By Malusi Msomi

The second-generation Koleos has been around since 2016 and Renault has spruced it up a bit. In a much more competitive segment, the Koleos aims to keep relevance. It competes with the likes of the Mazda CX-5, Nissan X-Trail, and Kia Sportage.

Exterior

On the exterior, the handsome SUV now has a more pronounced front grille, striking LED front and rear lights, chrome trim all around and a front skid plate when the beaten track calls your name. Our tester sits pretty on beautiful 18-inch two-tone wheels. The exterior updates have given it a fresher look and the design language following its smaller siblings the Megane and Clio. It’s honestly a good-looking car in our opinion.

Interior

The roomy Koleos also has some interior tweaks which include more soft-touch surfaces, satin chrome inserts on the steering wheel, gear lever and air vents. In terms of infotainment, the French SUV comes with a portrait-style 8.7-inch screen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s quite spacious and practical. The Koleos has a class-leading 289mm of knee room and a decent 458-litre capacity boot. The cabin is smart with mostly the use of soft-touch material throughout the cabin.

Engine

Powering the Renault Koleos is a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated engine that makes 126kW and 233Nm. Power is sent to all four wheels via an X-Tronic CVT gearbox. The Koleos rides well on all road surfaces. The CVT drone is apparent under hard acceleration, however, fuel economy is decent as we managed 9 L/100km from a claimed 8.1 L/100km. The naturally aspirated 2.5-litre is not great at altitude, maybe Renault should consider bringing a diesel variant (hint hint).

Final words

The Koleos is a good prospect with quite a bit of tech, it’s comfy and has loads of space. Unfortunately, it’s it is let down by the 2.5-litre engine which lacks that oomph. Pricing for the updated Renault Koleos 2.5 Dynamique 4WD starts from R634,999.

The Renault Koleos is sold with a 5 Year / 150 000km Warranty and a 5-year/90 000km service plan.