Renault Koleos Review

There are plenty of choices in today's C-Segment SUV market. Consumers want enough space to meet family needs, while also expecting comprehensive features and a balanced driving experience. The 2021 Renault Koleos Signature enters this market with a price of around RM 201,087. Its core selling points include a comprehensive array of standard safety features, a spacious interior, and peace of mind brought by a five-year unlimited mileage warranty. We got our hands on the actual vehicle this time to focus on testing its everyday driving practicality and feature experience, to see how competitive it is in its class.

From the exterior, the 2021 Koleos Signature retains Renault's family design style, with an overall more stable and solid appearance. The chrome trim on the front runs through the LED headlights, enhancing the visual width, while the trapezoidal grille below adds to its recognition. The body side waistline extends from the front to the rear, suitably proportioned with the 225/60 R18 tire size. The rear's horizontal LED tail lights echo the front design, and the silver skid plate beneath the rear bumper adds a hint of SUV ruggedness. As for details, features like automatic headlights, front fog lamps, and rain-sensing wipers come standard, making it sufficiently convenient for daily use.

Opening the car door, the interior primarily uses dark tones, with extensive use of soft-touch materials, providing a decent tactile feel. The 8.7-inch central touchscreen is the visual centerpiece, with a clear layout and moderately responsive operation. The 7-inch fully digital instrument cluster on the left displays basic information such as speed and fuel consumption, with a simple and intuitive interface. In terms of features, keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, and rear air vents are standard. The front seats support manual adjustments, while the rear seats offer a 60:40 split-folding function with one-touch folding capability, providing good flexibility. Notably, six airbags, blind-spot monitoring, and forward collision warning come standard across the range, showing considerable sincerity in safety features.

Space performance is one of the advantages of the Koleos Signature. The vehicle has dimensions of 4672mm in length, 1843mm in width, 1678mm in height, and a wheelbase of 2705mm, placing it among the upper middle range in its class. After adjusting the front seats, there’s a fist's worth of headroom for front passengers. Rear passengers have two fists of legroom and one fist of headroom, ensuring a comfortable experience even for passengers up to 180cm in height. As for storage, the front door panels can accommodate two water bottles, the central armrest box offers moderate capacity, and the trunk has a standard volume of 542 liters, which can be further expanded by folding down the rear seats, easily accommodating strollers or suitcases.

In terms of powertrain, the Koleos Signature is equipped with a 2.5L naturally aspirated engine, delivering a maximum power of 171PS at 6000rpm and a peak torque of 233N·m at 4400rpm, paired with a CVT transmission in a front-wheel-drive layout. During everyday driving, the acceleration is smooth, throttle response is linear, and the CVT transmission performs well with minimal jerking. During low to medium-speed acceleration, the power output is sufficient for city driving conditions. For overtaking, pressing the accelerator harder will raise the engine speed and deliver a noticeable burst of power. However, during high-speed acceleration, the characteristics of the naturally aspirated engine might make the power reserve feel slightly inadequate. The official combined fuel consumption is rated at 8.1L/100km. In our actual tests, it recorded around 9.2L/100km in urban conditions and approximately 7.5L/100km on highways, which is in line with expectations.

The handling and chassis performance lean toward comfort. The steering wheel is light to turn, with moderate precision, making it suitable for daily commuting. The front MacPherson independent suspension is tuned on the softer side, absorbing most minor vibrations when passing speed bumps or uneven roads, ensuring comfort for rear passengers. However, during cornering, the body roll is slightly noticeable, requiring speed control. In terms of noise control, tire and wind noise are not obvious at low speeds. At high speeds, wind noise increases slightly but remains within an acceptable range.

Overall, the key advantages of the 2021 Renault Koleos Signature are its spacious interior, standard safety features across the range, and a five-year unlimited mileage warranty. Compared to competitors in the same class, its configuration level is on par, and its space performance is even better. However, its power delivery is rather smooth, lacking some driving excitement. This car is more suitable for users who value practicality for family use, prioritize safety features, and appreciate after-sales support, such as families needing daily commuting and childcare or middle-aged consumers pursuing balanced performance. If you're looking for an SUV without obvious shortcomings that can meet the needs of the whole family, the Koleos Signature is worth considering.