Model Update

There couldn’t be any simpler and clearer layout than what is offered on the latest Renault Koleos’s interior dash design. Simplicity and style seem to blend together to make the Koleos incredibly easy to live with, while remaining sophisticated in its appearance.

The dash is balanced, with two silver rounded air vents helping to position the centre console which boasts a red triangular hazard light switch, air-conditioning, audio system and other important switchgear. Right at the top of the central dash column is the onboard computer display, gracing the dash in a fashionable high-tech sort of way. The new Renault Koleos comes with steering wheel mounted controls for the audio, and cruise control keeps the SUV moving along nicely. There are numerous nifty storage compartments, and safety credentials for the new model can only be good – knowing Renault.

Ride comfort is excellent and, though a soft-roader, you have quite a lot of capacity for going off-road. Engines are a 2.5-litre petrol and a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.

The very pure and crisp Renault Koleos design is elegant, simple and strikingly beautiful. It rates as one of the nicest looking SUVs on the market. Renault is one of the latest car marques to bring a crossover SUV into this hotly contested and growing market sector. The appetite for crossover cars is most certainly on the increase, so it is timely for Renault to provide something a little special into the mix.

The Renault Koleos is actually based on a raised Renault Megane platform and comes with the latest-generation 2.0 dCi Euro 4 diesel engine (M9R) and the engine design is available in a choice of two power outputs. With one 112 kW unit and the other producing 130 kW, you have plenty of performance and ample power to get the job done. The engine has already has success and has been seen in Renault’s Mégane, Laguna and Espace, as well as in Nissan’s Qashqai (called the Nissan Dualis in Australia) and the new X-Trail and Renault Samsung QM5. The 2.0 dCi 112 kW models can be ordered in either the 4×2 or 4×4 versions, and will be found joined with either a six-speed manual gearbox or six-speed automatic transmission. The 130 kW versions of the 2.0 dCi engine are joined to a six-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel drive.

The pleasant Renault Koleos is a quiet drive and because engine noise is heavily insulated from the cabin, long journeys are relaxed and comfortable. There is plenty of storage space scattered through the sophisticated cabin, and even the rear seat passengers get their own individually controlled heating and air-conditioning units. The steering wheel adjusts up and down and in and out, making easily located and comfortable driving positions for all shapes and sizes simple. The easily operated controls are very practical, and the buttons for the navigation system, hands-free telephone and audio system are all within easy reach of the driver’s fingers. The new Renault Koleos is packed with goodies and can come equipped with a Navigation and Communication system which boasts a GPS navigation system with a 7 inch screen, a DVD atlas, a CD radio and controls for a hands-free Bluetooth telephone. All your standard luxury items are there.

Having had wisdom pooled from three entities, the Renault Koleos – which has been designed by Renault, developed by Nissan and built by Samsung in Busan, South Korea – is a well engineered and solid drive. Certainly Renault has enjoyed Nissan’s great knowledge of four wheel drive machines. The Renault Koleos has build quality that is excellent, and so when you drive the quiet Renault Koleos, you feel safe and confident. It is easy to let the speed creep up as Renault’s new crossover is effortless on the road. The grip and roadholding are very good for an SUV, making cornering safe and secure, particularly in the all wheel drive Renault Koleos. Hit the rough stuff and the Renault Koleos is very composed and pleasantly well planted, and assured of its line. This is a welcome experience as the car is not prone to jittering around as some lightly built SUVs will do. Off road, there are very few in its class that could keep pace with the Renault’s refined and unhindered progress. If you are unlikely to be tempted to move off the road much then you will find the slightly more fuel efficient two-wheel drive version will be the one for you.

Renault has got this one exactly right. All it needs is you to slip inside and take a look.

Current model series include:

• Renault Koleos 2.5 16V
• Renault Koleos 2.0 dCi 16V

For any more information on the Renault Koleos, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of Peugeot dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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