Cars and Bikes

Renault’s Koleos Concept makes its Australian debut at the 2008 Melbourne International Motorshow as a pre-cursor to the launch of the full production version in October.

No Compromise

The Koleos Concept car asserts its claim to the rugged and sporty world of 4WDs while featuring the comfort and dynamics of a premium passenger car. It boasts a wide range of practical functions for both everyday use and leisure. To ensure maximum off- and on-road comfort, Koleos Concept is built on a sophisticated allwheel drive chassis and is powered by a 2.0 dCi engine, both of which have been developed within the framework of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

The Koleos Concept asserts itself as a seriously all-terrain vehicle with a design that blends ruggedness with sports appeal and elegance. It also boasts a wide range of practical functions both for everyday use and leisure, while its cabin offers top level comfort and space.

Penned by Renault designers working in collaboration with the Renault Samsung Motors Design Centre in Korea, its expressive, sporty lines speak of the desire to get away from it all. Its flowing lines have a sophisticated appeal, while the greyblue body colour emphasises a high-tech execution.

A 4WD With Dynamic Lines

Unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, the Koleos Concept show car foreshadows an integral part of Renault’s future in Australia. Penned by Renault designers working in collaboration with the Renault Samsung Motors Design Centre in Korea. The front end features LED headlamps, with additional lights and indicators housed in the exterior mirrors.

Koleos Concept features dynamic proportions. The strip between the body sides and the roof reinforces the stance of the car. The glazed roof panel is topped by profiled aluminium roof bars, while the chunky wheel arches house 19-inch aluminium alloy wheels fitted with unique "concept pattern" tyres. The 200mm ground clearance and front and rear aluminium protective skid-plates confirm that this is a car built for adventure. The steeply raked rear window further emphasizes Koleos Concept’s dynamic feel. Hinting at the vehicle’s dynamic powertrain, twin exhaust tailpipes are incorporated into the rear bumper.

Technology And Traveling Comfort

The aluminium door sill extensions, which deploy when the doors are open, facilitate ingress. On settling into the cabin, occupants discover a sporty interior, all in a two-tone colour scheme. The four independent seats, upholstered in beige leather, have been optimised to free up space for occupants and their luggage. On the dashboard, the speedometer features LED backlighting. The centre console is made from a transparent material and contains the individual controls for the climate control system. A long list of equipment is included to enhance traveling comfort. The central part of the dashboard is given over to the navigation system, multimedia applications and specific data useful for all-terrain motoring such as atmospheric pressure, compass bearings, altitude and gradient. All this information is displayed so that all the cabin occupants can read it easily. Controls are both intuitive and ergonomically designed – in keeping with the

Touch Design philosophy developed by Renault.

The cabin is brightly lit thanks to the panoramic glass roof panel. Koleos Concept offers all the comfort and roominess of a modern urban car. Ample headroom and shoulder room enable Koleos Concept to seat four adults. The numerous storage compartments in the cabin take their cue from the world of MPVs and extend from those in the floor, to under-seat drawers and the centre console cubby, not to mention the door bins.

A Vehicle That Is Ready For Wide-Open Spaces

Koleos Concept offers a full range of practical features for everyday and leisure use. The split-opening tailgate makes the vehicle easy to load and easy to access in cramped parking spaces.

The lower part of the hatch is designed to enable two people to sit comfortably for picnics or for open-air activities during holidays or weekend excursions. The chassis comes with all the features of an all-terrain vehicle. Developed within the framework of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the chassis has drawn on the all-wheel drive expertise of our Japanese partner. Whether running in two-wheel or four-wheel drive mode, it guarantees flawless traction and road holding thanks to an electronically controlled active coupler which distributes torque to the wheels as a function of the level of grip available.

Koleos Concept also boasts a wide range of driver aids. Some are designed for day to day motoring, like ABS, Emergency Brake Assist and ESP, while others are valuable all-terrain functions such as Hill Down Control (HDC) and Hill Start Assist (HSA).

Koleos Concept is powered by an engine which is just at home on city streets, highways and motorways as it is over rough tracks. Its 2.0 dCi engine employs state-of-the-art diesel engine technology including piezoelectric injectors, common rail injection and a variable geometry turbocharger. It drives through a six-speed manual gearbox that gives Koleos Concept touring car level driving pleasure.

Koleos Concept – Technical Characteristics

Dimensions

Overall length - 4,520mm

Width (excluding exterior mirrors) - 1,890mm

Height - 1,700mm

Powertrain

Four-cylinder 2.0-litre 16-valve turbocharged diesel engine with particulate filter,

Euro4- compliant

Maximum power - 130kW/180hp

Six-speed manual gearbox

Transmission

Four-wheel drive, transversely-positioned front-mounted engine

Electronic traction control as a function of available grip

(front/rear split from 0 to 100 per cent)

Wheels and Tyres

Wheels – 19”

Tyres - Hankook 255/50 R19

sourtce: www.renault.com.au