Recently, the Renault Koleos Gen-II was spied testing in India entirely undisguised. It is an SUV you won't frequently spot on the Indian Roads, but, yes! It was officially on sale in India a decade ago.
This Gen-II Koleos was globally revealed in 2016 at the Beijing Motor Show with multiple engines and transmission options on offer but wasn't brought to India. Having achieved a 5-star rating at the Euro-NCAP crash tests, it was a safe car with adequate performance based on the CMF C/D platform.
Dating back to the previous versions of the Koleos, it was introduced in the last quarter of 2011 as a premium offering from the Renault-Nissan Group. Being offered as a single top-spec AWD variant having a 2.0 dCi engine, putting out 148 bhp at 4000 rpm, with a peak torque of 320 N-m at 2000 rpm, it was priced at a premium of more than 24 Lakhs. The pricing was much higher than the competition like Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and Mitsubishi Pajero, which proved to be a more Value For Money package.
With unimpressive sales figures for the Koleos, Renault introduced the Koleos facelift in 2014 with three different variants ranging from 24 lakhs to 28 lakhs but miserably failed. Despite being ahead of its time as a premium five-seater SUV, the Koleos was thought of to be a jacked-up Renault Duster. This might be a result of multiple Renault cars inspired by each other's design elements, thus making them look quite similar. The Renault Koleos Gen-II is no different as it shares numerous elements from the front fascia of a Renault Captur.
Unfortunately, with the failure of the Koleos and Fluence to capture Indian customers, Renault has done away with any premium offerings and confined to the mass consumer segment of the Indian auto market with vehicles like Kwid, Triber and Tiger. With the Koleos Gen-II spied testing in India, we expect the price to still be at a premium by today's standards but hope to receive a better value on the whole. This would only be possible if the SUV is manufactured in India itself, else CBU or CKD routes would raise the prices exorbitantly.
Also Read: Renault India Export More Than 1 Lakh Cars via Make In India Campaign
So, what are your expectations with the Renault Koleos Gen-II in India? Share your views in the comment section. Let's get into a discussion with this in our 91Wheels Telegram and 91Wheels Whatsapp group, where you can know more about vehicles, conduct discussions on your favourite ride, and much more! You can also subscribe to our Youtube channel for our exclusive video content on the latest from the world of cars and motorcycles. Also, connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more about vehicles!
Image Source: Arun Kumar
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