2016 Renault Koleos REVIEW | On The Loose… Renault’s Impressive All-New Crossover
HEADS TURNED WHEN THE COVERS CAME OFF RENAULT’S ALL-NEW KOLEOS MID-SIZE SUV AT THE BEIJING MOTOR SHOW EARLIER THIS YEAR.
”‹That's because the smart newcomer was such a dramatic and stylish contrast with the car it was to replace, the previous generation Koleos.
To be fair, it was hardly a laggard on the sales front and more than 9000 have been sold in Australia since launch late in 2008.
But Renault says the all-new Koleos is not only good-looking, it’s now one of the longest mid-size SUVs with a wheelbase of 2705mm and overall length of 4672mm (also a major advance over the outgoing model which was one of the shortest).
The new Koleos sits on the Renault Nissan Alliance Common Module Family (CMF) chassis architecture which is shared with the stylish Espace, Talisman, and Kadjar overseas, as well as Nissan’s X-Trail and Qashqai.
Vehicle Style: Mid-size SUV
Price: $29,990 - $43,990
Engine/trans: 126kW/226Nm 2.5-litre 4cyl petrol | CVT automatic
Fuel Economy Claimed: 8.1 l/100kms (FWD), 8.3 l/100kms (AWD) | Tested: 10.0 l/100kms (Zen FWD), 8.2 l/100kms (Intens AWD)
OVERVIEW
Australia is the first market outside France to launch the all-new Koleos - Renault Australia says this highlights our importance in the global scheme of things.
Australian Renault dealers probably couldn’t give a stale baguette for "the global scheme", but they will surely know that sales of mid-size SUVs are booming right here in this market. And they'll be looking for a larger slice of the action.
This all-new contender, with muscular looks, spacious interior, extra luggage capacity, on-the-mark infotainment, plenty of technology and a simplified model range looks primed to draw plenty of showroom traffic.
In fact, Renault Australia chief Justin Hocevar says the all-new Koleos is certain to become the company’s best-selling model with expectations of retailing 200 Koleos’ per month (that’s around twice the monthly number of the outgoing model).