( Worldcarfans ) - Renault has finally done it, they have built their own, and very first for the French automaker, crossover vehicle. Renault has named it the Renault Koleos and is a true multi-cultural project. Renault designed the car, Nissan developed the crossover and Renault Samsung Motors manufactured it at their Busan plant in Korea. The Koleos will take its first bow at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
The Renault Koleos comes in either two-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive, measures 4,52 meters in length, 1.85 meters in width, has 206 mm (diesel powered 188mm) ground clearance and comes with a choice of two engines. The petrol engine produces 126 kW (175 hp) of power and will be coupled to a six-speed manual transmission, while some markets will also see a six-speed automatic. The diesel engine can be had with two power outputs, 110 kW (150 hp) or 127 kW (175 hp) where the 175 hp version is only available as a 4x4 with manual transmission and the entry level crossover is available in 4x4 or 4x2 with either an automatic or manual six-speed.
Besides being the first crossover for Renault, the Koleos is also the first to feature 4-wheel-drive from its launch. As mentioned before, Nissan developed the car which resulted in the Koleos using the Nissan X-Trail's suspension system. The All mode 4x4-I system spreads torque to where it is most needed, so under normal driving conditions only the front wheels receive torque, but when grip decreases up to 50% of torque is directed to the rear wheels.
