Renault Koleos 2021: French SUV gets added value, seven-year warranty

John Law

Contributor

Following promising sales results last year, Renault has added even more value to the Australia Koleos range for 2021.

The 2021 Renault Koleos range remains mostly unchanged with the same three variants and two or four-wheel-drive options. For 2020, the Koleos medium SUV was again Renault’s biggest-selling vehicle in Australia.

However, in the popular medium SUV segment the Koleos was bested by the Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail, with which the Koleos shares many components.

Reanult Koleos 2021 White off-road — The updated Koleos looks nearly identical from the outside.

Renault Australia managing director Anouk Poelmann was pleased with the Koleos’ result, though, saying that “(the Koleos) set a new high watermark for Renault sales, with 620 sales in November”.

This success has spurred on Renault’s SUV offensive in Australia, with the new Captur light SUV and small Arkana SUV set to arrive this year.

Poelmann is confident in the Koleos’ immediate future, stating that “the upgraded version adds a raft of new creature comforts and we are confident the momentum built in 2020 will continue.”

Reanult Koleos 2021 Burgundy rear — Certainly from the rear the medium SUV remains identical.

For 2021, Renault has bolstered the Koleos’ value equation with the seven-year warranty carried over from 2019, and added equipment across the range.

The Koleos range kicks off with the entry-level Life grade for $32,990 (before on-road costs) which gets AEB and lane-departure warning, front parking sensors, seven-inch touchscreen, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and cloth upholstery.

Above the Life sits the Zen which adds faux-leather upholstery, blind-spot monitoring, keyless entry, navigation, rear and side parking sensors, and heated front seats for $36,790 (before on-road costs).

Reanult Koleos 2021 Burgundy — From the front the LED signature is distinctive, and all models get LED headlights for 2021.

Both the Life and Zen are outfitted with LED headlights and auto high-beams for 2021.

The Intens still adds a Bose premium sound system, panoramic sunroof, auto parking and ambient lighting, but it’s the variant which sees the greatest value-added.

For an extra $300, Renault has added an auto-dipping mirror when reversing, LED reverse lights, sequential indicators and upmarket Nappa leather-appointed seats with electric adjustment, driver massage function and under-thigh adjustment to the $43,290 Intens.

Renault Koleos 2021 Interior — In Australia, the Koleos will only be available with black leather, sadly.

Otherwise, the Koleos range remains unchanged with all models powered by a naturally-aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine making 126kW of power and 226Nm of torque.

The Koleos’ sole transmission choice is a CVT automatic, and only the range-topping Intens is available with selectable four-wheel-drive for a $2,500 premium.

The updated 2021 model year Renault Koleos range will go on sale in March this year.