Renault Koleos

The Renault Koleos is a crossover SUV manufactured by the French manufacturer Renault over three generations. It is primarily manufactured in Busan, South Korea by Renault Korea (previously Renault Samsung Motors).

In South Korea, its main market, the first generation was marketed as the Renault Samsung QM5 and the second generation is marketed as the Renault Samsung QM6. The latter uses the Renault–Nissan CMF-CD modular platform shared with the Nissan X-Trail/Rogue (T32) and Renault Kadjar. The third generation is marketed as the Renault Grand Koleos and moved to the Compact Modular Architecture platform developed by Geely. It is based on the Geely Xingyue L / Monjaro.

First generation (HY; 2007)
The Koleos was an addition to the Renault compact SUV market, after selling the Scénic RX4 and the Kangoo, but it has never produced a true crossover SUV. A Koleos concept car was shown in the media as early as February 2000.

The Koleos was unveiled in 2006 as the Renault Koleos Concept at the Paris Motor Show. The production model was launched at the end of 2007 in South Korea, and in 2008 in other markets.

The Koleos' body design was based on the Renault Koleos and Renault Egeus concept cars. Some of the Koleos's competitors, such as the Citroën C-Crosser and the Peugeot 4007, were also presented by the time it was launched. ADAC of Germany awarded five stars to the Koleos, in a crash test done in August 2008.

A facelifted Koleos was unveiled in July 2011, and shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011. In August 2010, the Koleos was withdrawn from the United Kingdom, due to poor sales of under 2,600 units. Production ended in March 2015.

South Korea
For the market in South Korea, the Koleos was manufactured by Renault Samsung Motors (a subsidiary of Renault) at its Busan plant in South Korea, and was sold as the Renault Samsung QM5 (H45).

India
In the market in India, Renault introduced the Koleos in September 2011. It was available with a 2.0 dCi diesel engine, with a maximum power output of 150 PS at 4000 rpm, and peak torque of 320 Nm at 2000 rpm.

Engines
The range of engines:

Second generation (HC; 2016)
A second generation of the Koleos was introduced at the 2016 Beijing Motor Show, by Renault's chief Carlos Ghosn. Despite a wide-ranging rumour that the latest Renault SUV would be called the Maxthon, the company has instead decided to reinstate the name Koleos.

The larger second-generation Koleos uses the Common Module Family (CMF-CD) modular platform developed jointly by Renault and Nissan, and already used on similar vehicles as the third-generation Nissan X-Trail and the Renault Kadjar.

In some versions, the car has three drivetrain options: two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive mode that adapts power, torque distribution between axles to improve traction, and a standard four-wheel drive. The updated Koleos has been awarded a five-star safety rating by Euro NCAP.

As standard, the car has a seven-inch touchscreen, while higher trim levels have an infotainment system with an 8.7 inch touchscreen (called R Link 2). Gearboxes are manual and automatic. The new Koleos first went on sale in Australia on 1 August 2016 and has been rolled out in most of Asia, Europe, and South America by the middle of 2017.

The facelift of 2020 arrived in Mexico in the end of October 2019. The SUV was scheduled to be shown at the 2020 Manila International Auto Show on April 2, 2020, by Renault Samsung Motors as the QM6.

It was discontinued in the United Kingdom in July 2020 due to sluggish sales, three years after it was reintroduced to the British market and ten years after the original model ended UK sales.

Outside of South Korea, it is replaced in 2023 by the sixth-generation Renault Espace. The production of the vehicle ceased in April 2023, except for the South Korean, Australian, African, South American to Mexican market where it was given a minor facelift.

In 2024, Renault Korea rebranded itself, and replaced the Eye of the Typhoon emblem with the new losange logo on the QM6. The model is now known as the Renault QM6.

Third generation (2024)
On 27 June 2024 at the Busan International Mobility Show, Renault Korea introduced the third-generation Koleos, marketed as the Renault Grand Koleos. The vehicle is heavily based on the Geely Xingyue L / Monjaro as part of Renault and Geely partnership in South Korea, and based on the Compact Modular Architecture vehicle platform. Exterior revisions compared to the Xingyue L include redesigned front and rear fascia, "borderless" front grille, and reshaped body panels.

The Grand Koleos was codenamed Aurora 1 during its development. It is the first introduction of the Koleos nameplate in South Korea, as the previous generations were marketed as the QM5 and QM6. Its design work was shared between Renault's design team in France and in Seoul, South Korea. Production in Renault Korea's plant in Busan is claimed to be supported by 200 local suppliers.

The model is larger than its predecessor, with Renault claiming a "class-leading" legroom for rear-seat passengers, and up to 2,034 litres of boot space with the rear seats folded. It shares the same dashboard with the Geely Xingyue L, including a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and another 12.3-inch touchscreen for the front passenger, all marketed as "openR" and powered by Qualcomm's infotainment platform. Notable equipment include a 10-speaker Bose sound system, 25.6-inch augmented reality head-up display and 5G connectivity.

For the South Korean market, three trims are available: Techno, Iconic, and the four-wheel drive (4WD) Esprit Alpine. The petrol-powered model of the Grand Koleos is a 2.0-litre turbocharged direct injection engine with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (or a 8-speed automatic for the 4WD model), producing a maximum output of 211 PS and 325 Nm. The 4WD models are equipped with BorgWarner's 6th generation four-wheel-drive system. The hybrid powertrain, marketed as E-Tech Hybrid is a Geely-developed system combining a 1.64 kWh battery with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a multi-mode gearbox, delivering a peak output of 245 PS. It is able to operate electric-only driving in 75% of a trip in urban areas below 40 km/h.