Renault Koleos info thread

[brwilliams]

Hi MyBB

I've been looking around at softroader type SUV's after my Tucson was written off and came across the Renault Koleos. Took an older one (2009) for a test drive and found it much better overall in comparison to my 2009 Tucson. Much more comfortable ride, smoother through the gears, more responsive steering, etc. My overall impression of the vehicle (I drove the 6-speed manual 2.5l 4x2) was extremely positive. However, as is my nature, I need to find out as much about a potential purchase as possible: this is where you come in.

Has anyone here ever owned a Koleos? If so, how many kms have you had it for? What are your general driving habits, and how has it held up thus far? Would you recommend it? Why, or why not?

I cannot make a thread about a Renault and not ask about their aftersales service. Again, this is directed at current owners of the Koleos specifically, but would also like feedback from those who own a Renault in general. I've prepared myself for flak I may, or may not receive, but I'm open to any constructive opinions both positive and negative and would really appreciate it. How has the service been? Have you had any problems waiting for parts? Any better/worse than other brands? I asked the dealer for standard service prices at specific ODO readings, and they are pretty much the same as the service costs of the Tucson. He mentioned that one can also purchase a 3yr/60 000km service plan and a 2yr/unlimited km warranty plan for approximately R17 500 from Renault.

 

[Grubscrew]

Take that koleos and take it to a different dealer and ask for a trade in price. That car will be a car for life.

 

[Fazda]

The Koleos is based on the Nissan X Trail, and it's a bloody capable car.

I wouldn't hesitate buying a used one, as it will be at a rock bottom price.

 

[akescpt]

The Koleos is based on the Nissan X Trail, and it's a bloody capable car.

I wouldn't hesitate buying a used one, as it will be at a rock bottom price.

the ones I see are still pricey.

 

[TehStranger]

Take that koleos and take it to a different dealer and ask for a trade in price. That car will be a car for life.

To expand on this point with the post I'm sure Grubscrew has in mind:

Renault Koleos 2011 CVT 4x4

New March 2011 R435,000 current offers on trade in R80,000 still under warranty etc. 132,000kms

R355k over 38 months

This was on another forum discussion how much your car has cost you in depreciation.

So yes, buy one by all means, but drive it until it don't drive anymore.

 

[Pho3nix]

Mother bought a Koleos last year with all the bells and whistles. Demo car with 6000km on the clock and has recently gone for the first service.
Since I'm the [-]chauffeur[/-] driver half the time these are my notes.
Great car all in all. Petrol is decent for a car it's size. It's a 2013 model I think. GPS locks on quickly. Drive is comfortable, much better than my Dads Nissan Hard-body. Steering is responsive.
Note that the car is big. It takes some getting used too; especially if you had a smaller car.

Driven day to day 25km(work and back combined) and I would give it an honest thumbs up. Better value than a Tiguen which was at the same price point.

Service wise, we know the branch (3rd car from Renault in JHB) and it's decent. Had a problem with my sisters Clio where they didn't have a spare battery and we had to buy one so they could test the rest of the electronics for a possible fault. Wasn't impressed as the car was there for 5 days but all in all they have given us great service and the cars run well.
Resell value is a bit of a doozy. Ask Fazda for more advice in this realm. Part wise, we waited 2 days for a light for the Koleos when a little while ago. Nothing else really stands out. Might ask my mother to comment when she returns

 

[ponder]

This was on another forum discussion how much your car has cost you in depreciation.

So yes, buy one by all means, but drive it until it don't drive anymore.

Jeez that is hectic, almost as bad as burning your money

 

[ahoudet]

I was offered R40k for a trade-in on an A6 so yes, one does take a huge knock when trading in a car - I sold it for more than double that. Back to the Koleos, bought a used (2010) one in August 2012 and it now has 61000km. We don't use it too often but used it to move a company once and drove to Durban in it twice. Hell of a nice car. Fairly economical and extremely comfortable. My recommendation would be to go for the facelifted one that was released in 2010 as minor improvements were made. One way to spot the f/l is that it has a spoiler

 

[brwilliams]

Awesome. Thanks for the info so far. Much appreciated.

The resale value is quite an issue, one of the reasons I never even considered a new/demo renault. Just wondering how little the vehicle will be worth in 3 or 4 years and if I'll still want the vehicle then. The fact that I can still get service/maintenence plan from the Dealer is quite nice.

Going to give the 4x4 CVT version a test drive (all Nissan Xtrail - engine, drivetrain, gearbox) later today while I deliberate.

 

[Fazda]

The sad thing about the ridiculous trade in prices on these cars is that it has nothing to do with how good or bad this particular car is, and everything to do with the South African obsession of "don't ever buy French".

If Nissan had left their name on the car they would be trading like hotcakes!

 

[brwilliams]

Yeah, it is quite disappointing that there is such a bad perception of the make. Honestly wish that Renault themselves would do more to improve that image, kind of like Hyundai did after their first major failure some years ago. The 2009 4x4 2.5l CVT model is a dream to drive. Slight lag in acceleration which is relatively normal for the CVT transmissions of the time from what I understand, but I'm no racer so that's not a major problem.

I think I just need to decide whether I want a vehicle I'd like to trade in after a few years, or whether I want one for a very long time. Again, I really appreciate the advice and feedback from everyone who posted, thank you.

 

[catman37]

I hate to say this but that car has a terrible trade in.

One of our divisional managers has been driving one for 4 years. He can't get rid of it. Even our Renault Dealers don't want it.

 

[neoprema]

Ide like to bump this thread again. I'm thinking of buying a Koleos second hand obviously. I just wonder about 2 things. Resale is not one of them, I intend to finance it over 1 year and keep it for much longer.

My question is:

Should one go for the 2.5l engine - because it's just std and may last longer (with around 45k on clock)
Or go for the 2.0dci which was more economical, came with 4x4 (not all 2.5 did) and has the premise that a Diesel engine is "stronger"? Although those models tend to have about 78k-118k on the clock.

In the same price range one gets for example a 2013 2.5L 4x4 auto or a 2011 2.0 dci 4x4 manual/auto

 

[Fazda]

Ide like to bump this thread again. I'm thinking of buying a Koleos second hand obviously. I just wonder about 2 things. Resale is not one of them, I intend to finance it over 1 year and keep it for much longer.

My question is:

Should one go for the 2.5l engine - because it's just std and may last longer (with around 45k on clock)
Or go for the 2.0dci which was more economical, came with 4x4 (not all 2.5 did) and has the premise that a Diesel engine is "stronger"? Although those models tend to have about 78k-118k on the clock.

In the same price range one gets for example a 2013 2.5L 4x4 auto or a 2011 2.0 dci 4x4 manual/auto

Personally, I would go for the diesel, however if you are wanting a younger car, then it would have to be petrol. You must also take into account that the Koleos does not trade well, simply because it's a Renault in SA - that being said, you should be getting excellent value for money as the car has deprecated more than it should. Just don't hold your breath and hope that you will ever get a decent price on trade in.

 

[ahoudet]

I had the 2010 2.5 manual 4x2 and did about 15k km when I had it. Average consumption was at about 10.2 l/100km. Had no issues with it. It had more than enough power and was a pleasure to drive.

 

[neoprema]

Personally, I would go for the diesel, however if you are wanting a younger car, then it would have to be petrol. You must also take into account that the Koleos does not trade well, simply because it's a Renault in SA - that being said, you should be getting excellent value for money as the car has deprecated more than it should. Just don't hold your breath and hope that you will ever get a decent price on trade in.

oh i've had a few Renault's including a Laguna, dont worry i know about a car's value falling faster than a meteor..

I've got a nice car now, not a Renault but i'm just tired of paying money in installments forever. So I'm thinking a Koleos will give me what i want - some good ride height, I do like Renault and I can pay it off in 1 year.

My one concern was the turbo in the dci, I dont wanna be paying for turbo replacements.