French Flair Lifts Koleos

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday November 15, 2008

Jaedene Hudson & Richard Blackburn

HE The Renault Koleos is one of the finalists in our Drive Car of the Year Awards, so we've been driving it back-to-back with its main rivals this week. Funny thing is that one of its main rivals is actually the same vehicle underneath. They look completely different, but the Koleos and the Nissan X-Trail share the same underpinnings and engines. What did you think of the French version?

SHE It's interesting because the pair not only look different but drive quite differently as well. The Koleos we're testing is the diesel, while the X-Trail we've got is the petrol. I found the diesel works really well, although it is a little noisy. Which engine would you choose?

HE It's a tough one . . . the diesel is more economical but the petrol is a bit livelier for the X-Trail, especially with the continuously variable transmission, which keeps the engine in its sweet spot for longer. It's amazing how two cars that share so much can feel and look so different, don't you think?

SHE From the outside, the Nissan has a more rugged, boxy look, while the Renault has a distinctive style and the differences carry over inside as well. The Koleos definitely sports some French flair and I thought had quite a nice cabin ambience, while the Nissan felt more downmarket and bland.

HE I agree, the Koleos is definitely more stylish and I love the really clever touches in the cabin, such as the under-floor storage behind the driver and passenger seats and the bottle holders in the rear doors for the children. But it'd want to feel a little special, because it's $3000 more expensive than the equivalent X-Trail.

SHE I think the quality of the fabrics and surfaces and the general presentation and layout of the Koleos warrants the extra money. My big gripe is the way the Koleos drives. I thought the body roll was pretty ordinary in a car of this size, the steering is vague and the suspension is underdamped.

HE Well, I wouldn't say I was a fan of the way it drove. You hit the nail on the head with the steering and suspension - it floats around a fair bit over highway bumps and the steering wheel doesn't always feel that well connected to the wheels. But it's a family car and driven at family-friendly speeds it feels comfortable and acceptably composed.

SHE I was driving at the speed limit and it didn't feel composed to me. The other interesting thing about the Koleos and the X-Trail is that while they have the same safety equipment and are essentially the same underneath, the Koleos scores five stars in independent NCAP crash testing and the X-Trail only gets four. Go figure.

HE It does seem a bit strange, and it's even more bizarre when the X-Trail's smaller brother, the Dualis - which is the third car to come off this same platform - scored the highest-ever crash test rating from Euro NCAP (36.8 points out of a possible 37).

SHE The test results show that the discrepancy is in the front-on (offset) crash where the Nissan scored 9 points and the Koleos scored 13 out a possible 16 points. But to be fair, both the Koleos and the X-Trail are well equipped with standard safety features, including six airbags and stability control. For me, that probably wouldn't be enough to sway me from the Nissan. What about you?

HE I'd go for the Renault and put up with its faults. That means it's a tied verdict.

SHE Lucky there are seven more judges on the Car of the Year panel.

HE And two more cars, the Subaru Forester and the Volkswagen Tiguan.

The car Renault Koleos

The price $39,990

Vital statistics 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel, six-speed automatic.

Consumption and emissions 8.3 litres per 100km, 221g/km.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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