transmission that makes too much noise and gives far too little response. It’s not particularly good on fuel, either. So no one at Renault should be thanking Nissan for that contribution from the X-Trail.

The test car for The Tick comes fully loaded as the Intens 4x4, which is good value at less than $50,000 with all the equipment you need, apart from auto safety braking.

On that front, I really like the rumbling noise for lane departure instead of the frantic jerking of the steering wheel in every other car I’ve tried with the technology. And I can adjust the volume for the sound, which simulates running over the “bubbles” between lanes.

There is no need to test the off-road ability for a family car, although other Carsguiders say it is slightly better than the X-Trail for approach and departure angles in the bush.

The tow rating is two tonnes, but it has only a space-saver spare.

The best thing about the Koleos is the cabin, apart from a slightly cramped back seat. The view is great, the seats are great with excellent shape and support, it’s quiet.

Photos of the 2016 Renault Koleos

I like the audio but not the slight confusion that comes every time I face up to the R-Link system in a Renault. It would be fine over time but I always seem to be bumbling through the menus on the seven-inch touchscreen.

The youngster likes the location and operation of the rear-seat air vents, the boot is roomy and I have no complaints about quality.

As a drive, the Koleos has great suspension control that means it’s smooth over bumps. However, the engine is nothing special and there are no paddles to take manual control of the transmission, which sometimes flares without providing the desired acceleration.

THE TICK

The new Koleos answers my complaints about the original and also lifts the bar a long way on overall refinement. It’s not the best car in the class but it gets close enough to justify a place on shopping lists, with the strengths for family motoring.

It is my clear choice ahead of the Nissan X-Trail, which is more than enough to ensure it gets The Tick.

AT A GLANCE

RENAULT KOLEOS

PRICE From $29,990

WARRANTY 5 years/unlimited km

CAPPED SERVICING $897 for 3 years

SERVICE INTERVAL 12 months/30,000km

SAFETY Not yet tested

ENGINE 2.5-litre 4-cyl, 126kW/226Nm

TRANSMISSION CVT; FWD/AWD

THIRST 8.1L/100km

DIMENSIONS 4672mm (L), 1843mm (W), 1678mm (H), 2705mm (WB)

WEIGHT From 1608kg

SPARE Space-saver

TOWING 2000kg