Looks like a Renault. Drives mostly like a Nissan. Loaded in top-spec form. Lots of room.

Price: $52,990.
Powertrain and economy: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol, 126kW/226Nm; constantly variable transmission; on-demand all-wheel drive.
Vital statistics: 4672mm long, 1678mm high, 2063mm wide, 2705mm wheelbase. 19-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Conservative but appealing styling; well-appointed, spacious interior.
We don’t like: Weak petrol engine/gearbox combo, haphazard ergonomics, iffy ride.

 MORE than a year has passed since the Alliance – the overall organisation resultant from Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi merging – announced intent to cut costs by increasing the count of closely conjoined products.

Half the models produced by the three brands are expected to be generic shares, with the three-way concern promising to push its “standardisation strategy further, from platforms to upper bodies” in the next four years. On top of this, it’s making a lot of effort drop fossil fuel powertrains for electric.

So there’s a lot going on, but not straight away for the Renault Koleos. Which might seem a touch ironic. As a French car based on the outgoing Nissan X-Trail, produced in Korea since 2016 (by Renault-subsumed Samsung), it is an early example of the outcome of this co-operation. 

Whereas the Nissan it owes so much to has just moved to a new platform, now shared with the latest Mitsubishi Outlander arriving next month (so, ahead of Nissan’s own beneficiaries, a new X-Trail and Qashqai), Koleos as we see it appears set to continue for a couple more years. 

Though it certainly doesn’t emulate the volume of the Nissan and Mitsubishi equivalents, Koleos has been a useful performer locally and that run should continue with what they’re calling Koleos II.

Intrinsically the same car that’s been here for some years, but benefitting from an update that delivers a light styling revision, a switch to petrol-only power, from a 2.5-litre four-cylinder, the inclusion of pedestrian detection to the existing autonomous emergency braking system and a full-screen display for the already-standard Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, the model represents as a  Zen at $42,990 in front-drive and $47,990 with on-demand all-wheel-drive, and a top spec AWD Intens, for $52,990, as tested.

SUVs are hot, of course, but it’s in a super busy sector. The Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Tucson/Kia Sportage are obvious competitors; potentially the Skoda Kodiaq will be a challenge and even the entry version of the Kia Sorento.

The last two really doe size up quite literally, but of course have an additional appeal in being seven-seaters. Koleos only provisions as a five-seater, which seems a shame, given how big the boot is. That may be a deal-breaker to some, but if you’re simply after a roomy SUV then it’ll keep you happy in that respect.

With that in mind, it’s nonetheless more realistic to approach the Koleos with expectation that, as an older design that has received a modest nip and tuck this time around, it cannot be expected to be a gold medal certainty.

As ever, another challenge for some when considering Koleos is trying to nail down it’s character; how much ‘Frenchness’ does it genuinely provision?

Unavoidably, that provenance is a little diluted, though you won’t discover that from simply visual judgement. In respect to styling it’s pure Renault: Deep grille, plenty of brightwork, those distinctive C-shaped daytime running lights; a bit fussy and over-chromed for some, but surely unlikely to be confused for anything else out there. Generally-speaking, save for a few Nissan switches and some of the plastics looking of lower quality than you’ll see in, say, a Megane RS, the overall cabin execution also runs to the company formbook, with the same features you’ll find in the wholly French-born product.

You get the full gambit of curious switchgear, starting with that unique audio stalk radio controller sighted just where you can never have any hope of seeing it, exactly behind the right-side steering wheel spoke. 

It’s a fumble-function control I personally have no issue with (having mastered it many years ago when we owned a Megane Scenic) but  know will confuse the heck out of newbies. Meantime, the switches on the steering wheel that DO look like volume controls are, of course, for the cruise control. Though – naturally - you these won’t do anything until you activate a master control that, of course, is down on the console. The most challenging button of all to find is that which activates the massage function on the front seats. It’s on the seat base, yes, but located is utter isolation, far away from the other controllers for height, angle and lumbar support.

Oh, yes, and of course there’s the key, which is a card. Apparently in the style of a credit card. Except it is larger and thicker, so doesn’t fit where your credit cards go.

And people bag Citroen for being off-the-wall!

Fortunately, a lot more logic prevails with the infotainment interface, which by and large is easy to navigate … well, once you’ve worked out how to transit between the native R-Link multimedia functionality to, in my case, Apple CarPlay. Thjey seem to be uneasy partners at times I’m not so sure if that’s necessarily a car fault; Apple’s side of things can be a bit glitchy, too.

Anyway, there were occasions, usually after playing a Podcast via the phone app, where the system didn’t want to revert to the radio setting. Basically, the only way out seemed to be to unplug, then reconnect, the USB cable to effect a reboot. Also, sometimes it got a bit vexed with how it preferred to accept phone calls; sometimes via the in-built hardware, other times through CarPlay. That wasn’t a big issue, because either way, the call system worked well. But, yeah, a bit weird. Generally, though, there was good behaviour and the screen itself is good, being a very good size and offering decent resolution.

In driving, on the other hand, it inevitably tends to have more in common with the Nissan side of things, which means a few pros and cons as well.

Insofar as the mechanicals are concerned, on the plus side you get a strong engine. True, this 2.5-litre engine isn’t the newest kid on the block, so in as much as it is an honest performer, it does lack a little refinement when hurried. You have tendency to feel need to give it revs; yes, it can be sharply urgent off the line, but that’s more a trait of the CVT, rather than the engine itself. In its own right this is one of those units that really only gets into its true authority when showing at least 2500rpm on the clock (still 3500rpm short of where power peaks). Top torque meanwhile, is not evident until 4400rpm. That’s why even any energetic start can feel a touch short-lived; from thereon it kinda dips a bit then recuperates.

The transmission is also an accomplice in this uneven behaviour. It’s a typical old-school type of CVT that does without the fixed gear ratios of a conventional automatic, instead adjusting in small increments to meet the driver’s requirements. That’s the theory. In reality, if you were to be kind, you’d call inconsistent. Laggy on some occasions, over-enthusiastic on others. On steep and winding routes it tends to hunt around a lot as it searches for the right ‘ratio’. There are better around these days.

Dynamically-speaking, it’s a car that feels planted on the road. It clearly is carrying some substance, yet feels keen to corner, despite being tall and heavy.

As per X-Trail, it has a variable mode four-wheel-drive system switching from front- to all-wheel drive on demand, with a lock mode for permanent AWD as well, but the latter is the only control that leaves you absolutely certain it is driving through all four wheels.

When left to its own devices, on firm seal especially, the level of engagement is so subtle that you’re never too sure about the point of actual involvement. That’s a positive, I guess, for general driving- after all, there’s genuine gain in respect to fuel economy by running in front drive only - but when I encountered a sudden and very heavy downpour, it got to the point where I couldn’t ever be sure whether it was delivering the traction support I was hoping for.

The ride quality is a matter of intrigue.  Given the family duties, it quite rightly has a element of compliance that pays off well when driving at modest pace. Turn up the dial, though, and it copes less well. You’re more likely to start to feel surface changes, with the car erring toward an underdamped response to larger bumps. It’s not uncomfortable or challenging to keep in line, but neither is it quite as accomplished as newer fare. But, then, that’s a statement that really stands true of the car in so many ways. Much has changed in this sector since it introduced and, since it was never really a competitor for gold even when truly new, it’s no surprise that it doesn’t feel any more like one now.

Well, except when it comes to equipment. One thing to acknowledge is that the car is far from being spartan kit content. Even a base Koleos provisions with  that smart key, front and rear sensors, a reverse camera, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, electric driver’s seat adjust, tints, sat nav, 18s and a safety pack including city autonomous braking - which warns of a potential collision risk before automatically engaging the brakes via the electronic stability control - and blind spot monitoring to go with the usual air bag tally and stability control. The higher-end model swaps faux leather for the real thing and adds in a host more comforts.

So that has appeal and, it has to be said, you can't dispute the Renault's presence. A positive outcome of it being bulked out in the right places is that it not only stands out in a roadscape but also offers generous interior space. Comfort is also a plus point; the front seats in particular deliver very well. It’s not a bad driving position, either, as there is plenty of adjustability to suit the majority and the gear selector falls to hand easily. 

And, again, as much as the lack of a third seating row might be an elephant in the room for some, I’m sure other buyers will revel in it benefitting from it offering very decent second row space; even lofty adults will find plenty of leg, head and knee room available. That, in addition to its decent shaped and sized boot, might for many make up for lacking a squeezed-in back row that would surely be infrequently used in any case. The boot has a high-set floor with a full-size spare underneath and the space can be increased, of course, by folding the 40/60 split seat back, via remote levers; offering a total of 1690 litres with cargo stacked to the roofliner. Claimed maximum towing capacity of two tonnes is also worth bearing in mind; that trumps the equivalent Nissan's 1.5 tonnes.

The big challenge now is that, though competent in its overall qualitative balance, it remains a little ordinary in its efficiencies; a little unrefined on the road and, even with a rich spec, more unremarkable than others in this price band.

You’d assume it’s about now that Renault high-ups will be discussing doing another. This current model being dropped from its biggest and most crucial right-hand-drive market, the United Kingdom, last year due to desultory sales is hardly going to fuel their enthusiasm.

Plus, of course, electrification is the flavour of the month at Renault. It’s pushing for 65 percent of its vehicles to feature some form of electric power before 2025, before ultimately increasing EV production to account for 90 percent of its range by 2030.

How, or if, Koleos fits into that plan is anyone’s guess. With the Megane definitely en route to rebirth as a battery SUV, it’s perhaps fair to ask why Renault would require another model of similar ilk to follow that path as well.