Renault Koleos vs Nissan X-Trail

MOTORING

The Renault Koleos is a five-door Compact Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) that oozes an air of masculinity.

It costs $50,000 (sh185m) at Renault Uganda and is a five-seater powered by a 2.5-liter petrol engine with a maximum output of 126Kw and a maximum torque of 226Nm.

According to Samuel Kato, a sales professional at Renault Uganda, the Koleos has the DNA of a station wagon and an SUV.

"It has a very large body, good ground clearance, economical engine and an optional 4X4 for off-road adventures. It runs on 18-inch aluminum wheels," he says. Kato says with the Koleos, they target the upmarket people — the corporates and high-class individuals.

Storage According to Kato, this is one of the areas the Koleos boasts about. "The trunk is a class leader for its category. There is also the option of folding the backseats to create more space," he notes.

Entertainment One notable thing are the 13 speakers; a big difference from many vehicles in its category. As if the figure is not enough, they are Bose speakers plus a woofer at the back.

The result from this assembly is crisp sound with deep soothing bass. "The car is user-friendly.

Renault has used advanced technology to assist even drivers past their youth. It comes with a portrait 8.7-inch touchscreen, AUX and USB ports for getting media files from storage devices.

Convenience

Like most cars of this generation, the Koleos has bluetooth pairing of up to six devices that enable hands-free answering of calls and playing media files like music. "You can connect all of them but can only use one at a time.

It also enables phone mirroring which connects android and iOS devices that enable navigation and locating places in the car. For navigation, the maps come pre-installed for Uganda and Africa.

The other cool feature about the navigation system is that once a Bluetooth device is connected, it keeps tabs with the car every time someone starts it and gets pinpoint the location of the car.

The car also offers easy trunk access by the press of a button. It can also be opened using a foot sensor. A smart key card, navigation, and multimedia system with voice control and Tyre Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) are some of the great hi-tech offers.

Safety

The Koleos has five three-point seatbelts for all the occupants and ISOFIX back seats, plus six airbags on the front and sides for driver and all passengers.  The blind-spot warning also comes in handy for easy parking, coupled with front and rear parking sensors, full LED headlamps with low and high beams for clear road view.

Performance Well, a car without high-performance features in this age will totally be written off on buyer appeal. The Koleos has capitalised in this area, giving us the Hill Start Assist (HSA), electric steering, a Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) gearbox and all-wheel-drive.

According to Kato, the Koleos does about 14km to a litre of petrol.

Comfort

The Koleos comes with leather (and fabric for the other trims), heated and ventilated seats, cruise control functionalities and automatic dual-zone AC, plus central front and rear armrests. It has two cup-holders which uses the AC to cool your drinks. It has a luggage capacity of 458 litres.

Nissan X-Trail

The third-generation Nissan X-Trail is also a five-door Compact SUV, this time offering larger seating capacity than its older siblings that are quite popular here in Uganda. This particular X-Trail is a 2016 model powered by a 2.0-litre engine. It is going for $50,000 (sh185m).

The 2017 is at $60,000 (sh222m). This 7-seater has two extra seats at the back. According to Richard Bamujje, the sales manager at Nissan Care - Uganda, compact SUVs are being replaced by crossovers. "What we have now are crossovers.

You might think size is what makes a crossover but there is a small Nissan Juke but with crossover capabilities, 4X4 capabilities and big tyres. It is a transition between a station wagon and an SUV," Bamujje explains.

Storage

The Nissan X-Trail has a number of storage compartments with 4 cup-holders and 6 bottle- holders and a luggage capacity of 135 litres. When the seats are folded, the luggage space increases to 1,310 litres, which is accessed by a sensor-activated tailgate on the luxury edition.

Entertainment

The X-Trail has 6 speakers with a 5-inch colour audio display. Convenience A hands-free Bluetooth technology, advance drive assist display, cruise control, air conditioner with rear seat vents are quite appealing. The sound and video system has CD/MP3/USB/AUX but lacks a navigation system. An intelligent key with a push-start button is available.

The X-Trail has heated door mirrors, a sensor-activated tailgate for hassle-free access for cargo. The dual-zone AC is controlled from the front. The storage compartment also features a cooler. Rain, darkness and speed-sensing lights complete the convenience package.

Safety

The X-Trail comes with driver, passenger, side and curtain airbags that stretch all the way to the back, standard 3-point seatbelts, ISOFIX child seat anchors, around view monitor, LED headlamps with automatic leveliser, plus speed sensors.

Comfort

The X-Trail has double-stitched leather seats with enough head and legroom in its spacious and luxurious interior.  According to Bamujje, the X-Trail 2.0cc engine gives about 12km on a litre of petrol.

Performance of X- Trail

It does not fall short on performance, boasting of a whole set of features like Hill Start Assist (HSA), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) and standard ones like the ABS.

The steering wheel has a tilt and telescopic feature and the car has a Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) system with 4WD capabilities. It has a luggage capacity of 135 litres and 1,310 litres when the seats are folded.