Car Statistics: Renault - Koleos Series 08 (4 stars)

Styling (3 stars)

There's nothing exactly wrong with the Koleos' styling, but it's the kind of car that could pass you on the street and you wouldn't bat an eyelid. Some may be happy for their 4x4 to blend into the background, but people who want an off-roader with the butch style of a Nissan X-Trail or the sharp-edged style of the Ford Kuga will surely find Renault's soft-roader just a little too, well, soft.

Handling (3 stars)

If you're looking for an SUV with a capital S, this doesn't hit the mark. With its slow steering and relaxed responses in corners, this is a far from sporting car. On the other hand, if you play to its strengths - its comfort and assured long-distance abilities - you'll soon grow to love it.

Comfort (4 stars)

This is where you reap the benefit of Renault's decision to make this a Sports Utility Vehicle with a very small S. Rather than stiffen the suspension to make the Koleos a semi-hot hatch, Renault has wisely decided to emphasise its comfort - and to great effect. On- and off-road, the Koleos has a quite amazingly comfortable ride. Throw in comfortable seats and a pretty spacious cabin, and the result is a car that will take the whole family long distances in supreme comfort.

Quality (4 stars)

The Koleos is a very well built car. True, some of the materials won't give Audi's designers a sleepless night, but even after some tough work off-road, the Koleos didn't suffer from any loose trim or major rattles.

Performance (4 stars)

It's not so much its outright pace that impresses. Instead, what's remarkable is just how easy to keep what is a relatively big car going pretty quickly. As long as you keep the revs above 2000rpm, you can rely on a flex of the right ankle to pick up your speed without having to even consider changing gear. Indeed, drive the car for any length of time and you soon come to appreciate the flexibility of its engine.

Roominess (3 stars)

True, this isn't the largest SUV out there, but there's enough room to make the Koleos a fair alternative to a conventional family hatchback. You could certainly fit four six-footers inside, although it would be quite a squeeze to get three across the back seats. Best of all, you still get all Renault's neat MPV tricks, such as under-floor cubbies and fold-down tables on the backs of the front seats.

Costs (3 stars)

There's not much difference in fuel economy between the two- and four-wheel drive versions, so you can expect up to about 40mpg in everyday driving, which is respectable, if not quite as good as diesel versions of the RAV4 and CR-V. However, insurance groups start at 10, which is more impressive.

Value (4 stars)

Simply by virtue of the fact that the Koleos is available with two-wheel drive, the range starts off at a price that seriously undercuts its most obvious rivals. And, with the four-wheel drive models starting at just under £19,000, the whole range looks very good value,

Stereo (4 stars)

Across the range, the Koleos has a decent stereo. However, on the range-topping Privilege version, you get a Bose stereo specifically developed for the car, plus a full-colour sat-nav system. Both are very good bits of kit, so it's a shame that the sat-nav isn't even an option on the other trims.