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Renault details the Koleos ahead of Geneva
By Yoann Besnard on 11 February 2008 | 
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Renault has unveiled the official pictures of its first ever SUV, the Koleos. The new SUV is similar to the eponym concept car showed at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. The Koleos will go on sale from June.
If you read this blog, you will remember that the Koleos looks like the Samsung QM5 unveiled in last November. Built in the same plant, in South Korea, the Koleos has been designed by Renault but engineered by Nissan. Nissan has an acclaimed expertise in building SUVs and the Koleos share its underpinnings with the X-Trail model. Both vehicles will offer similar powertrains; however, Renault will likely offer a larger range.
The exterior styling is, of course, similar to Samsung’s, but the Koleos sports the corporate grille. Surprisingly, at a time when new Renault models adopt a plain surface grille, the Koleos features the old design that appeared with the previous-generation Laguna. At 4.52m long and 1.85m wide, the Koleos will be roomy enough for five passengers.
Koleos is the first Renault model to feature four-wheel drive from launch. The torque split between the front and rear is automatically calculated as a function of available grip. In normal conditions, torque is delivered to the front wheels only. Should less grip become available, up to 50 per cent of torque is transferred to the rear. This front-rear split is ensured by an electronic coupler and controlled by the latest-generation 'All mode 4x4-I' system developed by Nissan for the X-Trail.
The Koleos sits on a MacPherson-type suspension at the front and the fully-independent multilink rear suspension seen on New X-Trail. Ground clearance of 206mm (diesel version: 188mm) and approach and departure angles of 27 and 31 degrees respectively will help the Koleos to go into the mud. But don’t be fooled. Unlike the X-Trail, the Koleos will likely be road-biased.
The Koleos will be available with a choice of three engines, one petrol unit and two oil burners. The petrol engine, is the Nissan 2.5-litre TR25 which delivers 169bhp and torque of 167 lb ft. Along the petrol unit, Renault will offer one disel unit in a choice of two power outputs, 148bhp or 170bhp. The petrol engine and the least powerful diesel can be associated with either a two-wheel drive system or a four-wheel drive transmission. The most powerful diesel will only be available with the four-wheel drive transmission.
All engines are hooked up to a six-speed gearbox either manual or automatic,except the petrol engine which is hooked up to a CVT gearbox.
