2009 Renault Koleos Review and Road Test
March 11, 2009 by Paul Maric
2009 Renault Koleos Dynamique Petrol 2WD Road Test and Review
Will this frog’s price and versatility appeal to the masses?
Model Tested:
- 2009 Renault Koleos Dynamique 2WD petrol, six-speed manual – $29,990
Options:
- None fitted.
Affordable; good engine; brakes.
Handling; off-road ability.
CarAdvice Rating: 
- by Paul Maric
When the French set out to create something, it’s often unique and quirky. Take the Citroen C6 and C4 Picasso for example, they do the job in their own unique way, making the drive interesting – if nothing else.
That’s why the Koleos is such a run of the mill car. It’s built as an SUV and does everything like any other SUV does. It was with keen interest that I jumped behind the wheel to see just how well this French soft-roader would fit into the already crowded Australian market.
Clutching the credit card styled key was an interesting start. It’s certainly compact in comparison to a regular car key, but its versatility carries a big question mark. Where exactly do you put it? If you put it in your pocket it protrudes when there is anything else in your pocket and it’s impractical to place on a keychain with any other keys.
Either way, it was interesting and the start of plenty of other interesting aspects associated with this car.
The interior is what you come to expect of the French, there are buttons absolutely everywhere and as with most Renaults, some are placed in totally odd locations. Take for example the speed limiter/cruise control switch, it’s located next to the engine start/stop button.
Once you spend a bit of time with the car, you become familiar with the location of all the buttons. Although frustrating at first, they become second nature relatively quickly.
The sound system which comes standard in the Koleos is an impressive unit. It’s only a four-speaker unit in the Dynamique being test driven, but the Privilege comes with a seven-speaker sound system with sub-woofer.
Curiously, the stereo controls are located behind the steering wheel and are another one of those things which take time to get used to before becoming second nature.
A trip to the airport was in store for our petrol Dynamique test vehicle. This gave me a chance to test the car with a full load of passengers and luggage.
The front seat passenger had plenty of leg room with minimal intrusion from the front wheels. The rear seat passengers were a little bit limited in comparison though. The height of the floor caused their knees to touch the seat backs. There was ample head room though, due to the Koleos’s higher roof line.
Luggage for one international guest was easy to fit in the boot. The split opening tailgate made easy entry for luggage, but the rear wheel arches were a bit intrusive, making horizontal space slightly limited. The boot floor was also quite high to accommodate the spare tyre, this compromised slightly on vertical space.
As the Koleos is built in Korea, I was expecting a ghastly combination of rough plastics and poor build quality. But, it was surprisingly well put together. The dashboard plastics feel sturdy and well built, it would have been anyone’s guess as to the car’s origins.
Let’s move onto the driving experience. Our test vehicle was fitted with the six-speed manual gearbox, coupled to the 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine.
With a car load of passengers and luggage, the Koleos was surprisingly pokey and responsive. It needed to have each gear revved out considerably, but there weren’t any points where I felt it was struggling with the load.
The manual gearbox and clutch are very fluid and easy to operate. It’s the type of car that could be driven by anyone.
The only real issue with the Koleos is the way it handles – or doesn’t. The body roll is quite vicious, to the point where it feels awkward to push the car into a corner, both intentionally and unintentionally. As you turn in, the car begins to roll on the outside wheel and just keeps going.
After the considerable body roll is done, it begins to understeer if you get onto the throttle. It’s this type of behaviour that makes this car quite disappointing in comparison to the rest of the vehicles in its class. No other SUV in the same price range handles like this.
The situation is hampered even further with a finicky stability control system that doesn’t know whether it’s coming or it’s going. There are points where it will apply vicious amounts of braking and times when it will let things slide.
Steering and braking is impressive in both regards. Accurate steering response and agility make it equally easy to deal with on the open road and in the city.
Although styling is subjective, I don’t mind the design. It looks far better in the metal than it does in pictures – I promise!
The French are known for loading their cars with safety features. You can expect to find Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), ABS brakes with EBD and Brake Assist, eight-airbags, engine immobiliser and active head restraints as standard across the range.
The Koleos is relatively useless off-road. Like most of its competition in this price range, the fartherest they will go off-road is pot-holed bitumen or dirt covered roads. Strangely enough, the diesel four-wheel-drive version of the Koleos has 18mm less ground clearance than the two-wheel-drive petrol variant – which is still rather limited at 206mm.
But, you can’t expect a car like this to succeed off-road. This type of vehicle is built for very mild off-road use. Having higher expectations is fruitless.
Under the bonnet lies Renault’s 2.5-litre, four-cylinder engine. Producing 126kW at 6000rpm and 226Nm at 4400rpm, with recommended premium unleaded petrol, the engine is coupled to either a six-speed manual gearbox, six-speed automatic (diesel) or CVT (petrol).
The Koleos range comes in two variants – the Dynamique and the Privilege. Each grade can be optioned with either the 2WD or 4WD drivetrain.
Prices begin at a reasonable $29,990 for the six-speed manual 2WD petrol Dynamique and end at $41,990 for the CVT automatic petrol Privilege.
It’s hard to fault the Renault Koleos when you look at the price and the package it offers. That is until you start driving it. It’s let down entirely by the appalling handling. It really needs to be fine tuned before it can be considered as a real competitor in this price range.
It’s a tough market and one that is harsh on contenders that don’t step up to the plate. Take one for a test drive though and form your own opinion. For me, it just doesn’t cut the mustard, no matter how French it is.
CarAdvice Overall Rating:
How does it Drive: 
How does it Look:
How does it Go:
Specifications:
- Engine: 2488cc four-cylinder
- Power: 126kW @ 6000rpm
- Torque: 226Nm @ 4400rpm
- Induction: Naturally aspirated
- Transmission: Six-speed manual
- Differential/Driven Wheels: Front wheel drive
- Brakes: 320mm front/292mm rear
- Top Speed: N/A
- 0-100km/h: N/A
- 0-400m: N/A
- CO2 Emissions: 230g/km
- Fuel Consumption: 9.6-litres/100km
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 65-litres
- Fuel Type: 98RON petrol recommended
- EuroNCAP Rating: Five-star
- Airbags: Eight
- Safety: ABS Brakes with EBD, BA and ESP.
- Spare Wheel: Full size
- Tow Capacity: 2000kg braked/700kg unbraked
- Turning Circle: N/A
- Warranty: Three-year/150,000km
- Weight: 1553kg
- Wheels: 17-inch alloys with 225/60R17 tyres
Print it: 
Don’t forget it is made in Korea, so how does it compare to Kia Sportage and the Hyundai offerings in build quality and value?
looks like the front has allready had the ancap test done…
So let me get this straight.
- Doesn’t handle on-road
- Doesn’t go well off-road
That is a big fail in my books….it should be one or the other, not neither!
Renault has always been on and off with their suspension tuning for Australian delivery cars, would explain the odd on-road behaviour.
Saw one the other day, it looked odd. Mind you, the berk driving it seemed extremely confused himself; maybe its just the French-ness of it all =p
The question has to be asked. Is made in Korea really such a downgrade from made in France? Maybe from a percieved quality perspective but I’m not so sure on durability and defects front.
I guess it would be like buying something fashionable for example. You would pay heaps for a perfume that was made in France. If Koreans copied the same fragrance, they woudln’t be able to command one tenth of the price. And you probably wouldn’t buy a Korean perfume either, unless it’s in a 2 dollar shop. Same principle applies to their cars I’m afraid.
Well I’d rather one of these over a Rav4 or an X Trail, but I would definitely have a Tiguan before this.
Dan Says: For example; you would pay heaps for a perfume that was made in France. If Koreans copied the same fragrance, they woudln’t be able to command one tenth of the price.
I agree Dan.. but Toyota still charge a premium for the Hilux SR-5 even though its built in Thailand.. so what’s your point?
When buying a car as with buying electrial equipment or even perfumes you are paying ,ostly for the name and the reputation that is all
The research and developmetn work that went into the car isn’t that relevant as a number of cars [like those from VW] share platforms and other components throughout their range from Skoda all the way through to Lamborghini
As the boss at the Holden Factory says; These days everyone has the same or similar robots….
Wheelnut,
i dont totally sgree.
sure you pay a little extra premium for the name if its well renowned, but an element of still getting what you pay for still applies.
You aint gonna convince me that im just paying extra for the name when i buy Hienz baked beans over Homebrand baked beans.
OR
You wont convince me that Im purely paying a premium on the Makita name when i purchase it over an Ozito
And if they all use the same robots, why is the Hyundai Getz not even a spot on the Fiesta???
Hagar Said: “Don’t forget it is made in Korea” …
I say: Don’t forget most of Honda cars are made in Thailand..
Made in Korea is much better than made in Thailand..Agree with me?
Andrew I’m not saying that The cost of R&D doesn’t matteranymore.. it does.. just not as much
Now that more car companies are following VWs lead and sharing platforms etc they are able to recover the R&D costs more quickly as they are spread over 2-4 or even more cars than just one particular model.
Which means that whilst you are still paying for the leading edge technology and innovation; because there are a number of cars which share various parts [Skoda-VW-Audi etc] A3you’re not paying as much for all those features as you used to or you would if the car had more “unique” components etc
Thing is there are a number of cars which despite sharing components have increased in prioe because they know that certain people are influenced by the badge more than what the car can actually do.
Not only that – there is so much duplication and replication around that the parts are cheaper but still the prices stay the same mainly because of the name; the badge or the reputation
The fact that some people on here have the opinion that one make is somehow superior to another proves my point
They hear a name and that makes them think a certain way because they have pre-conceived ideas about what its like or waht it would be like – even though some of them never have or never will try one let alone by one.. be it a Car TV Drill or whatever.
Wheelnut said – “They hear a name and that makes them think a certain way because they have pre-conceived ideas about what its like or waht it would be like – even though some of them never have or never will try one let alone by one..”
Same way like what Wheelnut, Bavaria et al have pre-conceived ideas about Toyota? ;)
WHat’s sharing components at VW got to do with Koreans?? Totally irrelevant to this.
What does where it’s built have to do with anything? If it’s built well (I don’t know if it is, I can’t be bothered reading the review) it’s built well and that’s it. It doesn’t make any difference where it’s built just as long as they do a good job.
Paul,
This review surprised me. Your thoughts of the Koleos are fairly different to some other reviews I’ve read of this SUV. First of all, the Koleos (4×4 variant obviously) has good off-road ability according to every other review I have read. I don’t know how your opinion has differed to such an extreme. Using Nissan’s 4WD technologies derived from the X-Trail’s 4×4-i system (Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control ect), and having the obvious advantage of high approach and departure angles as well as ride height (easily tops that of the VW Tiguan for example)
And the claim that “The body roll is quite vicious” is also odd, as I have heard this car has a only a little body roll, and somewhat firm suspension, but the fact that it was “vicious” seems a little exaggerative to me…
Lastly, in the review you said that “No other SUV in the same price range handles like this”, and I was thinking how thats strange to say considering some of your only cheaper options are the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tuscon. The VW Tiguan and any other natural competitor to the Koleos would require a fair hike in the pricing. So I don’t know if you think this car should be even cheaper or not??
I totally agree.
One of the reasons i bought a Koleos was because all the reviews I read said it could actually go off road. It can.
I have had it now for six months and it sounds to me like the guy that wrote this review was driving a different car or actually hasn’t driven one yet and is making up a pile of crap to fill his slot.
It has all the attributes of an X-Trail but with smaller overhangs, how can it not perform?
Why are we cursed with such poor motoring journalists?
It’s not rocket science.
Have to agree Steve-Poyza,
sounds to me like the Author had it for the weekend and took his mate
to the airport, took it for a blat to the supermarket, trying to drive it like
an EVO and then gave it back.
This flies in the face of a growing body of evidence to the contray.
The petrol 2.5 is in fact a Nissan unit not a Renault as is the complete
drivetrain. The dCi engines are Renault and apparently world class.
Compared this car recently with Tiguan and this won hands down.
Yeah agree, I tried tiguan, CX7, and outlander and the Koleos won in every area.
Tiguan was gutless unless you got the 147KW model, has a spacesaver spare and once you added any kind of options the price was very exxy. It comes standard with 16″ wheels on the base model that look ridiculous.
Outlander was good quality but a touch boring, the new evo nose looks a little bit of an after thought.
CX7 wasn’t bad if you went for the classic sports or luxury sports, but you see 50 a day on the roads.
Koleos is very smooth to drive, I didn’t notice the roll at all. Some quirky interior features, but I am still considering the Koleos above any of the others for value.
Nothing wrong with made in Korea, I am asking how it compares to Hyundai and Kia, I think they are quality products. Also I would not like to buy a Euro badge car and then find out it is not, so they must be more transparent with us. As long as you are happy with the car and buy it knowing all the details, go for it.
Personally, I’ve not had good experience owning/driving French cars. Yes they are quirky but they are also terribly unreliable especially when the car is built outside France. I guess I won’t be going to a Renault dealership to book one soon.
Quite agree with you, we’re on our fourth froggy motor with a list of fault that would wrap the world twice. THe worst was a 2003 Luguna Initial. What a pile of “$*# that not even Renault could get to run smoothly.
I doubt you ever owned a Laguna if you can’t even spell it.
If French cars are so bad why have you had four?
Cut the crap and get real.
This is the only review I have seen for the 2wd so I will be going with these comments until otherwise.Having driven a 4wd version I was also suprized about lack of handling on the road, it may be fine off road but you cant really get a sales person to let you go offroad
Well, I have read every word, column and article on the Renault Koleos. Some just can’t think of anything good to say because they’re ‘hooked’ on some other vehicle so don’t take notice of them. Others give a more honest review of this vehicle. A true test is in the purchase, and that’s just what I’ve done. I purchased the petrol 2WD Dynamique. Had no requirement for the 4WD.
Have to say I LOVE MY KOLEOS!! It has so many standard benefits that are only options in other SUV’s in the same price range. And remember guys this has a 2.5ltr engine, runs rings around the Dualis and other four cylinder SUVS on the road, remembering its price bracket. What’s more it doesn’t look like a box on wheels like the XTrail. Love the double opening rear and the ‘full’ size spare alloy wheel. I have had so many people ask with interest about my Koleos, many new nothing of this SUV as they are still new to the market. I think I’ll start charging in the car park for answering questions on my good looking, nice to drive Renault Koleos! I personally think it handles well, it’s not a sports car, not a truck and best of all not a problem!!
Go on, take one for a test drive.
Agree 100% with Converted. I too have read every article there is on the internet for this car, then went and bought one last month.
I am a car nut, and before changing my car every few years, do my homework well. The Koleos is a really good car. Every time I take it out, it is an absolute dream to drive. The suspension is so soft and quiet, it makes even the longest journey a totally relaxing experience. Its like driving on a magic carpet. Its also a wolf in sheeps clothing. I have ridden in one over a very rough track, and it just irons out all the undulations in a way which others I have been in don’t do. I don’t see what all the fuss is about regarding the handling. It turns into corners beautifully. And the engine is a gem. I bought the 2.5 litre Dynamique 4wd with auto trans. I am amazed at its performance. Point it at a hill even fully loaded, and it just shoots up there with little effort. I drove the competitors cars and they didn;t do this with the same panache that the Renault has. The air conditioning is one of the best I have experienced. Just about throws ice cubes at you, and had to keep switching it off till we worked out how to tame it! I have said before on other blogs, and will say it again, take one for a test drive and see for yourself.
I picked up my Dynamique 2ltr turbo diesel yesterday
I LOVE IT, responsive, little or no body roll.. yet to take it off road.. smooth lines, great interior.. lots of options and accessories.. i just love it!
I have a Koleos Privelege and it has been great. The car is uniquely styled, it drives beautifully and corners well. the interior is well appointed and certainly very comfortable and spacious.
The drive has alwways been compliant, quiet and surefooted. Good visibility all round with great seating position. The stereo is awesome.
The quality of the car is very good considering the price, we were a bit disappointed to see it getting bad review like this one, because we think it deserves a lot more.
The car came with EVERYTHING bar the sunroof and xenon lights, neither of which we didn’t think we will need. The standard equipment list is very impressive, I think it is great value for money. Furthermore, we have had no problems with the car now having had it since end of January.
The fact it is made in Korea is probably irrelevant, just like clothing brands making their clothes in China, India etc to cut down cost in order to boost profit. The interior and exterior quality of the car is very good and I would urge you all to give it a try.
Wiser/ Korean made car is much better than French made car in terms of quality and reliability…
Wiser/ So you should know that you are lucky to buy Korean made Renault car..
Once again, it is a case of doing your homework.Went to the Melbourne Motor Show with my wife and looked at every SUV going.Didn’t want anything too big or thirsty and wanted something with a nice interior.The Renault Koleous was the last SUV we looked at. To get my wife to a motor show was an achievement – to get her there twice is testimony of the quality and features of the Koleous!!
Have ordered the Privelige with all the bells and whistles
and expecting delivery any moment.
Drive one! Drive one now!!
This is really good to see the positive reviews of the Koleos. My pick would be the Privilege with the Xenons and panoramic sunroof.
Also, its nice to see the comments from all those happy owners. Renault have done well with this car. Best wishes to all the happy new Koleos owners.
Hi Guys
I too own a Koleos, after test driving most vehicles in the segment. It’s interesting reading different peoples perceptions – after reading this review I wasn’t sure the author was actually driving the same car … each to his own I suppose but being able to directly compare my own experiences with his it made me wonder about the accuracy of his other reviews..
Just to add my two cents, we looked at every competitor, Subaru Forester, VW Tiguan, Toyota Rav4 etc. but found by far the best car to be the Koleos.
Much better build quality than the Forester or Rav4, better boot space than the Tiguan, it drives a lot nicer and quieter than any of the other.
And the features in the Privilege, looking forward to the heated leather seats and the bose sound system. And yes, the full size alloy spare wheel, would hate to be off-road in the Tiguan and get a flat.
I have just been testing the 2wd Koleos for the weekend. I too am surprised by the remarks on body roll. I just took it for a burn through a winding road that I often drive in my Mazda3, and while the steering is far lighter and feedback is absent, it took corners just as quick and not feeling like I was going to lose it at anytime. My biggest complaints so far are the protruding headrest pushing my head far forward, the light feeling of the steering wheel and the 4 speaker CD/radio is pretty poor. The biggest selling point for this car is the price, I’m looking to buy a SUV because I need the room and accessibility, not to go offroad. What is the competition to this car for a 2WD at ~$30k? And do they have the features this has? This car is made for new parents. The Tiguan doesn’t compare well when it carries a space saver spare, and very limited boot space.
We have been shopping for a replacement for my wife’s 2006 XTrail and have made a conscientious decision to go diesel. This has limited our choice somewhat as the only options in the $40k range are the Koleos, Tiguan and Xtrail and perhaps the Captiva. We want an auto so that rules out the new CX7 diesel which is manual only which is a pity as we would have seriously considered one if it was available in auto.
We test drove a Koleos diesel and thought it was pretty good. Like others on this blog we felt the handling was good. Put it this way – it’s a step above our current Xtrail, and we were quite comfortable with the Koleos’ dynamics and performance except for one annoying trait – it doesn’t drop into 6th until 110k’s which is absolutely useless here in Vic where you get a ticket for a bee’s thingy over 100. you can swap it manually but why should you have to and from what I saw as soon as you switch back to auto it goes back to 5th. As the Xtrail diesel shares the same power train I suspect the same thin happened there too. Renault should address this by a software change as there doesn’t seem to be much point buying a diesel for economy if it never gets into top gear.
I personally found the dash to be uninviting and old hat but my wife didn’t mind it and as she will be the main driver I don’t see that as a deal breaker.
What’s more of a worry is the resale value predictions – even the local Renault salesman acknowledged it’s not great. Probably not an issue if you keep the car for 5 years or more but we tend to change over every 3 years, so it’s a bit of an issue for me. That said, they are offering sharp pricing.
We weren’t overwhelmed by the diesel Tiguan (nice but not outstanding) and the local Nissan dealer hasn’t got a diesel Xtrail to test drive which we’d like to drive before making a decision.
You’d have to take the X-Trail over the Koleos on resale alone. Not only price wise, but if your looking to do a private sale it becomes markedly more difficult for not-so-common cars. Many Aussies are more likely to look around for a second hand Nissan just because they are more familiar with a name.
Keep the Hyundai Santa-Fe in mind for your car hunting. A friend of mine just got an Auto (base model I think, SX?) for around the $40k mark. It seems like a very decent car, the diesel has miles of pull in it.
Yes XTrail would probably be better resale but having said that they are only offering us a trade in of $14-$15,000 on a 3 year old (well closer to 4) top of the range model 2006 XTrail that cost over $40k so their resale isn’t too flash either. no doubt would get more selling privately though. Also I’m a litle over the Xtrail boxy shape to be honest
I have found everything said here to be helpfull and usefull in my look for a SUV at 35k. No disrespect to the test review driver but it seems that they do generally want every car to handle like a sports car, flat and fast. I don’t drive that way and am put off when when the only judgements about a car are made when they are thrown around as per ‘Top Gear’. The French know all about comfort and historicly have proven they know a lot about suspensions too. So I’ll go look at a Koleos.