Beijing 2016: Renault Koleos Debuts Second Generation Model

The second iteration of the Renault Koleos SUV makes its global debut at the ongoing Beijing Motor Show.

Like its predecessor, the new Koleos is based closely upon the Nissan X-Trail, being underpinned by the CMF-CD platform, Renault-Nissan Alliance’s own version of a modular architecture like Volkswagen’s MQB or Volvo’s SPA designs.

Its close relations to the X-Trail can be seen in its external measurements. Notably, its 2,710mm wheelbase and 213mm ground clearance is very close to the Nissan’s 2,705 and 210mm dimensions. In fact, both these vehicles occupy identically-sized footprints, stretching 4,640mm long by 1,820mm wide. The X-Trail is 5mm taller at 1,715mm though.

Styling-wise, effort was expended to create as much visual differentiation as possible from the X-Trail. In fact, the Koleos was styled in parallel with the Talisman, Renault’s new large family sedan, thus ensuring a cohesive family look across the range. The stylings of both vehicles were in fact supervised by the same person, designer Alexis Martot.

“The new Koleos completes the styling renaissance of the Renault range that began with the new Clio in 2012. As a designer, the challenge was to imagine an SUV that was not only elegant, but also modern and dynamic,” said Laurens van den Acker, Renault’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Design.

Inside, the Koleos is being introduced as a five-seater providing 289mm of leg room for rear passengers and 624 litres of boot space with the 60:40 split-foldable rear seats up; with them down, the cargo hold expands to 1,940 litres. Handles allow remote folding of the rear seat backs from behind the vehicle.

On board function controls are facilitated by Renault’s latest R-Link 2 infotainment system, which can be ordered with either 7-inch landscape or 8.7-inch portrait size touchscreens. Besides providing the usual connectivity functions expected of infotainment systems today, R-Link 2 is programmed with voice recognition and also incorporates pinch-zooming, drag and drop, and swipe scrolling like a modern smartphone.

Depending on the market, the Koleos is available with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines offering outputs ranging from 130hp to 175hp mated to either 6-speed manual or continuously variable transmissions. Educated guesses suggest that the two petrol engines are the same 2.0- and 2.5-litre power plants seen in the X-Trail, whilst the diesel menu should feature a 1.6-litre unit that the Alliance also shares with Mercedes-Benz.

The Koleos is offered with a choice between front- and all-wheel drive configurations. All-wheel drive models utilize the same All-Mode 4x4-i intelligent driveline as found in the X-Trail 2.5 offering the same three driving modes – 2WD, 4WD Auto, and 4WD Lock.

The new Koleos will first go on sale in Q3 2016 in Australia, Turkey, the Gulf states, and selected African and Latin American markets. The car will then hit Mainland Chinese showrooms in the last quarter of 2016 followed by introduction in Europe and Russia by early 2017.

Globally, Renault plans to assemble the Koleos at only two locations – Busan in South Korea for all markets except China, and at Wuhan exclusively for the Chinese market.