2014 Renault Koleos

When you say ‘SUV’ to an Indian, he expects either a large, lumbering beast that muscles pesky autorickshaws out of the way or a small, light, agile thing that can scamper across rocks and streams. The Koleos is neither of these things, and yet it is an SUV. What, then is its appeal to the Indian consumer? Renault has decided to update it to make it look more enticing than before, and we take a look.

The Koleos has the same good looks as before, but unlike a regular facelift, the changes on the 2014 model are almost unnoticeable. There is a new front bumper and grille, and the diamond logo is larger and sits prouder at the front, but that’s all you can make out. At the side, the changes are a chrome rub strip and the wheels. They are now a very appealing five-spoke design on the top-spec 4x4 AT variant. At the rear, nothing seems to have changed at all. The Koles is unconventional, yes, but it is a good-looking car as well.

The Koleos hasn’t changed much on the inside, either – it remains one of the best-equipped vehicles in the segment. The front passenger gets electric controls, something no other SUV offers in the price bracket. There is keyless entry and go, dual-zone climate control, automatic headlamps and wipers, cruise control and a Bose audio system. Hill start assist, hill descent control, ESP and six airbags are also standard on the automatic variant. Everything is swathed in beige leather or plastic that feels nice, but sitting behind a driver as tall as me brings to the fore the shortage of legroom in the Koleos. Other than that, though, the rear passenger is quite spoiled – they get AC vents in the B pillars, a centre armrest, foldable trays and even a secret set of underfloor storage spaces. The boot is reasonably large at 450 litres, and the tailgate is a split-type, so it can double as a picnic table or even a bench, as long as you don’t weigh as much as me.

The Koleos has a 2.0-litre dCi diesel with 170bhp and 360Nm – healthy figures for the car. The engine is refined, and there is a little turbo lag until 2000rpm. That’s not what makes the Koleos fall short of expectations, though: the gearbox is the real reason why most will turn away. This is a traditional torque converter and takes its own sweet time to get into the right gear for the situation. Even when driving off from a standstill, it takes a second or two for the car to actually start moving, from the time your right foot moves. In the age of 9-speed dual-clutch gearboxes, this is an anachronism. The slow-witted gearbox also makes overtaking on single-lane highways a slow affair, meaning that all that torque from the engine cannot be exploited fully. Things get a little better in manual mode, but the gearbox still shifts relatively slowly.

While driving sedately, though, the Koleos is at its best. The gearbox slurs from one cog to the next, there is no jerkiness at all, and the engine doesn’t go up the rev range. If you like cruising around, the Koleos might just be what you’re looking for.

There is now a 4x2 AT and a 4x2 manual available as well now – the manual gearbox is a six-speed unit and the engine puts out 150bhp and 320Nm, which means that the manual should be approximately the same speed as the automatic – but turns out two seconds quicker to 100kmph as per Renault’s claims. We didn’t get the opportunity to drive anything but the 4x4 AT on this drive, though.

The Koleos is a relatively small SUV at a little over four and a half metres in length, but since it is tall, it does not commit very well to corners. There is body roll and the steering is too light for spirited driving, but the ride on bad patches of road is quite good. Renault has wisely chosen to go with good ride rather than great handling, which suits the nature of the gearbox. The brakes are very good, with good bite and progression. They haul the Koleos to a standstill from triple-digit speeds with no fuss whatsoever. The Koleos will make a good city-based SUV but out on the highway there are better options at the price point.

The Koleos is a likeable car. It is good-looking, has a relatively frugal diesel and has a great amount of equipment. However, the gearbox is a letdown, as is the space for the price. The price of the new Koleos has driven it up by Rs 2 lakh, which makes it an average of Rs 26 lakh. A few more lakhs can net you an Audi SUV, so it will make more sense to opt for the manual – but it doesn’t have the equipment that the top-spec variant offers. Herein lies the problem: Renault hasn’t yet hit on the right mix of engine, gearbox and equipment to entice the public. In the meanwhile, those that would like a small-ish SUV to drive around in the city should seriously consider the Koleos.