By: Dave Abrahams
Beijing Motor Show, China - Renault has moved its second-generation Koleos SUV, revealed this week at Beijing, sharply upmarket.
What was a C-segment crossover has become a D-segment SUV, 4670mm long on a 2710mm wheelbase, 1840mm wide with switchable and lockable all-wheel drive, 213mm of ground clearance, and approach and departure angles of 19 and 26 degrees respectively, to give it some serious off-road cred.
That's emphasised by aluminium roof bars, protective mouldings on the doors and large-diameter rims - up to 19 inches, in fact.
It's a new shape, derived from the Talisman luxury sedan, based on the CMF-C/D platform which it shares with the Talisman, Espace and Kadjar, as well as the Nissan X-Trail and Qashqai, and in a number of markets, including China, it will be Renault's flagship vehicle.
Depending on the market, it will be offered with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines, with power ratings ranging from 96kW to 127kW, driving via either a six-speed manual or X-Tronic automatic transmission.
Its All Mode 4x4i system is controlled by a switch on the dashboard to the left of the steering wheel that lets you swap from front-wheel to all-wheel drive on the fly, with the system automatically splitting the torque between front and rear axles. For slow going on rough terrain, a third mode, 4WD LOCK, locks out the centre differential to split the torque 50:50 between the axles.
Also read: Renault reveals chic luxury sedan
The front seats of the new Koleos are derived from those of the Talisman - although they'll put you and your navigator 150mm higher off the ground - with six-way power adjustment, heatable squabs and backs, variable-density foam and built-in ventilation.
The seats and armrests are trimmed in leather with contrasting top-stitching, set off by padded finishes on the dashboard and door panels with satin-chromed trim elements on the steering wheel, gear lever and air-vents. And of course, what French vehicle would be complete without a huge, opening glass panel (almost a square metre of it!) in the roof?
The cargo bay has a flat floor level with the tailgate sill - but a removable floor increases it to 624 litres, and folding the 60:40 split rear seat-backs expands that to 1690 litres.
Driving functions are displayed on a seven inch colour screen behind the steering wheel, while the new Koleos connects with the outside world via either a seven-inch landscape or 8.7 inch portrait display that recognises the same finger gestures (two-finger zoom, scrolling, drag and drop) as a tablet.
Gadgets galore
It controls the 12-speaker Bose sound system, 3D navigation display, rear-view camera and live streaming via Bluetooth, USB port, 3.5mm auxiliary jack and, on some models, an SD card slot, recognisse your voice and reads your e-mails aloud to you.
Driver aids include active emergency braking, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition with over-the-limit speed warning, blind spot monitoring, safe distance warning, fatigue alert (is this a car or a virtual mother-in-law?), automatic headlight dipping, front, rear and side parking sensors and parking assist.
The new Koleos is under consideration for South African launch in 2017. And yes, Cyril, the launch video was shot in Cape Town.