Here we have a car designed in France, carrying a fair amount of Japanese hardware but assembled in Korea - and it's interesting to consider that build quality was the thing that stood out most.
It has the same underpinnings as Nissan's X-Trail, it's built by Samsung Motors and, make no mistake, the Renault Koleos Dynamique with all-wheel drive comes across as a tidy, well-put-together unit.
But French flair? That's something that was badly lacking when the designers put pen to paper. But let's start at the beginning...
A black car usually oozes special appeal. Think of a black BMW 335i or a black Golf GTi. The first thought that comes to mind in South Africa is "Scorpions!".
Then you remember: they no longer exist. And it strikes you that their successors don't have any staff so it can't be them either.
But the car oozes a certain menace. If the chap behind the wheel is dressed in a black suit with a white shirt, you can easily believe he is some sort of G-man, complete with the bulge under the left arm. Must chafe a lot, those bulges.
Be that as it may, when the Renault Koleos, resplendent in black, was parked in my driveway, I couldn't say I was overcome by the moment. The car did very little to entice, to get one rubbing one's hands in glee and saying: "Right, let's go for a nice drive".
For a petrolhead such as me, it appeared just too - dare I admit it? - grown-up and serious. I could see a haircut coming a mile away and that alone was enough to put the fear of calamity in me.
So, if form did not follow attitude, did it follow function?
I can't really say that either, as there was obviously some attempt at creating a certain look. I was just having a hard time figuring it out.
When form follows function on a four-wheel drive you get a Toyota Land Cruiser pick-up, a Land Rover Defender or a Jeep Wrangler. When form follows function in the off-road world, you don't get large, exposed, tearful-looking headlights.
It doesn't elicit the fitting of wheels and tyres more befitting a medium-sized sedan. Looking at the Koleos, one would've thought it was a generally well-behaved working dad who'd had a spiked drink and woke up to find his wallet and credit cards gone.
It's not that it's ugly, it's just so, well, forgettable.
And then you get into it and you find that your often over-sensitive spine isn't uttering a word of complaint. In fact, things are feeling rather cushy all of a sudden.
DEVOID OF BLING
The interior is quite spacious and you know that if you had to traverse the rougher side of the road, you'd not knock your head. Or anything else, for that matter.
When you turn the key and the quiet engine flashes up you can't help but feel a bit cocooned. It may be cold outside but inside things are toasty.
The cabin is virtually devoid of bling but you don't notice, because everything falls to hand instinctively. The six-speed gearshift is just there. Indicator and wiper stalks are a finger's reach from the steering wheel. Nothing stands out, especially not for the wrong reasons.
And slowly you begin to realise that chaps much more sensible than you might be driving this car.
I still maintain that the French make/design the best suspension systems in the world. Even if they are based on Nissan underpinnings.
Something happened when the kit got on to a Renault, something magic, because bumps became a distant awareness. Then I remembered that the last time I drove a Nissan X-Trail or Qashqai, the experience was also quite good. Maybe the French influence on that particular aspect of Japan is telling.
REMARKABLY EFFICIENT
The 126kW, 2.5-litre petrol engine has enough energy to make the Koleos a smooth operator, even when the gradient is on the steep side and the obstacle is a tipper truck laden with gravel. Gear selection happens smoothly and instinctively and is also quite easy to forget once done.
And at the end of the drive, the fuel tank tells you in no uncertain terms that the car is remarkably efficient at 10.4 litres/100km. Granted, you never threw this car around or stepped on the loud pedal as if it was one of those bird-catching spiders from the Amazon or anything like that. The very nature of the Koleos discourages such adolescent behaviour.
But at the same time, there was no real slouchy driving either.
I didn't really go out of my way to test the car's off-road capabilities. I just couldn't see it as anything other than a comfy thing with which to, at worst, ride on bad gravel tracks. The tyres alone put me off.
So all in all, for the tidy sum of R285 000, you can buy a somewhat forgettable car. And that may be a surprisingly good thing. - Cape Argus
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Cylinders:
4.
Capacity:
2488cc.
Fuel system:
Electronic Multi-point fuel-injection.
Max power/torque:
126kW at 6000rpm/226Nm at 4400rpm.
TRANSMISSION
Type:
Six-speed manual gearbox; all-wheel drive.
SUSPENSION
Front/rear:
McPherson strut with anti-roll bar / Multilink with anti-roll bar.
STEERING
Type:
Power-assisted rack-and-pinion.
Steering-column adjustment:
Height and reach.
BRAKES
Front/rear:
Discs, ventilated at front, with anti-lock and stability control system.
WHEELS/TYRES
Rims:
17" spoked alloy.
Tyres:
225/60 radials.
DIMENSIONS/WEIGHT
Length:
4520mm.
Width:
2120mm.
Height:
1695mm.
Mass:
1622kg.
FUEL TANK/CONSUMPTION
65 litres/10.4 litres/100km.
194km/h.
ACCELERATION
0-100km/h:
9.3sec.
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
Remote central locking, trip data computer, air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors, multifunction steering wheel, radio/CD player.
SAFETY EQUIPMENT
Six crash bags, hill hold, hydraulic brake assist.
MANUFACTURER SUPPORT
Three-year or 100 000km warranty, three-year or 60 000km service plan.
SERVICE INTERVALS
15 000km.
VW Tiguan 2.0 TSI- R396 000