New Car: Renault Koleos 2017 review
Renault already has a successful family SUV on its books with the Kadjar. Now the French brand is aiming higher with the more spacious and luxurious stablemate to that car, the Koleos.
There are six models in the line-up, with a choice of two diesel engines, front- or four-wheel drive and a manual or automatic transmission. The entry-level engine is Renault’s 1.6-litre dCi unit, producing 129bhp; this motor comes with front-wheel drive only, and a six-speed manual transmission - but you can have it with either of the trim levels, called Dynamique S or Signature Nav. It is, by some way, the most efficient option in the range, with official CO2 emissions of 128g/km.
Step up to the 2.0-litre 172bhp diesel motor and you get four-wheel drive as standard, and the choice of either the six-speed manual or Renault’s CVT automatic gearbox, called X-Tronic. This unit emits 148g/km of CO2 if you’re changing gear yourself, or 156g/km if you’re allowing the car to do the work for you.
Renault UK sees the Koleos as its de facto range-topper, so both trim levels get plenty of kit. Dynamique S brings part-leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, auto lights and wipers, a 7-inch touchscreen R-Link 2 infotainment system (which now includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity), 18-inch alloy wheels, and heated and folding side mirrors.
Our test vehicle wasn’t exactly to UK spec - a front-drive 2.0-litre automatic, and in the even plusher Initiale Paris trim level that British buyers won’t get until 2018. Still, Renault’s Finnish test route still gave us a good opportunity to try the combination of that CVT transmission and the 172bhp engine.
And the news is good. The high-powered diesel feels comfortable with life, picking up pace quickly when required and then sitting at 70mph with barely 2,000rpm showing on the Koleos’s digital instrument panel. It’s a smooth performer, with no real metallic twang to speak of when you’re revving it up, and nothing more than a background thrum when you’re cruising along. There’s not much wind noise to speak of, either - a fair achievement, given the Koleo’s size and its hefty side mirrors.
The 2.0 is expected to be the more popular choice with British customers, but anyone opting for the front-drive 1.6 shouldn’t feel particularly hard done by. A shorter drive in this model showed that it has enough power and torque for sensible progress, and that it’s hard to perceive much of an impact on refinement. If anything, the steering is slightly sweeter, and while the manual gearbox has a slightly long throw, it’s slick enough if you go for positive shifts.
These are the margins, though, that can make the difference to customers in what is already a crowded, cut-throat market. Renault’s curious decision to only offer five seats could be another; it believes that the seven-seat Grand Scenic will continue to satisfy demand in this area, but the pace with which customers are deserting MPVs for SUVs would suggest otherwise.
The final factor will be pricing - and in particular, the monthly figures. Renault is already offering a deposit contribution that helps keep the numbers down - to the point, in fact, where based on the same downpayment, a high-powered four-wheel-drive auto Dynamique Koleos could be a few quid per month cheaper than a less powerful five-seat Kodiaq. And that’s when things get really interesting.
Source sound:[ Ссылка ]
Thanks for watching video. like, share and subscribe channel:[ Ссылка ]. Please!!!
