FIRSTDRIVE - RENAULT KOLEOS:The new Koleos is Renault's offering on the soft-roader front, but Paddy Comynsees it struggling pricewise in an already crowded field.
YOU COULD probably say there has seldom been a worse time to break into the SUV market. With the new topic of conversation at dinner parties now set to be about CO2 emissions rather than house prices, announcing that you have just picked up your new SUV might have your guests choking on their chorizo.
However, the whole changeover to VRT seems to have been ignored by a lot of manufacturers. Most of them have just made a whole lot of cars that shouldn't be cheaper, but are now much less expensive. And if the sales of SUVs in Ireland are anything to go by, there won't be a ritual burning of the soft-roader any time soon.
It is, however, starting to get a little bit confusing when you see so many entrants into this sector. When you see Citroën and Peugeot offering soft-roaders, something you never saw them do before, it seemed only a matter of time before Renault would follow suit.
But just as you wouldn't necessarily turn up to a fancy French restaurant and ask for pizza, one might not have associated French brands with excellence in off-roaders. Just as Citroën and Peugeot gained some assistance from Mitsubishi with their C-Crosser and 4007, Renault has turned to Japan for help with its offering, the Koleos.
Luckily Renault and Nissan have an alliance, and this makes the whole process that bit easier, and borrowing many elements from the worthy X-Trail has meant that the Koleos is already likely to have some considerable talents.
While the design is unmistakably Renault, with what looks like a bit of the Scenic and Mégane stuck on to an SUV, Nissan did much of the development work on the Koleos, and it is built at a Renault Samsung factory in Korea. The engines, which are both 2.0-litre diesel units with 150bhp and 175bhp are the same as you will find in the X-Trail, and there is a choice of 4x2 front-wheel-drive and 4x4 models.
Renault appears to be rather proud of the off-road ability of the Koleos, so much that they drove one from the factory in Korea right across to Turkey and driver Laurent Granier, who travelled 25,000km across seven countries in 58 days, looked somewhat bemused at being in Moyvalley, Co Kildare, driving on an off-road course that showed that the Koleos is rather useful when the going gets tough.
With the X-Trail's clever off-road system employed to good effect in the 4x4 model, buyers of that version need not worry about getting stuck in a field or on the beach with the kids.
And the worry that it is made by Renault, which hasn't enjoyed the best of records in terms of quality should be allayed by news that the quality of the Koleos both inside and out feels very good indeed. Although it must be noted that even inside the cabin there is substantial use of much of Nissan's more bulletproof switches and plastics. In fairness to Renault, it has improved its quality in its Laguna and Clio models of late, so you can expect better things from the Koleos.
This SUV will undoubtedly be aimed as a family vehicle and while it is a five-seater only, there is good space in the rear and the picnic trays that flip up from the back and the split rear tailgate will all earn brownie points from those with families. There is a generous 450-litres of boot space, and this can be extended to 1,380-litres by folding the rear seats flat, which can be done by simply pulling two handles in the rear.
On the road, there is quite a bit of body roll, so it's not as dynamic to drive as its X-Trail cousin, but it is comfortable and the engines are strong and the manual gearbox we tried was smooth. Safety equipment consists of six airbags, ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, and ESP is standard on the Monaco grade.
The two grades on offer are the Dynamique and the Monaco. The Dynamique features automatic lights and wipers, 17-inch alloy wheels, fog lamps and cruise control. The Monaco gains Xenon lights, ESP and a full panoramic tilt and slide sunroof. Prices start at €38,490 and rise to €44,490.
The Band F diesel under the bonnet has done nothing for the price though, and convincing buyers into a Renault SUV could be tricky, but at least on the surface the Koleos appears to be a worthy adversary to the main contenders.
For that kind of money you can have the likes of the seven-seater Hyundai Santa Fe for €40,500 in two-wheel-drive form, Ford's Kuga can be had for €38,995 for its top-spec model. However, more telling is the fact that you can have the entry-level diesel Nissan X-Trail for €36,950, €1,540 less than the entry-level Koleos, and you'll also pay €400 less in road tax per year too, as the X-Trail with the same engine, is a Band E car rather than a Band F.
Toyota's Rav4 2.2-litre diesel Luna also comes in cheaper at €36,330 and it too is a Band E car. With more well-established SUV brands offering lower prices and lower tax bands for their offerings, the Koleos might find itself struggling.
Factfile: Renault Koleos 2.0 diesel
Engines:1,995cc four-cylinder diesel putting out 150bhp and 320Nm of torque
Transmission:six-speed manual, front-wheel-drive
Max speed:180 km/h
0-100km/h:10.0 seconds
Fuel economy:7.2 l/100km
CO2:191g/km (Band F 32 per cent VRT/€1,000 road tax)
Prices:2.0 150bhp diesel 4x2 Dynamique: €38,490; 2.0 150bhp diesel 4x4 Dynamique: €40,490; 2.0 150bhp diesel 4x2 Monaco: €40,990; 2.0 175bhp diesel 4x 4 Monaco: €44,290; 2.0 175bhp diesel Monaco 4x4: €44,990"If the sales of SUVs in Ireland are anything to go by, there won't be a ritual burning of the soft-roader any time soon