Renault most likely to launch 4×4 Koleos next month

Renault India is planning to launch its premium SUV, the Koleos in India next month. The company’s official website has been updated with a few details about the upcoming Koleos. The 4X4 SUV is expected to be priced between Rs 19 lakh-21 lakh.

What’s new?

The India-bound Koleos will be powered by a 2-litre diesel engine mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with manual mode (clutch-less manual transmission). The Koleos will have a 4×4 Intelligent Drive system for off-road activities.

Renault has mentioned that the Koleos will be equipped with a Bose sound system, leather upholstery, cruise control and speed limiter. There is speculation that trial production of the Koleos has already begun at the company’s plant in Chennai. The launch is expected during the third week of September as against the earlier target of a launch in October or November this year. Also read: Face-lifted Renault Koleos SUV may come to India

Looks

In June 2011, CarToq had reported that Renault is planning to launch the face-lifted Koleos. The upcoming Koleos, a 5-seater SUV, will have a bold chrome grille with thick horizontal slats.

It will sport angular headlamps and round fog lamps that have angular inserts with chrome strips above them. The outside rear view mirrors (ORVM) will have integrated turn indicators.

At the rear, the Koleos will have a distinctive tail lamp cluster. The roof rails, rear bumper reflectors along with parking sensors and rear under body protection will give the French SUV, a rugged yet purposeful road stance. The Koleos measures 4.52 m in length and 1.85 m in width and has a boot space of 450 litres which can be extended to 1,380 litres by folding the rear seats.

Engine

The car’s 2.0 litre motor was jointly developed by Renault and Nissan and launched in July 2005 (global market). The specialty of this engine is its silent performance, thanks to the use of an aluminium bed plate that absorbs engine vibrations.

Internationally, the 2.0 litre diesel engine will be made available in two versions, the 148 bhp (110 kW) version and the 174 bhp version. Under European standards, the 148 bhp engine returns a mileage of 17.8 kmpl.

We expect the India-bound Koleos to be powered by the 174 bhp engine as the potential rivals of Koleos in India have similar engine specifications. For instance, the Toyota Fortuner is powered by 3.0 litre diesel engine that makes 168.6 bhp while Hyundai Santa Fe’s 2.2 litre diesel motor makes 194.3 bhp.

Features

Along with the features mentioned earlier, the Koleos may also be launched with Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control and Dual-zone climate control.

The Renault Koleos will compete with other diesel SUVs such as Skoda Yeti, Toyota Fortuner, Chevrolet Captiva, and the Ford Endeavour. The French car maker has a mighty task of brand-building in India, because potential buyers in the premium segment do consider brand image before they purchase a vehicle at this price point.

Pricing

Pricing will be key to the success of this French SUV in India. Considering it is loaded with features comparable to competitors such as the Skoda Yeti, Ford Endeavour and Chevrolet Captiva. We expect the Koleos to be priced competitively with this range of SUVs, between Rs. 19 lakh and Rs. 21 lakh.