The Rs. 20-30 lakh SUV segment is a very competitive one with many international manufacturers playing in this field. The key to getting volumes is differentiation, something which Toyota managed with the Fortuner, an SUV which killed every other player in the segment over night. While Toyota continues to enjoy market leadership in the SUV segment, others want a small piece of the pie. Companies like Renault haven’t seen much success in this segment although they have ruled the compact SUV segment for the better part of last year with the Duster.
Now the Renault Koleos facelift is headed to the 2014 Auto Expo but all the details including the prices have been updated by the French automaker on its official website. When Renault launches the Koleos, the company offered the crossover in one one trim, 4×4 AT. In order to appeal to a wider audience, Renault is offering three variants of the Koleos with one being an entry-level model. The Koleos is available in the following trims – 4×2 MT, 4×4 MT and 4×4 AT. The features between the 4×4 MT and 4×4 AT are identical except the latter uses an automatic transmission.
The base variant gets an ordinary audio system (no BOSE unit for it) and single-tone alloy wheels while equipment like ESP, Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control, side and curtain airbags, electric adjustment for the front seats, leather seats, scuff plates are all omitted. In fact Renault themselves put a cross in front of the base variant in the Euro NCAP (5-Star) field.
The Renault Koleos is powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine which is offered in two states of tune. The base 4×2 manual produces 150 PS of power and 320 Nm of torque while the 4×4 version generates 173 PS of power and 360 Nm of torque (the earlier Koleos was offered in India in the lower state of tune even though it was a 4×4 AT). Both manual and automatic variants use a 6-speed gearbox. The Koleos will sprint from 0 to 100 km/hr in 11.5, 9.9 and 11.9 seconds respectively for the 4×2, 4×4 MT and 4×4 AT models respectively. The ARAI certified mileage is the highest for the 4×2 variant which returns 17.15 km/l while the 4×4 MT is rated at 16.26 km/l and the 4×4 AT manages 14.56 km/l.
Renault has given the Koleos facelift many changes which include revisions to the exteriors and interiors along with the addition of new equipment and safety features. The car is locally assembled in India at the Renault-Nissan production facility in Oragadam, near Chennai. Renault sells the Koleos in more than 40 countries. The SUV was launched in India in September 2011, priced at Rs. 22.99 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi) but within a couple of months, Renault hiked the price by a lakh owing to increase in input costs. The Renault Koleos is the sibling of the Nissan X-Trail.
2014 Renault Koleos Facelift Price (ex-showroom, Delhi) –
* Koleos 4×2 MT – Rs. 22.33 lakhs
* Koleos 4×4 MT – Rs. 25.14 lakhs
* Koleos 4×4 AT – Rs. 26.19 lakhs
