The top-selling vehicle in Renault Australia's portfolio, the mid-size Koleos SUV, looks set to cement its top spot with the arrival of a turbo-diesel model in September.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that it's now the most expensive model in the Renault Koleos range at $46,990. Factor in on-road costs and you may outlay up to $50K.
Petrol models are priced between $29,990 and $43,490, making the sole diesel model the new flagship vehicle in the range, featuring the same specification as the range-topping Intens petrol model.
That means standard features include a CVT automatic, LED headlights with automatic high-beam dipping, hands-free power tailgate, electric panoramic sunroof, leather seat trim, heated/cooled front seats, ambient interior lighting, a 12-speaker BOSE stereo and several driver aids. Think autonomous emergency braking, automatic parking, blind-spot monitoring and lane departure warning.
Unlike the 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (126kW/226Nm, 8.3L/100km), the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine develops more power and torque while using less fuel (130kW/380Nm, 6.1L/100km).
Like all Koleos models, the new diesel-powered SUV has a stout five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with five years of roadside assistance lumped in. Service intervals are also competitive at 30,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first.
Sales of the Renault Koleos have spiked by more than 200 per cent in 2017 after the new generation model arrived in August 2016 -- up from 559 sales for the first seven months of last year to 1741 so far this year.
"The Koleos has always been our top-selling model in Australia, and with the arrival of a diesel engine to complete the line-up, there's no question that Koleos will continue to go from strength to strength,” said Renault Australia managing director, Justin Hocevar.