Renault Koleos Concept To Inspire New French 4WD

Motoring Channel Staff - 29/Sep/2006

Paris, France — In addition to the mediocre Nepta concept, and more inspired Twingo concept Renault unveiled the Koleos Concept at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, which foreshadows a 4WD recreational vehicle that Renault is due to market in the first half of 2008. 

The Koleos Concept car asserts its claim to the rugged and sporty world of 4WDs while featuring the roominess and comfort of a crossover. It boasts a wide range of practical functions for both everyday use and leisure.

To ensure maximum off- and on-road comfort, the Koleos Concept is built on a new four-­wheel 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. 

Renault insists that this 4WD is totally in its element in any conditions and is sure to deliver genuine pleasure to its occupants whatever the road surface, but with only 200mm of ground clearance in reality it would probably get stuck quite easily.

Penned by Renault designers working in collaboration with the Renault Samsung Motors Design Centre in Korea, the grey-blue body colour emphasises the high-tech feel of its volumes and the front end features LED headlamps, with additional lights and indicators housed in the exterior mirrors.

The Koleos concept car features a glazed roof panel, which are all the rage these days, and is topped by profiled aluminium roof bars, while the chunky wheel arches house 19-inch aluminium alloy wheels fitted with concept pattern tyres. 

With 200mm ground clearance and front and rear aluminium protective skidplates, the Koleos communicates a message of adventure and ruggedness. The design of the vehicle's rear asserts its identity in a long sweep that runs from the base of the rear windscreen and through to the centre of the hatch, and hinting at the vehicle's turbo diesel powertrain, a twin exhaust tailpipe is incorporated into the rear bumper.

The aluminium door sill extensions fold out when the doors are open to facilitate ingress, and upon 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, while the centre console is made from a transparent material and contains the individual controls for the climate control system. 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. 

The Koleos concept offers all the comfort and roominess of a modern urban car, says Renault, with ample headroom and shoulder room, all of which enables the Koleos to seat four adults, whatever their physique. Also, the numerous stowage 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.

Renault's concept car also offers a full range of practical features including a split ­opening tailgate that 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 - but not stunts. That would be risky.

The chassis comes with all the features of an all-terrain vehicle, which were developed within the framework of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. This brand new chassis has drawn on the all-wheel drive expertise of Renault's Japanese partner, as Renault hasn't been too successful with past AWD applications. Whether running in two- or four-wheel drive mode, it guarantees flawless traction and roadholding thanks to an electronically controlled active coupler which distributes torque to the wheels as a function of the level of grip available to each wheel.

As well as a part-time AWD system, the Koleos concept also boasts a wide range of driver aids, some of which 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). 

Power for the intriguingly designed concept is via an engine which is just at home on city streets, highways and motorways as it is over rough tracks where grip is at a premium explains Renault. Its 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder dCi engine employs state-of-the-art diesel engine technology including piezoelectric injectors, 1600-bar common rail injection and a variable geometry turbocharger to generate 130kW of power. To minimize polluting emissions, the 2.0 dCi is equipped with a periodic regeneration particulate filter, which operates without additives (unlike Peugeot systems, which use additives). It drives through a 6-speed manual gearbox that gives Koleos Concept "touring car" levels of driving pleasure.

Renault Koleos Concept Specifications:

• Overall length: 4,520mm

• Width: 1,890mm

• Height: 1,700mm

• Engine: 4-cylinder 2.0-litre 16-valve turbocharged diesel engine with particulate filter, Euro4-compliant

• Power: 130kW/180hp

• 6-speed manual gearbox

• 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) 19-inch wheels

• Hankook 255/50 R19 tyres