The Game Of & Nbsp; Imitation: A Detailed Test Of Renault Koleos

It is there, in distant Europe, Renault cars are bright, funny and interesting. In Russia, the French have long adjusted to the harsh realities of the market and the needs of motorists, having driven us almost the entire lineup of the Romanian Daci with a diamond between the headlights. However, there are exceptions
Interior
Practicality
Technics
Riding
Equipment
Competitors
conclusions

Video: The Game Of & Nbsp; Imitation: A Detailed Test Of Renault Koleos — Video: Santana - The Game Of Love (Video) ft. Michelle Branch 2023, February

It is there, in distant Europe, Renault cars are bright, funny and interesting. In Russia, the French have long adjusted to the harsh realities of the market and the needs of motorists, having driven us almost the entire lineup of the Romanian Daci with a diamond between the headlights. However, there are exceptions

Kaptur became the pioneer of European design in Russia. Although he was almost an exact copy of Duster in iron, and in terms of finishing materials - an analogue of an old shoebox, he looked like an urban dandy, and not like a car of the chairman of a state farm. A little later, the flagship Koleos also reached us - exactly the same as in Europe. Big, full of LEDs, like Moscow on New Year's Eve … But does the Russian market need it? We find it out using the example of a diesel crossover in a configuration with the sonorous name Premium, which costs 2,337,900 rubles.

The simulation game: a detailed test of Renault Koleos

Interior

"!% 3 & @!", - blurted out an inner voice when I first saw the interior of the test Koleos. Brown leather on the seats, a huge vertical multimedia screen - almost like Tesla's! Contour lighting … It turns out, almost like the premium Germans ?! Well yes. But only at first glance.

Salon Koleos is really good. Finishing materials are mostly soft and pleasant, everything is assembled and fitted to the conscience, nothing creaks or falls off anywhere. However, in the case of a car for 2.4 million rubles, you can't count on anything else

The chairs are ordinary - they look good, the fit is comfortable, there is some kind of lateral support. Only the top-end version of Koleos will have leather and electric seats - there is even ventilation! But the pillow is short, and the profile of the backrest may seem unfortunate to some. Soplatform Nissan X-Trail has better seats

But not everything is smooth.Let's start with ergonomics: the French have finally given up the strange habit of placing the seat heating power button between the seat cushion and the door card, and now the buttons are located under the entertainment complex screen. But the key for turning on the steering wheel heating is placed in the block to the left of the steering wheel - to where the all-wheel drive control toggle switch is located, as well as the buttons for disabling the stabilization system and opening the trunk. You can't think of more logical, right?

At the same time, in the climate block itself there are places for the steering wheel heating button - as much as you want! However, instead of it, there are buttons for the Start / Stop system and the inclusion of the Eco-mode of the power unit. In winter, they are much more important than a warm steering wheel

The familiar steering wheel control panel for music also remained, but it is slightly different from the "build-up" in the budget Renault models. For example, between the volume keys there is a Mute button, accidentally pressing it - just spit. If you change to Koleos from the conditional Duster, you will have to get used to

At the same time, on the steering wheel itself there are buttons for controlling the phone, voice assistant and cruise control. But the cruise is not activated here …

… and here: on the central tunnel, right behind the transmission selector

The tidy is divided into three sections. In the center is a large and pretty 7-inch screen with four design options. Along the edges of the display there are arrow indicators for the coolant temperature and the fuel level in the tank. And now they have a lot of small and unnecessary parts

Finally, the multimedia system. In fact, it is not that big - 8.9 inches, but the vertical arrangement creates a sense of scale. In addition, on all modifications, except for the top-end Premium, the display will be horizontal and seven-inch

But the size is the size, and it will take a long time to delve into the nuances of work and the logic of its menu. About a million tabs have been sewn into the system, and the process of switching between them is not clearly organized (sometimes with a swipe, sometimes you have to click on virtual buttons). There are duplicate screens. For example, the tab that calculates the economy of your driving, for some reason, is supplemented by climate control. And the areas responsible for changing the direction of the airflow are located in it on the other side than in the main climate control tab …

The speed and response to pressing also leave much to be desired, but there are no other ways to interact with multimedia: even the volume control keys are touch sensitive. And when you want to make the music quieter, you first grab the right puck under the screen … and instead of changing the volume, you make it cooler

There are, however, and cool chips. In particular, climate control has three automatic modes that affect the intensity of the blowing. There are also several color options and brightness control of the contour lighting with a very wide range: almost like in a Mercedes

Practicality

Renault Koleos is a big guy. The wheelbase of the crossover is 2705 millimeters, and this is one of the best indicators in the class. The sister Nissan X-Trail has the same. The largest in this indicator is SkodKodiaq, and at once by 8 centimeters, but the Czech crossover can be seven-seater, while Koleos is designed for only five passengers.

The inhabitants of the second row of the crossover will be comfortable: there is a lot of space, the sofa is comfortable - even though it is not regulated in any way. You can even ride three people: the central tunnel is designated nominally, and there will not be much to interfere with the person sitting in the middle

Rear passengers have at their disposal two USB ports, a 12-volt socket and a pair of air vents. A separate climate control zone is not available even for an extra charge

Sofa heating is available as an option and only for the top version. Its power buttons are embedded in the folding center armrest, which also has a pair of cup holders

The declared volume of the trunk in standard condition is 538 liters. As with the wheelbase, this is not a segment record, but one of the best. Two large suitcases fit without problems, and on top of them it is easy to fit on top of them, for example, a sports bag stuffed to overflowing: the curtain is suspended high

The backrests of the second row seats fold almost into a flat floor and can be lowered using the handles on the trunk walls. In this case, the volume will increase to 1690 liters

A little upsetting is the fact that the back of the sofa is divided into two unequal parts.It would be very nice, at least in the top version, to get a three-section back with a separately lowering center, so that in Koleos you can carry, for example, skis and the whole family

Technics

Like the model of the first generation, the current Renault Koleos shares a platform with the Nissan X-Trail - we are talking about the modular CMF "cart" of the Renault-Nissan alliance. For example, the more compact Qashqai and Kadjar are based on the same chassis, and someday, they say, the next Mitsubishi Outlander will move to it.

The wheelbase of the "Frenchman" is one to one, like that of a Japanese relative. The same story with the suspension - it is independent around: MacPherson strut in front, multi-link in the back. Passive shock absorbers

There are three motors in the range. Gasoline engines are aspirated with a working volume of two and two and a half liters. The first produces 144 horsepower, the second - 171 hp. The base unit is available for the initial Comfort and Medium Executive trim levels, while the 171-horsepower engine is available only in the top-end version

The two-liter turbodiesel is also available only with the maximum set of options. It produces 177 horsepower and 380 Nm of torque. We got a car with just such a motor for the test

All engines are combined only with the V-belt CVT X-Tronic. Four-wheel drive with an electromagnetic clutch in the rear wheel drive - in all versions. The clutch can be forcibly blocked, but the blocking will only work up to 40 kilometers per hour: after the clutches will automatically release

The declared ground clearance of Koleos is an impressive 210 millimeters. The lowest point of the front bumper is located at about the same level

The edge of the rear bumper coped with the 30 cm step of our measuring ladder. However, closer to the muffler, the ground clearance decreases to the same 210 millimeters

Riding

Since the Koleos is the closest relative of the Nissan X-Trail with far from outstanding driving habits, there is no reason to expect miracles from the "Frenchman" either.

The effort on the steering wheel is uncomfortable, and its connection with the wheels is very conditional: it is almost impossible to feel with your hands what is happening with the front tires. This, as well as overly noticeable heels, quickly knock down arrogance and force to moderate the driver's ambitions. And even if the uninformative steering wheel and roll do not embarrass you, then finally the desire to go quickly will finish off the frankly "front-wheel drive" crossover settings: the demolition of the front wheels, unwillingness to turn under traction on a slippery surface, and so on.

Exchange rate stability is commendable - you can rush and rush along the highway!

And that's even good. Because Koleos is primarily a car for the family, not for the driver. There are no serious complaints about the smoothness of the course. Are the sharp joints a little rough? Yes, but only a couple of Koleos's classmates will cope better with them - for example, the Citroen C5 Aircross. Before the rest of the irregularities, like speed bumps and bumps on the country road, you can either not slow down at all, or purely for the sake of form: the suspension will work. The wheels also contribute to the smoothness of the ride: Koleos is equipped with 18-inch wheels with puffy 225/60 tires.

And why did none of the French engineers pay attention to the increased vibration load? Obviously, this is the only problem in the diesel modification line that we got for the test. Moreover, the unpleasant itch from the engine does not come to the steering wheel, as is often the case with diesel cars, but to the driver's seat. Here it is shaking in a completely inappropriate way.

On the other hand, this is the only complaint about the engine. Because the Renault Koleos engine is an old-school diesel engine, with cool low-end traction that doesn't need to ring for a fast ride. And the passport acceleration of the French off-road vehicle is by no means a shame: the diesel version exchanges a hundred in 9.5 seconds after the start. This is just 0.6 seconds slower than the more compact and lighter MazdCX-5 with a top-end 194-horsepower 2.5 engine.

It is also good that the remarkable reserve of moment successfully disguises the Renault-Nissan CVT, which is by no means the best in the world. He is slow, sluggish, and also very stressful and quenched when you expect him to be quick. However, when paired with a diesel engine, he does not need to strain too much - know yourself to maintain average revs and please the driver with juicy traction.

Off-road? Well, if only by "off-road" you mean dirt roads with compacted rubble or a snow-covered secondary road in the provinces, then yes, Koleos will cope with them. 21-centimeter ground clearance, not bad, by the standards of the class, geometry (entry angle - 19 degrees, exit - 26 degrees), the possibility of forced locking of the clutch is very good. But a large mass (a crossover with a diesel engine weighs 1742 kilograms) and, most importantly, a variator of off-road bonuses is not added. The continuously variable transmission does not like long slippage, and the clutch in the locked mode quickly overheats and goes into emergency mode.

Equipment

The basic configuration of Renault Koleos is called Comfort and costs 1,699,000 rubles. It will be a car on 17-inch wheels, with a cloth interior, cruise control, halogen headlights, rain and light sensors, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, seven-inch, horizontal multimedia, front and side airbags, tire pressure sensors and full-size spare tire.

The equipment of the middle rank was named Executive. She, like the base version, is offered only with a two-liter aspirated gasoline for 144 horsepower. Costs 1,859,900 rubles and differs from the "base" by rails, 18-inch wheels, engine start button, electronic handbrake, heated steering wheel and windshield, electric folding mirrors, parking sensors front and rear, as well as a rear-view camera.

The top-end Premium equipment will cost 2,177,900 rubles in the case of a 2.5 petrol engine or 2,337,900 rubles with a diesel engine. Only such cars from the factory will have full diode optics, contour interior lighting, electric front seats, vertical multimedia, Bose music with 12 speakers and headlight washers.

Competitors

Nissan X-Trail

Ближайший родственник Колеоса - Nissan X-Trail, продаётся в несколько раз лучше «француза». Японский кроссовер доступен с теми же атмосферными бензиновыми «четвёрками», что и Renault, а вот дизель у Ниссана другой - 1,6-литровый на 130 сил и сочетается он только с механической коробкой передач. Стоит X-Trail от 1 630 000 рублей до 2 170 000 рублей" style="width: 823px; margin-right: 8px;">

Peugeot 5008

Рассматривая Koleos, обязательно обратите внимание и на Peugeot 5008. По габаритной длине он немного уступает Renault, но зато 5008-й - семиместный и, увы, только переднеприводный. Он доступен с бензиновым и дизельным турбомоторами мощностью по 150 лошадиных сил и «автоматом». Базовая версия кроссовера обойдётся в 1 899 000 рублей, а топовая - в 2 299 000 рублей" style="width: 823px; margin-right: 8px;">

Hyundai SantFe

Корейский кроссовер выглядит привлекательнее «француза» - как минимум, из-за моторной гаммы. Ведь в ней нет откровенно «овощных» агрегатов. Базовый двигатель выдает 188 л.с., а топовый 3.5 V6 - 249 сил. Есть ещё турбодизель на 200 л.с. Стандартная комплектация SantFe обойдётся в 2 149 000 рублей, а за максимально упакованный автомобиль (без учёта пакетов опций) попросят 2 999 000 рублей. Третий ряд сидений - за доплату" style="width: 823px; margin-right: 8px;">

ToyotRAV4

Если вам принципиально, чтобы мотор был атмосферным, а трансмиссия - не роботизированной, то RAV4 тоже обязателен к изучению. Самая свежая модель из этого списка предлагается с бензиновыми двигателями 2.0 и 2.5 мощностью 149 и 199 лошадиных сил соответственно. Цены: от 1 756 000 до 2 661 000 рублей" style="width: 823px; margin-right: 8px;">

conclusions

The aftertaste from Renault Koleos is very ambiguous. It has an unusual European design, brown leather interior, large trunk, spacious second row of seats and old-school diesel. However, controversial ergonomics, an even more controversial vertical-screen multimedia system and retired chassis settings noticeably spoil the picture.

If you look at the market, then the French crossover is an unexpectedly profitable offer. Because the top-end version - well-equipped, and even with a diesel engine - costs about 300,000 rubles less than the new RAV4. But here's the thing: from this pair, I would still choose Toyota. Just in the lower configuration.

Regardless of the liquidity and reliability that have set the teeth on edge, RAV4 is understandable to me, as a person who shuns art spaces and concept stores. Just like almost all the other best-selling classmates Renault Koleos. Of course, this does not make it bad, but the flagship of the brand will definitely not become as popular as Duster or Captyur.