RENAULT says its all-new Koleos gives the languishing French brand its best chance of success in Australia. And after sampling both the manual and automatic dCi turbo-diesel models, we tend to agree. A co-development with Nissan, the Koleos uses plenty of the latter’s 4x4 know-how, so it has more off-road capability than your average compact SUV. And the fact that it is built in a Nissan-run Samsung factory in South Korea means that you can expect the quality to be better than your average French-built car. So if you’re after a quality premium 4x4 in the VW Tiguan class, you might be pleasantly surprised by just how complete the Koleos really is.
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Renault X64 Scenic RX4
Released: May 2001
Ended: June 2004
Family Tree: KoleosInteresting to look at and novel in design, the RX4 was nothing more than a jacked-up Scenic with simpler rear suspension, a fiddly split tailgate, and an SUV-style spare tyre slung from behind. Mated to a notchy five-speed manual gearbox, the RX4’s performance was adequate at best, due to the fact that the 101kW/188Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine had to haul quite a lot of car around. On the other hand the versatile, well-equipped interior, high safety specification and some part-time 4x4 ability made the RX4 a unique – if rather flawed – proposition. Two models were offered – the Expression and the Privilege. Sales ceased in mid-2004.
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