Renault's Koleos SUV: Getting a shot of savoir faire

It shakes off some old elan as it attempts to become a better global product

This week, we have picked yet another vehicle from the hot-selling crossover SUV market. It's French, it wears a diamond (emblem), has an interesting definition on the urban dictionary website - and has come about thanks to Renault's alliance with popular Japanese brand Nissan. It's the brand spanking new 2017 Renault Koleos!

DESIGN & AESTHETICS
The first-generation Renault Koleos was around for a decade, but it was a stumpy looking thing - like a turtle in shell. And with even Korean automakers winning big with their newfangled design, it only made sense that fashion-country France had to step up its game. So here is the radically re-imagined 2017 Renault Koleos.
This is the SUV version of the handsome Talisman sedan and vice versa. and that makes sense since they were developed in parallel.
In the range topper, the standard C-shaped day-time running lights - a prominent aesthetic - cradle the set of full LED "Pure Vision" headlights, which are not only 20 per cent more powerful than halogen lamps, but are also an eye-catching set of sparkles and a segment-first. The lamps are split by a large 4-slat chrome grille with the Renault diamond emblem in the centre.
From its silhouette, it looks like a chunkier Touareg, but with some added flair of a chrome strip on the front wing that conjoins those headlamps and the door grille; fake as it may be, the grille works visually. At the rear, the exact full-width lights from Talisman have been plastered with some wannabe smoke pipes infused to the bumper leaving the actual exhaust tips hidden.
Even with such intricate detailing, the Koleos comes across as a very cohesive design. By face value alone, Renault could set the Koleos at twice its current retail price and it would sell! And with its very chic, purposeful and executive looks comes a business-card-shaped white key fob that fitted nicely into my wallet.
The Koleos adheres to all statutory SUV codes. It's got a fair ground clearance of 210mm, approach and departure angles of 19 and 26 degrees respectively; large 18-inch alloy wheels and aluminium roof bars emphasise its go-anywhere attitude. Obviously, you also sit higher than a sedan by 150mm, so visibility is good too.
Interiors are simplistic, with a clean layout - a move up from the previous quirky Euro design. The roundness of cabin architecture seen on the predecessor's metallic vents and swoopy dashboard has been replaced by large vertical air vents and horizontal trims on the dash. A large part in creating a nice ambience are the customisable LED cabin lighting, with a palette of hues ranging from green, to blue, yellow, red and purple. It may sound gimmicky, but does improve your mood and/or keep your mind engaged. The new Koleos has a Tesla-style 8.4-inch infotainment screen in a portrait format with R-LINK 2 multimedia system; the two lesser models get 7-inch of digital display but in a conventional landscape format. The steering has gained a sporty form - thanks to the flat bottom design - and plenty of controls than before, although some are not the most intuitive. The bigger change is behind the wheel. the new segmented instrument cluster comes with a customisable central dial to match the infotainment screen's 4-customisable homepage flexibility. We've also come to like large digitalised analogue clock face that it displays when on standby but weren't big fans of multimedia screen's response times. And a physical knob for the volume is sorely missed!
In terms of space, the Koleos has gone from being one of the smallest to one of the biggest motoring real estates in its segment. The 2,705mm wheelbase - for a vehicle that measures 4,673mm in length - counts amongst the longest in the class and it presents itself as a spacious D-segment SUV. The front seats can serve 6-footers and the 289mm of rear knee room is arguably the largest in the segment, while back there you can use the two USB ports to keep your gizmos charged and rear air-vents to direct a cool breeze your way. Front passengers enjoy the comforts of ventilated and heated seats - a rarity in the segment; everyone else can enjoy the view through the panoramic sunroof; however, there is no third row.

POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
The new Koleos shares its platform with its step-sibling, the Nissan X-Trail. It also gets the same powertrain, a run-of-the-mill 2.5-litre inline 4-cylinder handed down from its predecessor, which is a bit of a surprise considering that the new Talisman came empowered by a new-age 1.6-litre turbocharged engine that puts out greater power and torque figures. In any case, the 170bhp and 233Nm of torque this motor makes is perfect for short city scuttles - it will get you to the 100 km/h mark in 9.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 199 km/h. However, if you're the kind who likes to sprint from pillar to post from the comfort of the driver's seat, it can seem to run out of steam. occasionally.
Then, there is fuel economy. Renault claims that the Koleos will do 8.3L/100km, while emitting only 192 grams of C02 per km. However, in our tests, we were averaging a modest 11-12L/100km, so you can expect the 60-litre tank to take you past 500 km, not more. And in all the drive, the fuel-saving X-Tronic CVT wasn't too obtrusive between shifts; but there is some engine drone.
For the most part, the Koleos runs on the front wheels to save fuel, but with the available ALL MODE 4x4-i system in auto mode, it can send 50 per cent of torque to rear when it senses a loss of traction; in the 4WD LOCK mode, it leaves four-wheel drive permanently engaged, but limits speed to 40km/h. As per our advice, it is best suited for mild off-road routines and not meant for tackling serious dirt.
With the combination of MacPherson struts upfront and a multi-link rear set up, the Koleos manages agreeable road manners. There is some body roll around quick corners but the cars stays planted for the most part, while keeping the ride compliant. Some sound does permeate the cabin though.

FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY
It's good to see a Bose-branded 13-speaker audio system in the top spec model. It's a good and loud system, perfect for your sing-song en route work, but you won't need a tuning fork to notice some pitch or note discrepancies. The rest of the models get an 8-speaker Arkamys system.
The 55-litre boot gives it a lavish back end; there is space for a year's worth of groceries or to carry a family's luggage to the airport. It comes with both a clever removable flat floor and tonneau cover to blanket your items. "Easy Break" handles located in the boot enable the 60:40-split rear bench seat to be folded in a flash, freeing up 1,690 litres - largest in its class, perhaps. But that's not all; upfront, you get a 11-litre glove box, which will fit more than just the instruction manual and an accommodating 7-litre centre cubby.
In the time we drove, the automatic climate control worked hassle-free and the two-zone control does help maintain individual temperatures for the left and right sides. On the safety front, you have Blind Spot Warning, ESP with Hill Start Assist, ISOFIX points of two child seats in rear, a tyre pressure monitoring system, Brake Assist and airbags for the driver and passenger.

VERDICT
Our near 300 km test drive of the 2017 Renault Koleos wasn't anything remotely close to the 1,100,000 km of intensive testing by Renault's test centres, but we can quite easily say that Renault deserves a pat on the back for a job well done. The new SUV is a good looker alright, one that won't shy away from the stage and with the larger size comes roomier interiors. You don't have to distress over minor plastic bits and glitches in the infotainment experience, because as an urban people carrier - it shines like a diamond. Renault's diamond!  
wknd@khaleejtimes.com

• On The Road