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| Launch Report Renault Koleos |
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by Richard Dredge (15 May 08)
The answer to the first question will hopefully become clear; as far as the second is concerned, Renault is pretty convinced it has all the answers. The company claims that by focusing on making a car that's easy to drive, versatile and comfortable, it has the edge over other compact SUVs – but I suspect that if you pressed those rival companies, they'd all claim their cars have the same attributes. It's not all PR puff on Renault's part, however; while there are more versatile small 4x4s out there, I don't think you're going to find one that's got a better ride/handling balance than the Koleos. Renault's men in white coats have apparently been paying attention to important things such as vertical compression and acceleration values, and while I have no idea what these are, I can tell you that the Koleos is quite definitely the most comfortable compact SUV I've ever driven. With a trend towards ever larger wheels, lower profile tyres and damping that's harder than a mafiosa hit man, many types of car are becoming ever less comfortable - but not the Renault. What's even more impressive is that when the Koleos gets to a corner, it doesn't feel as though it's going to fall over; it's almost as if the car has air suspenion, even though it doesn't.
Comfort isn't just about a soft ride, however; noise levels also need to be minimised while interior space has to be maximised. On the first score Renault gets a definite thumbs up; even at 100mph there's a commendable absence of wind, engine and road noise. |
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