The competitively priced Koleos arrives on our shores

consumption of 8.8l per 100km.

The Koleos is a generally quiet performer without any intrusive wind or road noise, although there is some CVTtypical engine droning as it accelerates to cruising speed.

Good ride comfort is one of the highlights of Renault’s SUV, and the fairly long wheelbase prevented it from feeling jittery on the gravel roads that were part of the driving route on last week’s local media launch.

Heavy rain turned those dirt roads slippery, which was a good test of the “weekend warrior” ability of the rangetopping 4x4 Dynamique I drove at the launch, and it performed admirably. The vehicle has three modes: two-wheel drive; 4WD Auto, which continuously adjusts the front-to-rear torque split depending on road conditions; and 4WD Lock, which distributes the torque in an equal 50-50 split between the front and rear axles. This mode is automatically disengaged above 40km/h.

The conditions weren’t rough enough to require the latter mode, but in 4WD Auto the Koleos happily dealt with the slimy surface, maintaining grip and staying pointed the right way even when the pace was pushed. The Koleos has a fairly decent obstacle-straddling 210mm ground clearance, and while it won’t scurry through an offroad course like a Land Rover, this Renault is more than a pavement-posing SUV. 2.5 Expression (126kW/233Nm) 2.5 Dynamique R439,900 2.5 Dynamique 4x4 R479,900 R399,900

Prices include a five-year/ 150,000km warranty and fiveyear/90,000km service plan

Honda CR-V 2.0 Comfort R435,900 (113kW/189Nm)

Honda CR-V 2.0 Elegance R492,500

Honda CR-V 1.5 Executive AWD R602,500 (140kW/240Nm)

Hyundai Tucson 2.0 Premium auto R433,900 (115kW/196Nm)

Hyundai Tucson 2.0 Elite R514,900

Kia Sportage 2.0 Ignite Plus auto R410,995 (115kW/196Nm)

Kia Sportage 2.0 EX Plus R508,995 Mazda CX-5 2.0 Active auto R410,500 (121kW/210Nm) Mazda CX-5 2.0 Dynamic auto R436,100

Mazda CX-5 2.5 AWD Individual R557,900 (143kW/257Nm)

Nissan X-Trail 2.0 Visia R397,900 (106kW/200Nm) Nissan X-Trail 2.5 4x4 Acenta R460,900 (126kW/233Nm) Nissan X-Trail 2.5 4x4 Tekna R513,500 Ford Kuga 1.5T Ambiente auto R398,500 (110kW/240Nm) Ford Kuga 1.5T Trend R445,900

Ford Kuga 2.0T AWD ST Line R548,500 (177kW/240Nm) Toyota Rav4 2.0 GX auto R407,300 (107kW/187Nm)

Toyota Rav4 2.5 AWD VX R545,100 (132kW/233Nm)

VW Tiguan 1.4 TSI Trendline auto R433,400 (92kW/200Nm)

VW Tiguan 1.4 TSI Comfortline auto R494,800

VW Tiguan 2.0 TSI 4Motion Highline R577,600 (162kW/350Nm)