Photo: indianautosblog.com
Renault engineers have been spotted on numerous occasions this year testing a heavily camouflaged car that looked like a C-segment SUV or crossover. The prototype is usually accompanied by a team from Nissan in their all-new Qashqai, leading some people to believe that the replacement for the Koleos will be an altogether different kind of vehicle, also offered under a different name.
You see, the Koleos is a true compact SUV, like the Ford Kuga or Volkswagen Tiguan, while the Qashqai is a crossover, meaning it's more car-like to drive and features slightly smaller engines with a maximum engine displacement 1.6 liters and better fuel economy. Could Renault be planning the same thing?
We think they are and we also have reason to believe this rendering from Indian Autos Blog is spot-on in guessing what it will look like. The front end borrows from the Captur B-crossover, but the rest of the body is very similar to a Nissan Qashqai. Coincidence? Not when you consider that the Japanese brand makes the most successful model in the whole segment.
Some reports released earlier this year by French media suggest the crossover SUV will be be called a Megane SUV, signaling its position within the Renault model range. Others suggest the far more likely name of "Racoon".
The outgoing Koleos SUV is based on a rebadged Renault-Samsung model and is developed and built in South Korea. The Racoon will be something different, designed by the same people who made the Captur and Clio, built on he latest CMF modular platform used by the Nissan Pulsar and powered by small Euro 6 engines.
Power should come from 1.2-liter and 1.4-liter TCe turbo engines and 1.6-liter diesels, maybe even the new twin-turbo with 160 horsepower they dropped into the 2015 Espace.
We think they are and we also have reason to believe this rendering from Indian Autos Blog is spot-on in guessing what it will look like. The front end borrows from the Captur B-crossover, but the rest of the body is very similar to a Nissan Qashqai. Coincidence? Not when you consider that the Japanese brand makes the most successful model in the whole segment.
Some reports released earlier this year by French media suggest the crossover SUV will be be called a Megane SUV, signaling its position within the Renault model range. Others suggest the far more likely name of "Racoon".
The French Qashqai...
No, it's not a spelling mistake, but the actual name of a funky 4x4 concept designed by Patrick Le Quement and revealed by Renault in 1992. Over two decades ago, this little critter came packing a 3-liter twin-turbo V6 engine and gained a lot of attention.The outgoing Koleos SUV is based on a rebadged Renault-Samsung model and is developed and built in South Korea. The Racoon will be something different, designed by the same people who made the Captur and Clio, built on he latest CMF modular platform used by the Nissan Pulsar and powered by small Euro 6 engines.
Power should come from 1.2-liter and 1.4-liter TCe turbo engines and 1.6-liter diesels, maybe even the new twin-turbo with 160 horsepower they dropped into the 2015 Espace.
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