A very successful Italian job

Monza among highlights of Fife race ace’s Jonny’s tour.

Renault has added a new SUV to its UK range.

The Koleos sits above the Captur and Kadjar in the French company’s lineup.

It goes on sale in the summer with prices starting at £27,500.

The Mazda CX-5 rival is available in two trim levels – Dynamique S and Signature Nav – with the range-topping Koleos costing £34,200, nudging it into Audi Q5 territory.

At 4,672mm long, the new Koleos is about the same size as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Jeep Cherokee.

Just as the smaller Kadjar is based on a model from sister company Nissan, so the Koleos is based on the X-Trail.

A 1.6-litre diesel engine is available on both trim levels with a six-speed manual transmission and two-wheel drive. It provides fuel economy of up to 57.6mpg and CO2 emissions of 128g/km.

More expensive models have a twolitre diesel engine with six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission. These come with four-wheel drive with three driving modes – auto, lock, and two-wheel drive.

Entry models come with dual-zone climate control, four USB ports, a DAB radio and sat-nav, as well as a 7in infotainment touchscreen, Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring and Bluetooth.

Outside, the Koleos gets 18in alloys and heated, folding door mirrors as well as roof bars.

Cars in Signature Nav trim get 19in alloys, full LED headlights, heated front seats and a larger, 8.7in touchscreen. It also gets an automatically opening boot.

A heap of driving assistance systems are available, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, blind spot and safe distance warnings, driver tiredness detection and parking assistance.

Options include hands-free parking (£350), a Bose sound system (£600) and brown or grey interior leather (£400).

The Koleos is the third and largest vehicle in Renault’s SUV line up.