The Renault Koleos has been unveiled in full form at the Beijing Auto Show. Renault’s flagship D-segment SUV has been totally redesigned, carrying the brand’s latest design language, a new interior and a host of new safety tech.
It’s built on the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s Common Module Platform (CMF-CD), which is the same one that underpins the Renault Espace, Talisman, Kadjar, Scenic and the Nissan X-Trail and Nissan Qashqai. Larger than the Kadjar, the second-generation Koleos measures in at 4,670 mm long and 1,840 mm wide – with a wheelbase of 2,710 mm – which also makes it longer than its predecessor.
Exterior-wise, it gets a chrome grille and C-shaped LED headlamps. The Koleos is also fitted with door-protective mouldings and up top, it gets aluminium roof rails. At the back, there are chrome inserts around the twin tailpipes, while the SUV stance is further elaborated with a high ground clearance of 213 mm.
Inside, the Koleos offers a higher driving position of 150 mm and generous rear knee room of 289 mm. The interior sees the use of scratch-resistant materials such as satin-finish chrome that’s applied to the steering wheel, gear lever and air vent inserts. The centre console is covered in a protective film, while the dashboard and door panels are wrapped in soft-touch material.
It also comes with a leather upholstery, and in addition to that, the LED cabin lighting can be customised to light up in green, blue, yellow, red or violet. Up top, there’s a large-opening glass sun roof that extends over the rear seats. The second-row rear seats can be heated and folded to a 60/40 split for more space for the 624-litre boot. A hands-free power tailgate is also standard.
As expected, the Koleos features Renault’s R-Link 2 infotainment system that’s available in a seven-inch landscape format or an 8.7-inch portrait layout, complemented by a Bose 12-speaker system. Meanwhile, a USB port, 3.5 mm jack socket, a 12V power supply and Bluetooth is also fitted as standard, while an SD card slot can be specified.
Depending on versions, the Koleos comes with six-way power adjustable front seats with heating and integrated ventilation functions. Meanwhile, a heated steering wheel and windscreen, as well as a cabin air filter can also be specified depending on the market.
The Koleos gains an All Mode 4×4 i technology, that allows switching between two-wheel drive (front) and four-wheel drive, which splits torque between front and rear wheels. In low-grip, low-speed conditions, ‘4WD Lock’ mode is also selectable. To add to its off-road capabilities, the Koleos has approach and departure angles of 19 and 26 degrees respectively.
Power-wise, the Koleos will be offered with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines with power outputs that range from 130 hp to 175 hp. All units can be mated to either a six-speed manual gearbox or an X-Tronic CVT automatic transmission.
Advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) – available depending on the market – include active emergency braking, lane departure waiting, safe distance warning, traffic sign recognition with excess speed warning, blind spot warning and tiredness detection. Elsewhere, a rear view camera, automatic high/low Beam head lights, parking sensors and easy park assist are all available.
As for manufacturing, the new Koleos will be built in Busan, South Korea, where it will head to all other markets except for China. The Koleos models for China, on the other hand will be built in the country itself at Renault’s Wuhan plant.
The SUV will be hitting 80 markets worldwide. To be exact, it will go on sale in the third quarter of 2016 in Australia, Turkey, the Gulf States and some markets in Africa and Latin America. In China, the car will make its way into showrooms in the last quarter of 2016, and will only arrive in Europe and Russia in early 2017.
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Don’t expect it to be an attractive package when it launches here. Bcs of ETCM. Wait…… Will they even launch it here???
7 seater option available?