Renault Korea unveiled the D-segment SUV, the ‘Grand Koleos’, globally for the first time at the ‘2024 Busan Mobility Show’. The New Renault Grand Koleos is developed as a vehicle that embodies the Renault brand’s DNA of being ‘a car that accompanies you every day’, featuring standout design, spacious and quiet interiors, and upgraded safety specifications for both drivers and passengers.
Previously known by the development project codename ‘Aurora1’, the New Renault Grand Koleos continues the success story of the Koleos, Renault’s first SUV and one of its most successful global models. The name ‘Koleos’ is inspired by the Latin word ‘coleoptera’, which signifies strength and robustness, evoking an image of a car with a strong presence. The prefix ‘Grand’ gives it the meaning of a high-end SUV model of the Renault brand with a new body size and the best-in-class rear seat space.
The New Renault Grand Koleos is available in three trims: ▲Techno ▲Iconic ▲Esprit Alpine. The ‘Esprit Alpine’ trim, inspired by Renault Group’s flagship sports car brand Alpine, makes its debut in the domestic market as the top grade. It integrates the heritage of the authentic sports car brand Alpine, which has a history in motorsports such as Formula 1, and the ‘Sporty Style’ design into the Grand Koleos.
Stephan Debleze, President of Renault Korea, said, “With a history of 125 years, Renault has sought innovation in everyday life based on the brand’s DNA of being ‘a car that accompanies you every day,’” stating, “The Grand Koleos is a vehicle born from a powerful and extensive global collaboration, the passion of domestic researchers to implement human-first technologies, and the excellent production know-how and quality competitiveness of Busan plant and its partners.”
The body surface of the Grand Koleos, featuring abundant curves, emphasizes the brand’s vitality and human-centered values, conveying a sophisticated feel through sharp character lines and various details showcasing advanced technology.
The Grand Koleos has a body length of 4,780mm, fitting for a family car, and a class-leading wheelbase of 2,820mm, ensuring ample second-row space and a class-best knee room of 320mm. The trunk cargo space is also generously sized. When the rear seats are folded down, it can offer up to 2,034 liters of space (gasoline model). The 60/40 split rear seats can be adjusted manually to two angles (28 degrees and 33 degrees).
The front grille of the Grand Koleos features a signature pattern resembling the L’Occitane emblem, expressed in the same color as the body, showcasing a strong individuality. The uniquely applied beltline on the sides, along with the long wheelbase, short overhangs, and 20-inch wheels give it a powerful impression. At the rear, the central L’Occitane emblem is flanked by the latest crystal 3D Full LED rear combination lamps emphasizing an advanced technology and a commanding, robust image. All trims are equipped with projection-type Full LED headlights and LED daytime running lights.
The top-level Esprit Alpine trim showcases exterior details with meticulous finishes in Alpine’s signature blue color and a metallic black roof. The central front features an Alpine-exclusive radiator grille that emphasizes sportiness.
The exterior colors of the Grand Koleos include ▲Satin Urban Grey ▲Mineral Copper ▲Cloud Pearl ▲Urban Grey ▲Metallic Black.
All trims of the Grand Koleos use refined premium materials such as Nappa synthetic leather, suede, and Alcantara instead of leather, considering the environment. The Esprit Alpine trim features red/white/blue stitching in the colors of the French flag on the steering wheel and armrests, with blue color accents around interior decorations and seat belts. Grained coated fabric and Alcantara material are applied to the seats, as well as to the door panels and dashboard, creating a luxurious and sporty ambiance.
The Grand Koleos is designed with a focus on safety according to the ‘Human First’ development philosophy. Its structure, built on the highly safe CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) platform, incorporates a total of 24 ultra-high-strength ‘Hot Press Forming (HPF)’ components, accounting for 18% of its body. This ensures high-level safety even in the event of collisions. Additionally, a QR code called ‘QResque Code’ is applied to quickly and easily provide information for rescuing passengers in emergencies.
The Grand Koleos offers up to 31 advanced driving assistance functions. The ‘Active Driver Assist’—a level 2 autonomous driving technology—is standard across all trims. This system combines intelligent adaptive cruise control with lane centering assistance and a new automatic lane change assist feature. Additionally, for the first time in the country, a dedicated map for ADAS reflecting urban roads is provided via streaming, achieving significantly improved recognition rates for traffic signs.
The ‘Full Auto Parking System’ helps drivers comfortably navigate various parking scenarios such as parallel, T-shape, and diagonal parking without driver intervention, except in emergencies. The ‘Clear View Transparent Chassis’ allows drivers to monitor road safety conditions around and underneath the vehicle through a 540˚ camera.
The premium Bose surround sound system, featuring 10 speakers and active noise cancellation, provides an even quieter cabin environment.
The new version of the E-Tech hybrid system installed in the Grand Koleos combines a hybrid-exclusive 1.5-liter gasoline turbo engine with a multi-mode automatic transmission and the highest capacity battery in its class (1.64kWh). The multi-mode auto includes a dual-motor system that incorporates a drive electric motor (output of 100kW) and a high-voltage starter motor (output of 60kW), alongside a 3-speed gear and inverter with a controller.
The Grand Koleos E-Tech hybrid achieves a system output of 245 horsepower, allowing for powerful and dynamic driving, while also enabling electric-only mode starts and departures, providing quick response times akin to electric vehicles, along with smooth gear shifts. In urban areas, which account for a significant part of daily driving, up to 75% electric mode driving is possible at speeds below 40 km/h. This maximizes efficiency, enabling savings of up to 50% in fuel consumption compared to gasoline engines during urban drives.
The gasoline model of the Grand Koleos is equipped with a 2.0-liter turbo direct injection engine (211 horsepower / 33.1kg.m of torque). The 7-speed DCT (Dual-Clutch Transmission) paired with the 2.0-liter turbo direct injection engine provides smooth and rapid gear shifts for a more dynamic driving experience. The Esprit Alpine trim of the gasoline model can be selected between front-wheel drive 2WD and 4WD configurations. The 4WD model of the Grand Koleos comes with BorgWarner’s 6th generation drivetrain, known for its global acclaim and high reliability.
The Grand Koleos offers six driving modes (Eco, Comfort, Sport, Snow, Off-Road, AI) to adjust vehicle performance according to various driving conditions and driver preferences. The AI mode automatically switches modes by analyzing the driver’s driving style.
The ‘openR Panorama screen’ installed in the Grand Koleos enhances the value of ‘a car that accompanies you every day’ with rich infotainment and new connectivity technologies over the 5G network. The openR Panorama screen consists of three screens: a 12.3-inch TFT cluster, a 12.3-inch center display, and a 12.3-inch passenger display, the first of its kind among domestic models, running on Qualcomm’s power infotainment platform with the latest Android OS. Moreover, the Grand Koleos features a 25.6-inch large augmented reality head-up display (HUD).
The openR Panorama screen features screens that all function independently yet possess excellent connectivity. The driver’s cluster provides driving-related information alongside the main cluster functions, while the center display allows operation of various convenience features, navigation, music, and video services. The passenger display allows the co-passenger to use cinema OTT services like Disney Plus, Tving, Coupang Play, Watcha, Apple TV, along with browsing YouTube, social media, and news searches through the Naver Whale web browser independently via Bluetooth earphones. Additionally, the transfer of necessary information between displays is possible. For example, the navigation being executed on the center display can be easily transferred to the driver’s cluster screen.
The Grand Koleos provides real-time TMAP navigation and the voice recognition system NUGU auto as standard and supports wireless connections for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for a convenient driving environment.
Moreover, through FOTA (Firmware Over The Air), 80% (43 control units) of the vehicle’s electronic systems including driving assistance, climate control, lighting, and multimedia can be conveniently updated remotely without the need to visit a service point. Various vehicle functions, such as digital key features, vehicle tracking, and temperature control, can be accessed through the My Renault app.
Renault Korea provides 5 years of free data for customers to utilize OTT and music streaming services through the openR Panorama screen of the Grand Koleos. (However, usage may be limited in cases of excessive data consumption).
Additionally, the Grand Koleos offers a ‘3-zone independent full-auto air conditioning system’ which allows independent temperature management based on the passengers’ conditions. The after-blow system provides ‘indoor air purification’ and ‘ventilation after window opening,’ and in areas with high air pollution, harmful gases from outside are blocked automatically without additional intervention.
The Grand Koleos is set to begin customer deliveries this fall and will be available for pre-reservation starting on the 27th at the Renault Korea booth at the Busan Mobility Show and nationwide exhibitions.
Busan=Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr