Renault has added a new range-topping variant called the Initiale Paris to its Koleos SUV line-up, giving the car a trim level to compete with more premium rivals.
The Mazda CX-5 rival is priced from £27,500 in Dynamique S form, while Signature Nav variants start from £29,800. But the pair of trim levels are now joined by the £36,700 Initiale Paris model, which edges the car into Audi Q5 territory.
The most frugal and cheapest Koleos uses a dCi 130 engine, a 1.6-litre with six-speed manual transmission and two-wheel drive which gives fuel economy of 57.6mpg and CO2 emissions of 128g/km.
The other is the 2.0-litre dCi 175 with a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic X-Tronic transmission and four-wheel drive. This engine develops 280lb ft of torque at 2,000rpm. When equipped with the X-Tronic gearbox, the dCi 175 Koleos can go from 0-62mph in 9.5sec.
Unlike the Mégane, Renault won't offer a hybrid model Koleos further down the line.
The Koleos is built on the CMF C/D platform which is shared with the Nissan X-Trail, as well as larger Renault-Nissan models, including Renault’s Espace, Renault Kadjar and Talisman, and the Nissan Qashqai.
Renault claims excellent rear-seat knee room of 289mm. Boot space is 458 litres compared with the X-Trail's 550 litres. Overall, the Koleos is 4672mm long with a wheelbase of 2705mm.
Four-wheel-drive models have three driving modes: Auto, Lock and 2WD. They also have ground clearance of 210mm; the same as the X-Trail.
With a kerbweight of 1650kg, the Koleos has a towing capability of 2000kg.
