Item: Used Renault Koleos 2017-present
Rating: 2
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mazda/cx-5/estate/used-review/n947">Mazda CX-5</a> is one of our favourite SUVs, whether new or used. It has a classy interior, is well equipped and it handles well too. It also feels nicely made.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kodiaq/estate/used-review/n954">Skoda </a><a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kodiaq/estate/used-review/n954">Kodiaq</a> is great value for money, has a classy and spacious interior and is excellent to drive. It also comes with the option of seven seats, which both the CX-5 and the Koleos lack.

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

Estate

Hatchbacks, SUVs, fast cars, electric cars: Renault makes them all, in a variety of shapes and sizes, so it has a line-up designed to tempt pretty much everyone.

From the roadside, the standout feature of them all is the design, with its cars now having a distinctive look that has won the firm a legion of fans for its flair and charm.

To drive and to own, the line-up is typically decent rather than outstanding. Best of the cars when they are rated against rivals are the Kadjar SUV, the fast RS models and the electric Zoe.

With new and used pricing also keen – and Target Price discounts through our New Car Buying marketplace usually more generous than most – there is the opportunity to negotiate an appealing price.

RENAULT

KOLEOS

<h4 dir="ltr">The Renault Koleos is stylish and well equipped, but it’s not as spacious or as well made as some of its rivals.</h4>

Used Renault Koleos 2017-present

On paper, the 1.6-litre car is the more economical, with an official average of 57.6mpg, according to the latest figures, with a corresponding CO2 emissions figure of 128g/km. The 2.0-litre cars are said to achieve an average claimed figure of 50.4mpg, with CO2 emissions of 148g/km. Annual car tax for those cars registered before April 2017 is based on CO2 emissions, and in either case will be fairly low. Those cars registered after the April 2017 date will pay their annual tax at the flat rate currently £140 a year.

Insurance groups are low for both models, and servicing costs should be reasonable, too. Minor services (which should be carried out every 12 months or 10,000 miles ) cost from £190 at the main dealer.

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The Renault Koleos is stylish and well equipped, but it’s not as spacious or as well made as some of its rivals.


You’ll need around £19,000 to get behind the wheel of a Koleos, this for a good, clean 2017 car with an average mileage for the year and a full service history, bought from an independent dealer. Spend between £20,000 and £22,000 and you’ll find the same from a franchised dealer, or a 2018 car from an independent.

Go for our favoured 1.6-litre diesel and CO2 emissions of 128g/km and claimed combined fuel economy of 57.6mpg look competitive. We’d stick with Dynamique S Nav trim too.

Our favourite Renault Koleos: 1.6 dCi 130 Dynamique S Nav

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of space for all passengers</li> <li>Large boot with lots of clever storage solutions</li> <li>Good fuel economy and running costs</li> <li>All-round comfort</li> <li>High-quality interior finish</li></ul>

We define a large SUV as anything longer than 4.5 metres. These cars aren’t usually particularly cheap to buy or lease, so in return we expect a roomy cabin, a lengthy list of standard equipment and excellent cruising refinement. A few models in this class are two-wheel drive, but the vast majority have four-wheel drive for at least a modicum of off-road ability.

The Mazda CX-5 is firmly road-focused, but its 2.0-litre petrol engine is a strong, refined performer, making it looks good value for less than&nbsp;£25k. If you can stretch the budget a fair bit, the Audi Q5 provides a combination of comfort, driving prowess, quality and space that's hard to beat. Unlike some rivals, it can't be had with seven seats, though.

A more affordable, yet well-equipped alternative is the Peugeot 5008. It’s more than capable of coping with family life&nbsp;– and all versions have seven seats as standard.&nbsp;

Large SUV

The Koleos will most likely have been used around town, so it’s worth checking the front and the rear of the car for any scuffs and dents. Check the alloy wheels for kerb damage, too. Make sure all the electrical items in the interior work as they should and that the front seats slide and the rear seats fold properly.

As far as problems go, It’s a little early to find any major ones with this generation of Koleos, but some other cars in the Renault range had some issues with the diesel particulate filter (DPF) clogging. This is often remedied by going for a long motorway blast to clear the filter out; if that doesn’t fix it, remedial work (if not covered by warranty) can be expensive. On the whole, though, reported problems are few.

Renault as a brand finished in 19th place out of 37 manufacturers in our most recent reliability survey.

 
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With SUVs currently on-trend, it’s not surprising that the alliance that contains those two huge motoring manufacturers Nissan and Renault should have produced a couple of prime examples. The family-sized Nissan Qashqai SUV has had more than a helping hand in the broadly similar Renault Kadjar, for example, and moving up to the larger SUV class the Nissan X-Trail shares much of its underpinnings with the Renault Koleos. All four cars share the same common platform, in fact, albeit lengthened in the larger SUVs, so while they may look different up top they are effectively sisters under the skin.

The Koleos has a distinctive Renault look, with its deep grille and plenty of brightwork along the sides. It’s a long car, too, and rather muscular, and it comes as a surprise to learn that it’s actually only a five-seater car rather than a more practical seven-seater. This is compounded by the fact the subcutaneously similar Nissan X-Trail is available as a seven-seater, as are one or two others of this size, although if you needed those extra seats in your car Renault would be happy to point you in the direction of its Grand Scenic and Espace models. &nbsp;

Two engines are available: Renault’s 1.6-litre dCi 130 and a more powerful 2.0-litre dCi 175. The 1.6 Koleos is front-wheel drive as standard, while the larger 2.0-litre engined car comes with four-wheel drive.

Trims are limited to two. Dynamique S Nav models come with a 7.0in touchscreen, with a larger, tablet-style 8.7in screen on the top of the range Signature Nav trims. This is okay to use, but you’ll find those systems in a Sorento, Santa Fe and Kodiaq much more fathomable: some of its features aren’t that easy to find within the multitude of menus, and it can be a little ponderous to process commands at times. Whichever screen size you have it’ll be well kitted out. Every version gets Tom Tom live-traffic sat-nav, a DAB radio and Bluetooth, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring - this lets you operate selected apps from your phone via the main screen.

On the road, the Koleos proves to be a little unrefined, with either of its engine options. With 128bhp, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the smaller 1.6 diesel would feel rather underpowered in a large SUV. Actually, with plenty of low-end pep, it manages to be relatively breezy around town, with just about enough in reserve for motorway excursions.

The more powerful 2.0 173bhp diesel with four-wheel drive and the optional CVT automatic gearbox is adequately brisk, but if you’re trying to overtake on a country road you’ll still be needing a surprisingly big gap to make it safely past.

Most infuriating is the gearbox’s hesitancy off the line. It makes pulling out of junctions an exasperating experience, as it ever so slowly winds itself into action. The standard six-speed manual 'box might be a better bet if you’re an impatient sort.

Alas noise in the interior is pronounced, especially from the engine, but almost equally from the road and the wind - the Koleos feels utilitarian rather than plush. This is made worse by a ride that thumps into bumps and potholes and never really settles down; it feels pretty uncomfortable most of the time. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Inside is a reasonable driving position set high for good visibility. It’s multi-adjustable too, with electric operation of the driver’s seat and steering wheel on the top trim. The majority of plastics inside are nicely textured too, while all versions get plush leather on the wheel and gearlever, plus leather-effect grab handles on the centre console. There’s some fake timber with LED ambient lighting, although this does look a bit tacky. The switches and other controls don’t work with the precision of those in, for instance, a Mazda CX-5. &nbsp;

There’s also a configurable digital instrument panel that’s standard on all models. While you can change what it displays, it can’t show as much information and isn’t as attractive as Volkswagen’s Active Info Display. For the most part, the rest of the dashboard is well conceived: most switches fall easily to hand, but the climate control functions operated through the infotainment screen can prove an unnecessary faff.

Space in the Koleos is good up front, and leg room is plentiful in the rear. However, head room is more limited for taller passengers, mostly due to the panoramic sunroof, which eats into the available space. The rear seats don’t slide or recline, and the boot isn’t especially large for this class. The main issue here is obviously that your Koleos will only have five seats and not the seven others of similar size offer.

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Used Renault Koleos 2017-present review

Our recommendations

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