Renault Koleos

Renault arrives late to the SUV game with a Nissan-inspired 4x4 that’s great off-road but a bit underwhelming.

• Comfort

  Loads of space for driver and passenger, but adults in the back seat will discover a lack of leg and headroom. At 450 litres, boot space is modest at best – the Nissan X-Trail has over 600 litres – but there are plenty of cubby holes around the interior that add up to a generous 70 litres. Split tailgate is handy, too.

  

• Performance

  There's a choice of petrol and diesel-powered engines in the range, which sound a touch agricultural from the outside, but the diesel version is quiet in the cabin, smooth and plenty quick enough. The less-economical petrol engine is probably adequate for most situations.

  

• Cool

  There aren’t many SUVs at the sub-zero end of the Cool Wall, but… no, actually, the Koleos isn’t up there either. Silly gurning face.

  

• Quality

  Build quality doesn’t feel quite up to Freelander levels, but the interior has been built using smart, tactile materials. Four-wheel drive gubbins have all been sourced from Nissan, so don’t expect any worries there.

  

• Handling

  Most excellent off-road – can handle the easy-going dirt track stuff but also the proper three-wheeling, inching along river beds stuff too. On road, though, the soft, pliant suspension makes the Koleos feel wobbly and top-heavy. Which seems a bit back-to-front for a Renault SUV, no?

  

• Practicality

  Split tail gate and masses of cubby holes make it a good choice for the family, but feels slightly cramped on the inside compared to the X-Trail.

  

• Running costs

  Diesel power and sensible insurance groups are good news, but we’d expect the higher-spec versions to depreciate more alarmingly than the related Nissan X-Trail.