RENAULT KOLEOS
When Koleos was first launched
in India in 2011, Renault was quite an unfamiliar brand to most Indian buyers.
Later, the French company’s five-product plan for India secured it a place
among the heavyweights, while the prodigious success of the Duster made Renault
a household name. Now, as the carmaker’s Indian flagship gets a major makeover,
a cheaper price tag and addition of three new variants give Koleos a more
serious purpose.
Design
The 2014
Koleos carries over the design language of the model it replaces. It looks more
of a smooth crossover than a rugged SUV. The face now gets a wider grille that
stretches from headlamp to headlamp. It also houses a bolder and larger Renault
badge. While new alloy wheels and chrome side-protectors are new in profile,
rear is left untouched.
Interiors
aren’t a drastic upgrade over the outgoing model either. Although the dashboard
design does justice to SUV standards, I am skeptical about its overall quality,
especially in a car with a price north of Rs. 20 lakh.
However, the
layout of the centre console is impressive and the many buttons and dials are
easy on the eyes. You’d fall in love with the Bose music system, which
certainly is a premium touch. Six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, tilt and
telescopic steering column, dual zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers and
darkness-sensing headlamps are some of the boons for the driver. While there’s
ample space in the front row, rear legroom may be a squeeze for taller
passengers on a long trip. Absence of a third row means abundance of boot space
and the split tailgate ensures effortless hauling of large objects.
Performance
I sampled
the 4X4 trim along the winding ghats of Ooty and it comes with a new 173 PS 2.0
litre engine. It delivers 23PS more power than the outgoing model and the 4X2
in the current lineup. Maximum torque of 360Nm is available from a low 2000rpm
but it suffers from awful turbo lag below that point. The six-speed automatic
transmission is not the best in business and doesn’t downshift as quickly as
you would expect, making overtaking maneuvers cumbersome.
On the flipside, the Koleos is a
comfortable highway cruiser that takes great care of its passengers. Despite
its size, the Koleos floats above the road, swallowing every bump and pebble it
drives over.
There are very few SUVs that strike the best
balance between ride and handling and Renault Koleos is undoubtedly one of
them. There’s plenty of grip and body lean while cornering is pretty well
controlled.
During the short stint with the
Koleos, I managed to take it off the road and have some fun. It offers
remarkable off-road capabilities, thanks to the differential lock and an
automatic 4WD system that detects traction loss and switches from 2WD to 4WD.
Ground clearance, approach and depart angles etc. are greatly in favour of
off-roading, too.
Bottom-line
What really went against the first generation
Koleos was that it came in just one steeply priced variant. Renault has
addressed this with the addition of two cheaper variants – a 4X4 manual and a
4X2 manual. Yet, the Koleos will face really tough competition from Audi Q3,
BMW X1 and Toyota Fortuner, and Renault is going to have a tough time keeping
the Koleos in customers’ radar.
SENNA
