Photo: X-Tomi Design
Renault's hand was forced when it came to the reveal of the all-new Koleos model. The press release isn't ready, and we may not have all the details until this fall's Paris Motor Show. But as things stand, it's looking extremely unlikely that a GT model has been developed.
Renault made one for the Megane hatchback and wagon, but not for some of the other new cars. The Scenic doesn't have one, but it arguably doesn't need it either. As for the new Talisman Estate, it features the 200 hp 1.6-liter turbo of a Clio RS, but not the go-fast trim, suspension and interior.
Does Renault even need a Koleos GT? We won't know until we see what the regular model is capable of. But it's pretty clear that the engineers can't get away with using a 1.6-liter turbo and will need something bigger, more powerful and capable of around 400 Nm of torque. But as things stand, we rather like this rendering by X-Tomi Design. You can call us suckers for big wheels and blue paint.
The Renault GT brand has been around for quite some time, but it never really caught on until the current Megane model. The previous one features a 220 horsepower 2-liter turbo, which many people treated as a second-rate engine. There's also a Clio GT with a 1.2-liter engine that's not that fast.
Yet it's technology, not power, that's attracting new customers to Renault's fast cars. By combining a standard 4Control all-wheel steering system and EDC 7-speed automatic, the Megane GT makes a Mercedes A-Class seem overpriced.
Offering 4Control on a Koleos GT model would be a great idea. Very few mainstream SUVs have performance models, as not even SEAT has tried it. Only a few premium SUVs have rear wheels that can turn, such as the Audi Q7, but the feature is relatively unknown.
We thought we would flesh out this story by offering you some spy photos of the Koleos II from Chinese website Autohome. They state that the model will feature a 2-liter base engine making 150 horsepower and a 2.5-liter with 186 horsepower. At least we know bigger units fit, right?
Does Renault even need a Koleos GT? We won't know until we see what the regular model is capable of. But it's pretty clear that the engineers can't get away with using a 1.6-liter turbo and will need something bigger, more powerful and capable of around 400 Nm of torque. But as things stand, we rather like this rendering by X-Tomi Design. You can call us suckers for big wheels and blue paint.
The Renault GT brand has been around for quite some time, but it never really caught on until the current Megane model. The previous one features a 220 horsepower 2-liter turbo, which many people treated as a second-rate engine. There's also a Clio GT with a 1.2-liter engine that's not that fast.
Yet it's technology, not power, that's attracting new customers to Renault's fast cars. By combining a standard 4Control all-wheel steering system and EDC 7-speed automatic, the Megane GT makes a Mercedes A-Class seem overpriced.
Offering 4Control on a Koleos GT model would be a great idea. Very few mainstream SUVs have performance models, as not even SEAT has tried it. Only a few premium SUVs have rear wheels that can turn, such as the Audi Q7, but the feature is relatively unknown.
We thought we would flesh out this story by offering you some spy photos of the Koleos II from Chinese website Autohome. They state that the model will feature a 2-liter base engine making 150 horsepower and a 2.5-liter with 186 horsepower. At least we know bigger units fit, right?
Google News