Renault extends Koleos warranty to seven years

RENAULT Australia has extended the unlimited-kilometre warranty of its Koleos SUV from five years to seven years, a move that shifts the French mid-sizer to the forefront of the segment’s warranties.

Now boasting an extra two years’ coverage over the vast majority of its mainstream rivals – including the closely related Nissan X-Trail – the Koleos has joined an elite club of just three other mid-sized SUVs offering a seven-year warranty, those being the Kia Sportage, SsangYong Korando and MG HS.

According to Renault Australia corporate and product communications manager Andrew Ellis, the move to a seven-year warranty was the result of the “unique set of challenges” being faced by the new-car market and “to improve the value equation of the Koleos” for new buyers.

While the warranty has been extended, the five-year/ 150,000km capped-price servicing plan has remained in place along with the existing five-year service-activated roadside assistance scheme.

In a bid to further enhance the value factor of its best-selling model, Renault has revealed a new pricing structure for April 2020 where the driveaway price is the same as the RRP and actually $500 less for the entry-level Life variant ($32,490 RRP vs $31,990 driveaway).

“We are excited to offer Australian customers a fantastic driveaway price and seven-year warranty for the Renault Koleos range,” Renault Australian managing director Anouk Poelmann said.

That now equal class-leading, unlimited-kilometre seven-year warranty however does not apply to all new buyers, with commercial buyers having to settle for a seven year/ 200,000km setup instead – or whichever comes first.

Aside from the new warranty, no changes have been made to the current model Koleos, meaning power still comes courtesy of a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine good for 126kW and 226Nm.

Drive on all variants is sent to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT), apart from the top-spec Intens which offers the choice of either front- or all-wheel drive.

Service intervals are pegged at a class leading 30,000km/ 12 months – whichever comes first.

Standard kit across the range includes electronic stability control, anti-lock braking system, emergency brake assist, electronic brake-force distribution, advanced emergency braking system, hill start assist, forward collision warning, lane departure warning and a rearview camera.

Last year the Koleos accounted for just 1.5 per cent of all mid-size SUV sales with 2533 deliveries, 17,193 units less than its Nissan X-Trail sibling.

So far this year ending February, Renault has managed to shift 189 Koleos’ (0.7% segment share), marking a steep 41.8 per cent drop in sales compared to the same period last year.