The Koleos delivers (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

The Koleos delivers

1:12pm Thursday 7th May 2009

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Renault and Nissan are making great strides in one of the motoring industry’s best-known secrets.

They have joined forces in an alliance which makes two relatively-small motoring manufacturers into a world force.

Yet, to you and I, they’re still very independent. Most of the bits they share are the hidden, technical parts, which means Nissan and Renault can retain their own personality.

One of the benefits for Renault has been the opportunity to add 4x4s to its ever-expanding portfolio. The French company is big on hatchbacks, saloons, estates and convertibles, but has shunned the 4x4 (or sports utility) market.

Now they’ve joined forces to build this model in Korea. Renault’s is called Koleos, and I must say for a first attempt it’s pretty good. It looks cool, it’s affordable and it has the style of, say, an Audi or BMW about it.

To be critical, you might question how long some of the trim will stay looking good. Some of it is a little plasticky, which is fine when new but which may fade in a little while. Legroom in the back is tight, too, and the steering isn’t quite as sharp as I expected.

But for a car costing from just under £18,000, it’s fabulous value.

Like all modern Renault’s, the Koleos is not your average boxy saloon, hatchback or estate car. The car’s unusual angles and bold design cues do much to help it stand out. With the prospect of people downsizing from larger SUVs or moving across from something different, Renault’s bold effort would appear – visually at least – to be in a good position.

Yes, the Koleos is unsurprisingly pitched as a family vehicle, but it’s been engineered to perform like a proper SUV, too. It’s a proper hardcore 4x4, yet it feels good on the smooth stuff, too.

For all the rugged Renault’s adventurous styling and rut-dodging ground clearance, if you don’t have the grunt, you won’t be going very far.

And in this 2.0-litre diesel unit you’ve got plenty of grunt. With its 150 horsepower, zero to 62mph sprint time of 11.4 seconds, it’s a good performer. There is a 175bhp version which takes the 60mph time to under ten seconds.

This particular engine is also very quiet and refined – exactly what you need for a car like this. In range-topping Privilege specification, the Koleos faces some stiff competition from more established players. That it looks and feels convincing both inside and out is a testament to the talents of the engineers and designers.

Anyone who has sat in the latest Laguna will feel right at home in the Koleos. Boasting a similar high-class ambience, familiar switchgear and instrumentation plus build quality significantly better than in years past, this level of consistency is most welcome.

Another welcome Koleos attribute is the way it drives. It might sound odd to make a fuss about such a thing, but it’s not every compact SUV that behaves more car-like than it really should. Anything tall is always going to be compromised; however, the Koleos manages to deliver a largely roll and pitch-free ride.

Privilege specification, as you would expect, affords you some luxuries over the rest of the range, and electric everything, nice upholstery, even nicer toys. Even Renault’s version of BMW, Mercedes and Audi’s multimedia/i-Drive-style controller – for its rather good combined sat-nav and ‘infotainment’ system – works well. Located high up on the fascia, the colour screen is big and bright, while the various functions are easily-navigated to via the stubby joystick and handy shortcut buttons.

Clever controllers and a Laguna-like cabin ambience aside, Renault’s Koleos stands out because it actually delivers on its makers’ promises. So many style over substance SUVs fall at this hurdle – possibly contributing to the negative impression some people have of cars in this sector.

In reality, the Koleos does many things well. In isolation, its numerous attributes are impressive, whether it’s the car’s premium character and cabin ambience, its appearance or its ability to stand up to the elements with its all-wheel drive system and choice of engines.

Viewed as a complete package, the Koleos could easily be seen as an all-weather family car.

It’s not too big, it shouldn’t require sackfulls of cash to run and boasts the versatility of a medium-size estate car but is easier on the eye. Style and substance – now that is worth celebrating.

PRICE: £23,001. The range starts at £17,617.

ENGINE: 2.0-litre diesel unit developing 150bhp through all four wheels via six-speed manual transmission.

PERFORMANCE: Top speed 111mph, 0-62mph 11.4 seconds.

ECONOMY: 38.2mpg.

CO2 Rating: 197g/km.

WARRANTY: Three years, 60,000 miles.

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