Hyundai Santa Fe vs Renault Koleos
Modern day soft road luxury crossovers can do almost any task you ask of them as they are versatile vehicles. They have comfortable cabins with plush seats, a decent boot, monocoque chassis, good handling at high speeds and high ground clearance to take on rough roads.
A few years back the Honda CR-V ruled this segment and was the most sought after vehicle but as it was petrol driven, the rising prices of petrol and increasing value of the Yen saw its popularity hitting an all time low.
The CR-V’s place at the top of the sales chart was taken by the Chevrolet Captiva, which was not superior to the CR-V but it had a diesel engine which gave it an overwhelming advantage over petrol-powered cars.
Photo Credit: Rpmgo.com/2012-hyundai-santa-fe-arrives-australia
At the present, there are a number of diesel soft roaders around and they have impressive credentials, and though the Captiva still continues to sell, it has been aced by others which includes the Nissan X-Trail — which is a very impressive vehicle though on the expensive side — and the Hyundai Santa Fe, which beat the X-Trail and the Captiva in a comparison test way back in December 2010 and the latest version of the Sante Fe comes with an automatic transmission option.
Photo Credit: Automotiveface.com/renault/details-about-renault-koleos-2012
The newest entrant in this segment is the face-lifted Renault Koleos. Does it have in it to wrest the crown from the Santa Fe and emerge as the most desirable soft roader in India? Read on to find out.
Features & Price Comparison Between Hyundai Santa Fe & Renault Koleos
Design
Both the Koleos and the Santa Fe are similar under the skin but the design thought behind them is different. They have a monocoque chassis, which makes them ride and handle like cars but while the Koleos is low slung the Sante Fe is more upright.
Photo Credit: Car.questsky.com/2011/02/17/2011-hyundai-santa-fe-awd-4dr-v6-auto-limited
Looks wise, the Koleos looks more attractive, especially after it was given a face lift by Renault. The importance the Indian market has for Renault can be gauged from the fact that the face lifted Koleos made its world premier in India. It looks good from every angle.
The new, traditional grille, high-mounted headlamps and chin which is wedge shaped gives the Koleos a handsome face. Sporty touch is provided by muscular wheel arches and protruding nacelles which house the foglights. Other eye-catching details are steeply angled windscreens, sweeping roofline and wrap around taillamps.
Photo Credit: Autocarideas.com/orange-2012-renault-koleos
Compared to the Koleos, the Santa Fe uses the vertical space at its disposal. There is enough space to seat five comfortably and there is no proper third row but instead there are two small seats which can accommodate kids, while in comparison the cabin of the Koleos is low slung. The Santa Fe doesn’t look as modern as the Koleos because it was designed before fluidic design influences become the norm at Hyundai.
Under the skin, the two vehicles are very like. The engines on both are mounted transversely, the suspension is independent all around on both vehicles and primarily both are front wheel drive, while a four-wheel drive system is fitted on both to tackle slippery or off road conditions.
Koleos gets Nissan X-Trail’s 4×4 system, which allows it to be driven in two-wheel drive mode for better efficiency. The similarities between them don’t end here.
Photo Credit: Hyundaiforum.com/forum/hyundai-santa-fe-20/best-audio-ever-5525
Santa Fe and Koleos use 6-speed automatic transmissions and both cars are built in Korea. The Koleos maybe a Renault product but it is built in Busan and sold in Korea as the Renault Samsung QM5. The fifth door is a hatch on both the vehicles.
Where they differ substantially is in the weight, the Santa Fe being heavier by 266kg and to cope up it has bigger wheels and wide tyres.
Powerplant
The Koleos is equipped with the Nissan M9R 2000cc engine and it is very refined and as you rev it, the 148bhp motor becomes even more smoother, though it doesn’t have either the low end pulling power of the X-Trail nor the top end. The transmission is the culprit here and is slow responding.
This can be a slight hitch when you want to overtake in traffic. If you want to reach somewhere fast better to use the manual mode. When the engine gets near the 4500rpm limit it is in its element. The 0-100kmph time is 12.1 seconds and though it might not be slow, the time is not very impressive.
Photo Credit: Carrios.com/2012-renault-koleos
To reach a speed of 150kph it takes nearly 30 seconds and that is slow by any yardstick. The Santa Fe on the other hand makes nearly 50bhp and 12kgm torque more than the Koleos and thereby quicker despite being heavier. The 2200cc engine on the Santa Fe responds very quickly whenever you dab the accelerator.
The 0-100kmph time is 10.2 seconds and the Santa Fe keeps on accelerating after that and touches 150kmph in 24 seconds, which is six seconds faster than what the Koleos is capable of. The 6-speed automatic on the Santa Fe is very impressive and downshifts quickly and this aids in negotiating rush hour traffic.
Interior
With interiors of vehicles becoming a selling point nowadays, the Koleos is fitted with a top of the range Bose music system. The central console is beautifully made and detailed and it has unique features like rear seat head restraints with anti-whiplash feature.
Photo Credit: Motor.es/noticias/hyundai-santa-fe-2012-llega-a-espana.php
The cabin is wide and airy and passengers at the rear sit high and this doesn’t mar the visibility. However, the plastic quality could have been better and the instrument cluster is too basic which is not what you expect at this price. There is space for only five people and the luggage capacity is also not that much.
Get out of the Koleos and into the Santa Fe and you will realise how old fashioned the Hyundai’s interiors look. The floating central stack is exciting to look at but the design looks old.
Photo Credit: Sousinch.com/2012-renault-koleos-unrivalled-comfort-dynamic-crossover-with-175-hp-all-wheel-drive-transmission-dci-175-engine
The quality of the plastic parts is also not good and not expected in an SUV having this price tag. What the Santa Fe has in ample supply is space. It is wider than the Koleos and the seats are larger and have more support. There is a third row in the Santa Fe and this makes it more appealing to families.
Sum up & Price
The Renault Koleos is the smaller SUV in the test here. It is nimble, city-friendly vehicle and easier to park plus it handles like a car. It delivers the virtues of a SUV and a car combined. And it also is more good looking than the Santa Fe. But it is let down by downmarket interiors and an engine which lacks performance.
The Santa Fe is a better vehicle overall. It is bigger, more spacious and better equipped. The ride and handling is better and the transmission does a stellar job. It has extra seats and the best part is the torque-rich and muscular powerplant.
The winner in this contest is the Santa Fe. The Hyundai Santa Fe is available for Rs 24.36lakh while the price of the Renault is Rs 23.99lakh.
