SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.
My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active list down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and search through the drop-down menu that appears.
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Posted: May 14, 2021
The numbers
Prices: Expression 4x2, R474 900. Dynamique 4x2, R524 900. Dynamique 4x4, R564 900
Engine: Nissan QR25DE 2488 cc, DOHC 16-valve, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder petrol
Power: 126 kW at 6000 rpm
Torque: 233 Nm at 4000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 9.5 seconds (4x2), 9.8 seconds (4x4)
Top speeds: 185 km/h (4x2), 199 km/h (4x4)
Real life fuel consumption: About 10.0 l/100 km
Tank: 60 litres
Luggage: 464 - 1790 litres
Standard tyres: 225/65 R17 and 225/60R18
Spare: 225/65R17
Ground clearance: 210 mm
Turning circle: 11.4 metres
Maximum towing mass: 750 kg unbraked, 1500 kg braked
Warranty: 5 years/150 000 km
Service: 5 years/90 000 km at 15 000 km interval
Renault’s Koleos models appear to be a fairly well-kept secret in South Africa, averaging around two dozen units per month. Despite having been hampered by stock shortages that’s still better than the old one did, although it deserves to fare better.
Its engine is the well-proven Nissan QR25DE that has been around since the early 2000s, while its JATCO X-Tronic CVT is almost as old, so there’s no need to worry about either being untried.
The 2019 model year saw Koleos being moved upmarket with much improved build quality, comfort levels and luxury features. Briefly, these include automatic dual-zone air conditioning, automatic wipers and auto-on headlights with cornering beams for all models, powered seat adjusters, automatic rear hatch, LED headlamps and pushbutton starting on Dynamique, and a five-star NCAP safety rating.
The upper level Dynamique pair, in 4x2 or 4x4, offer 8.7-inch capacitive touch screens while lower-spec’ Expression does almost as well with its seven-inch, non-capacitive interface. The operating heart of both versions is R-Link 2 that allows voice-controlled calling of a contact in your paired phone address book or tuning in your favourite radio station.
It can also configure the Advanced Driving Assistance (ADAS) features for your vehicle or change the layout of the digital instrument panel. Find your favourite smartphone driving apps (Android 5 or above) and display them on-screen. Google Maps displays directly on your R-LINK 2 for easy navigation. You can also dictate messages and quickly access your favourite music. It takes just a high-quality cable to connect via USB.
Find the best iPhone (iPhone 5, iOS 7.1 and up) driving apps and view them on the big screen of your R-LINK 2. Connect your iPhone via cable to one of the front USB ports to enjoy your music effortlessly. You can easily read and dictate messages, make calls, or plan a new route. Or use driving ECO2 to evaluate your trips, check your eco score and get advice on how to optimise fuel consumption.
Add a new dimension to your journeys via TomTom mapping with a 3D display of points of interest and buildings. Finding a nice restaurant or a petrol station is child's play. Get a 3D display of points of interest and buildings (vehicle dependent).
Then make it your own by accessing your favourite functions directly from the three configurable home pages. For example, you could have navigation and your most used phone contacts on the same screen. Personal settings and preferences are also just a click away on your user profile.
It’s spacious too; tall passengers enjoy plenty of head- and knee space in the back seat area that’s blessed with three full belts, individual head restraints and a very low centre hump that allows a grownup into the middle seat. When there are only two back there, a central armrest offers a pair of cup holders. For added convenience there are two more USBs and a 12-volt socket. Baby parents will appreciate two ISOFix mountings with top tethers, and central courtesy lights, so they can strap the heirs in safely.
There’s also plenty of storage space with a selection of pouches, boxes, slots and the biggest cubby I’ve seen on a French (err… technically Korean) car in a long time.
If pressed to complain about anything it would be about the CVT that’s common to all three models; I still don’t particularly like them and this one isn’t the best example I’ve ever come across. Offer a manual option and I would take one.
Test unit from Renault SA press fleet
See the 2019 launch report
And our 2019 review of the 4x4
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.
If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles. And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.
Comments or questions?
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8