The original Koleos was Renault’->ke72s first crossover->ke288 ever, and the newest iteration is set to be the brand’s flagship SUV->ke145 that will compete against the likes of the Mitsubishi Outlander and the Nissan X-Trail, among others. As Renault’s flagship SUV, the Koleos->ke2746 is now larger and offers seating for up to seven. It comes loaded with an automatic four-wheel drive system, new technology,->ke1701 and a decent list of driver assistance systems.

It’s not surprising to see Renault put so much into its new flagship SUV. Renault has been on a mission to drop new models like auto manufacturing is going out of style. With SUVs being snatched up like knickknacks at a convention for the elderly, it’s no surprise that Renault’s SUV lineup is the primary focus of this “plan.” Renault already has the Kwid,->ke5161 Captur,->ke4602 and Kadjar,->ke5070 and now Renault has officially debuted the Renault Koleos at the Beijing Auto Show.->ke2062

At the debut, Group Renault Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn said: “Today in Beijing, we mark the world premiere of the all-new, flagship SUV Renault Koleos.” He continued, “Koleos has been completely re-engineered with powerful styling, unique features, and full SUV capability.” So, now that you know a little about the Renault's new flagship SUV, let’s take a closer look at it and what it brings to the table.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2017 Renault Koleos.

Exterior

The new Koleos is a huge departure from the previous model. It is clearly longer and wider and is far more attractive on the outside. Not that the original was bad for the brand’s first crossover, but this new model has the look the Koleos should have already had. Up front, the Koleos has a muscular and defined hood with four different body lines that seem to feed life into the grille below. The headlights are all new units that feature an LED strip over the top of the low-beam light and along the outer side. The LED strip actually picks up directly below the headlight and curves inward toward the bottom of the grille.

The grille itself features four vertical slats with the Renault diamond emblem sitting in the middle of the top three slats. Down below, the fog lights are recessed into rounded-out rectangular cutouts on each corner. An air dam exists between the two cutouts with a piece of body gray body cladding rounding off the bottom of the fascia.

To the side, there is a very prominent body line that runs from the upper corner of the headlight assembly to the vent on the side door. The body also has a bubble-like effect to it to the front and rear on the side, giving the area around the B-pillar a look of depth. Down below, body cladding adds more character to the bottom of the doors and the side skirts. Moving farther back, we can make out a portion of the wraparound taillights and the chrome window strip is wider at the rearmost window. The waistline gets a higher as you move closer to the rear.

Walking around to the back will give you yet another pleasurable view of the re-engineered SUV. There is a short overhang above the hatch that houses the high-mount brake light. Down below, the taillights travel from the rear quarters and across the hatch. The bottom side of the taillights swoops upward so the inner point of the taillights point directly at the diamond emblem on the rear hatch.

Below the hatch, there is a reflector on each corner of the rear bumper, which also houses the rectangular exhaust outlets that are surrounded by chrome trim. The bottom of the rear bumper also got the gray cladding treatment. Needless to say, Renault put in a lot of work when it came to redesigning the Koleos, and that work paid off. This is arguably one of the more attractive SUVs out there at the moment.

Interior

A quick look inside the Koleos reveals an upscale cabin that surely brings strong competition to the segment. To start off, just take a look at that leather upholstery. The leather on the seats, armrests, and center console are held together by white stitching, and it looks like the center of the seat cushions and seatback are perforated, hinting toward heated and cooled seats as an option.

The interior looks like it can be had in several different color options. In the photo’s supplied with the SUV’s official debut, we see a combination of black trim, black leather, and white used for the pillars and roof. Another image depicts brown leather (with white stitching,) black trim, and white on the pillars and roof. Renault hasn’t divulged all of the information regarding color options, but we know there will at these be the ones mentioned here.

On the technology front, the SUV has some blue ambient lighting in the storage pockets on the door and ahead of the gear shifter, just under the infotainment display. Speaking of infotainment, the Koleos comes standard with the R-Link2 system that serves as a hub to control things like the Bose audio system, navigation, hands-free telephone use, and other driver aids. Renault didn’t give too many details about the infotainment system, but the screen is oriented horizontally and looks to be around 10 inches in size. There are several buttons on the right side of the screen, a few below the screen and a knob at each bottom corner. There is another strip of buttons below the knobs.

Overall the interior is pretty luxurious and looks like a pretty comfortable place to spend some time in. I like the way the Infotainment screen is oriented vertically and integrated into the center stack. I also like the hybrid-like instrument cluster. The center display is virtual while the needle gauges on the left and right are more traditional. And, since the Koleos is designed to go on-road or off, Renault took the time to add plenty of oh-crap handles. You can see them on the roof above the doors, but more interestingly, the knee bolsters on the dash curve around the center stack and slant downward to connect to the base of the console, creating a handle for the passenger and driver. Overall, the cabin gets my approval.

Drivetrain

So far, Renault has yet to disclose any information regarding what will power its new flagship SUV. There are a lot of possibilities on the table, thought. Renault could borrow drivetrain options from the Nissan X-Trail, which would bring a gasoline-powered 2.0-liter with 143 horsepower, a gasoline-powered 2.5-liter with 170 horsepower, or a 1.6-liter diesel mill with 130 horsepower.

On the other hand, it could bring over the powertrain options from the Kadjar. What we know for sure is that the Koleos comes equipped with a user-friendly, four-wheel-drive system. The system offers several modes of operation including two-wheel drive, four-wheel auto, and four-wheel lock. The system is said to deliver all-terrain ability and enhanced stability by neutralizing understeer and oversteer.

Safety

On the safety side of things, the Koleos offers an active emergency braking system, lane departure warning, safe distance warning, traffic sign recognition with speed warning, blind spot warning, and tiredness detection. Other features include a rearview camera, automatic high- and low-beam headlights, parking sensors on all four sides, and easy park assist. Needless to say, the Koleos is well equipped, so I doubt we’ll be disappointed when we find out what lurks under the hood. Stay tuned for updates.

Competition

Mitsubishi Outlander

The Outlander isn’t the most exciting seven-seat SUV on the market, but it does offer high practicality at a competitive price. The exterior looks good, with bold styling and unique touches all around. The fuel economy is also quite good, but the trade off is performance that seems to struggle. The interior is on the bland side, but AWD comes standard, so if you’re looking for something that does the job and not a whole lot more, the Outlander might be the right choice.

Read our full review here.

Nissan X-Trail

It’s expected the Koleos will offer more or less the same mechanical bits as the Nissan X-Trail, which means the two will probably fight it out over things like styling and interior appointment. From the outside, the Nissan looks like an SUV should, while the cabin has all the right features of tech and usability. I could see Nissan giving these attributes an update to keep it ahead of the Renault, so we’ll have to see where it sits when the Koleos successor is finally released.

Read our full review here.

Conclusion

When spy shots of the new Koleos started surfacing, I was a little skeptical that Renault would do right by the model. The original did well in some markets, but poor in others. Now that we’ve seen the finished product, it’s pretty clear that Renault went all out on its new flagship SUV. It’s filled with technology that will be used and doesn’t have any of the extra crap that nobody ever uses. The interior is upscale and luxurious, and it is sure to be a hit in most markets.

The problem is, it will also be going up against the Nissan X-Trail, and I’m curious to see how the two will manage to differentiate the models. If not, both brands may see troubling sales as customers are forced to pick between one or the other. The best thing about the Koleos is that Renault kept its word when it said it was going to make a vehicle suitable for all terrain. I expected to see some wimpy all-wheel drive system, but Renault surprised us all and gave the SUV a real 4WD system. Good work, Renault.

Updated History

Updated 11/16/2015: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming SUV from Renault our for a new testing session, and this time they also took some photos of the interior. Koleos' successor is expected to be unveiled sometime in early 2016.

Updated 03/11/2016: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming Koleos successor out for a new testing session in Northern Sweden. New rumors suggest that the new SUV could be named "Maxthon" and that it should be unveiled in September at the 2016 Paris Motor Show.

Spy Shots

March 11, 2016 - Renault "Maxthon" caught testing in Sweden

November 16, 2015 - Renault's future SUV reveals its interior

October 16, 2016 - First testing session