Renault Koleos

Renaults second product after the Fluence will be the most expensive offering from Renault in India.

Renaults second product after the Fluence,the Koleos,will be the most expensive offering from Renault in India,at least for the next two years. Based on the Nissan X-Trails C platform,its a five-seat monocoque SUV thats been in production since 2006. This is the facelifted version of the Koleos,with India being the first market in the world to receive this updated version,even before China.

Open the door and the first thing that strikes you is Bose written on the door sill. However,the Bose audio system in the car justifies this. The eight-speaker system is simply a delight for headbangers. The high-fidelity system reproduces some amazing acoustics,no matter what song you play. The best in-car entertainment system in its segment for sure.

Slip into the drivers seat and you find yourself in a typical high perched driving position common to SUVs. The steering wheel feels great,and the soft touch dashboard materials and fake carbon fibre panels are highly praiseworthy. But considering the Koleos is a five-seater and not a seven,legroom is pretty average at best. The seat-back tables,which otherwise serve well,make for a pretty hard surface resting against the rear passengers knee in case the driver/co-driver seat is slid all the way to the back. As far as luxury and flexibility are concerned,the Koleos has it covered.

The Koleos seats five in decent comfort,though a vehicle like the Hyundai Santa Fe or the Chevrolet Captiva offer more legroom in the second row despite being seven-seaters.

But the revelation is the ride quality. Throw anything at it,and the Koleos takes everything in its stride with aplomb. It can easily breeze through the toughest of road conditions. With a ground clearance of 206 mm and the 4215;4 transmission,the Koleos should be pretty capable off the road as well.

But,at times,the six-speed auto box is a bit slow and is left hunting for the right gear whenever you need to shoot past that truck on the highway.

The Koleos makes a strong case as a user-friendly SUV with its compact dimensions,automatic gearbox and a long list of equipment. However,performance is far from scintillating and the Koleos,despite its equipment list,doesnt feel as premium on the inside as its Rs 23-lakh price tag suggests. Its a smart SUV thats not so smartly priced. Hyundai Santa Fe not only has a more powerful engine,but a third row of seats as well. And the Santa Fe is assembled locally. So,there is a possibility the company may soon bring down its price even further.