Renault Koleos diesel on sale in September

Sitting atop of the Australian Renault range when it launches in September will be the Renault Koleos diesel, powered by the same 2.0-litre turbo diesel as its platform-sharing cousin, the Nissan X-Trail.

Priced from $46,990 plus on-road costs, the introduction of a diesel powerplant continues the French manufacturer’s recent product onslaught and completes the local Koleos range. It opens the car to consideration from a much wider audience than before in a segment that still sells significant numbers of diesels.

“The Koleos has always been our top-selling model in Australia,” said Renault Australia Managing Director, Mr. Justin Hocevar. “And with the arrival of a diesel engine to complete the line-up, there’s no question that Koleos will continue to go from strength to strength.

“The second-generation Koleos launched here in August 2016, which was its global sales debut, demonstrating how important this model is in the continued expansion of Renault’s business in Australia. Since then, we have sold over 2,600 units and orders keep flooding in.

“It’s no surprise, as the Koleos ticks so many boxes,” said Mr Hocevar. “It has the rugged, robust characteristics of an SUV wrapped in a stylish distinctive exterior, combined with interior refinement you’d expect from a more expensive, high-end vehicle. Its feature list is as long as your arm and its safety credentials are top-notch.”

Priced from $46,990 plus on-road costs, the Koleos diesel sits atop the local range and is specified similarly to the top spec Koleos $43,490 Intens, and like the Nissan X-Trail that it shares a platform with, is only available with a CVT automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

The 2.0-litre turbo diesel used produces 130kW of power and a strong 380Nm of torque. Renault claims fuel economy of 6.1L/100km, a figure that is helped by a standard stop/start system. Curiously, the remote start system of the petrol Koleos is unavailable in the diesel.

Standard equipment for the Koleos diesel includes safety equipment such as forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, automatic LED headlights with auto high beam, ambient interior lighting, an electric tailgate, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, heated/ventilated front seats and a panoramic glass sunroof.

The Koleos diesel shares its yearly/30,000km service intervals with the petrol model, though this compares positively with the X-Trail, which has yearly/10,000km service intervals.

2017 Renault sales are doing well, with 6,356 sold so far – a steady increase of 1.2 percent. Koleos sales are faring better with 1,741 sold so far, a significant improvement of 211 percent compared with last year.

2017 Renault Koleos pricing (plus on-road costs):
Life 2WD (CVT) – $29,990
Zen 2WD (CVT) – $33,990
Zen 4WD (CVT) – $36,490
Intens 4WD (CVT) – $43,490
Diesel 4WD (CVT) – $46,990