2024 Renault Koleos Reviews

The Renault Koleos is getting on in years, but does the value-focused offering make sense against its newer rivals?

Renault is making bold claims about its "reimagined" Koleos. It doesn't look much different, has the same engine and is pretty much the same in every way. That might not be a bad thing, however.

It’s nice to have a different mid-size SUV to choose from, rather than the usual players. Renault’s Koleos is a five-seat, mid-size SUV that competes with cars like the Nissan X-Trail, Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, so it sways towards the large end of that category.I test drove the Koleos over a week where I had to go out and do a big fruit and veggie shop for the food co-op I’m in, so I really got to test how much it would hold!I was in the Koleos Zen, which is second from the bottom in a range of five. Here’s how it did over a week with my family.

The Renault Koleos is an important vehicle for the French brand, particularly in Australia. As a competitor to the likes of the Nissan X-Trail (which it's based on) and Honda HR-V, it has a tough job.

Everyone loves a sale. It could be Target or Myer or even your health-food store luring you with the promise of special prices for a limited time. In the car world, companies also like to create their own "sale" events.Sometimes it's to give a short-term boost to their results — Toyota customarily targeted the end of the final year for its biggest push. In other cases it's part of an annual branding package or a means to counter their rivals, the way Holden is doing with its "100-hour sale" this weekend. In any case, it's good news for shoppers.Renault is currently running its Diamond Event — a name chosen to reflect the shape of the brand's badge — and it's throwing everything into the mix, from drive-away pricing to free fuel vouchers. "It's the first time we've tried it. We wanted to see how it would go," says Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar.He reckons it's not just a short-term splash to clear 2013 stock and says it's about building more support for the French brand."We wanted to develop an annual branded event as a sale period for Renault. We're hoping to see about a 15 per cent spike in sales," Hocevar says. "A lot of our competitors do it.Mazda does its M Days, Audi has Openhaus, others have different deals. "It's so hard to build visibility for some of our cars, like the Koleos, but we think this will work. There is drive-away pricing and, depending on the model, low interest rates. There are also $500 fuel cards across the board."The sale pricing starts from the baby Clio at $16,990 drive-away and runs up the range with a variety of packages. Hocevar is touting plenty of good news but it's not so good on the Captur.It was expected in the middle of the year but strong European demand means the local on-sale date has slipped by a couple of months. Price: from $16,990 drive-awayEngine: 900cc 3-cyl, 66kW/135NmTransmission: 5-speed manual, FWDThirst: 4.5L/100km  {C}The Clio was a serious contender for last year's Car of the Year award and the latest Diamond pricing also makes it good buying from $17,000 on the road.It's composed and comfy, safe even without rear airbags, and a real looker. As for the Clio RS ...it's a belter. Price: from $25,990Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 126kW/226Nm;Transmission: 6-speed manual, FWD/AWDThirst: 9.5L/100km  This is a hidden gem, with a Nissan X-Trail mechanical package draped in Renault bodywork and riding on cushy French suspension. It is well priced as a suburban SUV and can be surprisingly good in the bush if you go for the upscale mechanical package with four-wheel drive. Price: Low-$20,000 (est)Engine: 900cc 3-cyl, 66kW/135NmTransmission: 5-speed manual, FWDThirst: N/A  It's not here yet, which means no confirmation of price or base engine or fuel economy but the Captur will be worth the wait. It's one of the funkiest of the new breed of mini SUVs and is aimed straight at gen-Y buyers with great colour SECOND-HANDRenault Megane Sport DCI 175 turbodieselThe first Megane to reach Australia in the early 2000s was nothing special. It had questionable looks and quality and came from a brand that was getting a renewed kick in Australia thanks to the global tie-up with Nissan, which meant low start-up costs here.But things changed massively, and positively, with the arrival of the mid‒decade update and its headline models, the RS and Cabriolet. The latter Meganes are the right choice for second-hand shoppers, with solid quality, pretty good performance and a shape that was dubbed the "J-Lo butt" after Jennifer Lopez's hindquarters. It is a car that still runs pretty strongly and has good packaging. It is backed by new-style Renault management that gives good support to dealers and owners.This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover 

The top-of-the-range Koleos is known as the Intens. It might be a silly name but it's properly loaded with stuff as long as you're happy to stump up $44,990 for the all-wheel drive petrol and $47,490 for the only diesel in the range. The Intens is quite literraly weighed down with 18-inch alloys, a 12-speaker stereo,

The second of three Renault Koleos variants, the Zen is available from $35,490 for the front-wheel drive 2.5-litre petrol.

The Renault Koleos range opens up with the Life, one of three regular spec levels after the demise of the Initiale.

The Renault Koleos puts a French spin on the mid-size SUV, using the underpinnings of its Nissan X-Trail stablemate as a base.

The Renault Koleos is a crossover, both in where it can be driven - as well as where it is built. It is a French design using a drivetrain sourced from Nissan in Japan and is built in South Korea.