Renault Koleos Life 2018 Review
It's well packaged and well-priced, but does the Koleos have what it takes to stand out from the crowd?What’s it all about?
Medium SUVs like the Renault Koleos have become the family car of choice for a generation of Australians – and not just because they’re “so hot right now”.
These are genuinely practical and spacious vehicles that, more often than not, represent exceptional value for money.
They’re also a lot more flexible than the average sedan, especially when it comes to hauling bulky items home from the big green shed.
But with 21 segment rivals vying for buyer attention – and Koleos sales ranking in eleventh place year-to-date – Renault’s mid-size SUV must work hard if it’s to differentiate itself from the pack.
How much will it cost?
The front-wheel drive Renault Koleos Life variant on test is priced from $29,990 drive-away and is the entry point to the Koleos range. Metallic paint costs $880 for all hues except Solid White (pictured).
In order of price, the five-model Koleos line-up includes the Zen, S-Edition, Initiale and top-spec Intens, all of which are powered by a long-stroke 2.5-litre (regular 91 RON unleaded) petrol engine mated to a continuously variable transmission. Two and four-wheel drive formats are available depending on grade, while the Koleos Intens is available optionally with a turbo-diesel engine.
Built in South Korea, and based on the Nissan X-TRAIL, the Koleos is backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with up to four years’ roadside assistance. Service intervals are set at 12 months/30,000km with capped-price servicing totalling $1047 for the first three years.
The Koleos Life rides on 17-inch alloy wheels with 225/65 series Kumho Souls KL21 tyres. A temporary or space-saver spare wheel is standard issue.
Why should/shouldn’t I buy it?
The Koleos Life has amenity and connectivity items well covered. Cloth upholstery offers manual adjustment through the usual ranges up front; the clean, monotone dashboard is home to switchgear for the dusk-sensing headlights, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control and dual-zone climate control. And in this variant a landscape-oriented 7.0-inch touch-screen infotainment array is standard; higher grade models score a larger, portrait-oriented system.
Renault’s R-LINK 2 multimedia array includes AM/FM radio, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, and smartphone mirroring for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto enabled devices. Sound is via an eight-speaker Arkamys arrangement that offers reasonable audio quality considering the list price.
The Koleos is composed over all but the roughest of surfaces and generally carries itself well through corners. The electrically-assisted steering is light without feeling hollow, and points accurately when changing direction. There’s a fluidity to the Koleos’ dynamics that is quite refreshing, the softer transition upon turn-in a point of difference family buyers will no doubt favour over the ‘sportier’ dynamics favoured by some segment rivals.
Minor changes to the Nissan-sourced 2.5-litre engine – including a higher compression ratio and lightened and friction-reduced mechanicals – see the petrol-powered Koleos deliver an economy-focussed 126kW at 6000rpm and 226Nm at 4400rpm. The unit is mated to the alliance’s XTRONIC continuously variable transmission (CVT) that provides adequate if slightly noisy progress when building pace, but quietens once the Koleos is up and moving.
Broadly, the under-square and multipoint-injected engine can feel a little lacklustre when accelerating from standstill, but noise and lack of energy is less of a concern at highway speeds or when meandering around the suburbs. And the powertrain's lean performance ultimately paid dividends at the bowser: our week with the Koleos Life returning an average of 8.3L/100km against a claim of 8.1.
When is it available in Australia?
The second-generation Koleos arrived in Australia in 2016. It was updated in April 2018 with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) as standard across the range. At the same time Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility joined the landscape-oriented 7.0-inch touch-screen infotainment array.
The Koleos scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating when tested in 2017 and features six airbags on top of the expected electronic braking and chassis control aids.
Who will it appeal to?
Family buyers are the obvious audience for SUVs like the Renault Koleos, and for good reason: the packaging on offer complements younger and smaller families well with space and comfort considerations equally well catered to.
Outward visibility is likewise a highlight, although rearward visibility is reliant on the standard reversing camera when reversing, much like any vehicle of the Koleos’ proportions.
Smaller children may struggle to climb in and out of the rear seat (ground clearance grows from 185 to 210mm for the second-generation model), but for adults the hip-point is close to ideal. The back seat is split 60:40 with top-tether and ISOFIX child-seat anchors fitted as standard.
Front-seat ergonomics are good, rather than excellent, the flat cushion and lack of lateral support a letdown in spite of the usual adjustment from the seat and tilt/reach adjustable steering column. On the plus side the cabin’s general ambience is clean and well-presented, oddment storage and drink-holding provisions taking obvious influence from the Nissan derivative. Another Nissan hallmark – one less welcome – is the foot-operated park brake.
Where does it fit?
The Koleos slots into the bustling mid-size SUV market locally alongside rivals that include the aforementioned twin-under-the-skin Nissan X-TRAIL, the top-selling Mazda CX-5, and the popular Hyundai Tucson.
Unlike some in the segment (seven-seat versions of the Honda CR-V and Nissan X-TRAIL, for example), the Koleos is strictly a five-seat proposition, but offers generous cargo accommodation, with between 458-1690 litres of baggage space. Braked towing capacity rivals most in the medium SUV class at 2000kg.
Renault says the Koleos tips the scale at 1552kg in the Life variant tested, the family-sized SUV measuring 4672mm long, 2063mm wide and 1678mm high. The wheelbase totals 2705mm to bestow the Koleos with 77mm more rear-seat knee-room than before, and a class-competitive 11.4m turning circle.
So, what do we think?
Spacious, comfortable and reasonably quiet, the Renault Koleos is also generously equipped, both in terms of its features and its after-market support. And while it mightn’t share the appeal of its top-selling contemporaries, the Koleos does so little wrong that the majority of family buyers would do well to give it a second look.
OK, it’s not the most dynamic SUV on the market, and performance is lacking when the cabin is packed full of people and baggage. But as a suburban family hauler with fuel economy returns that would shame some diesels, the Renault Koleos represents solid value for money – and we’re pretty sure that’s more important than “being really, really, ridiculously good looking”.
How much does the 2019 Renault Koleos Life cost?
Price: $29,990 (drive-away)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 126kW/226Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 8.1L/100km (ADR Combined), 8.3L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 188g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2017)
Tags
- Sharp drive-away pricing
- Roomy five-seat cabin
- Five-year warranty
- Driver ergonomics
- Foot-operated park brake
- Economy-focussed performance
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