These days we did echo of an important event for Renault, the arrival of a new model, with a name known by everyone, the new Renault Koleos. What you may be surprised to is the fact that the emblem Renault Koleos going back almost two decades back in time, long before she was born what later we would come to understand as the first generation of the Koleos. And not only that. Already in the year 1999 from Renault I had this vision of what he later would know as crossovers (see article: what is a crossover?), 7 years before he was born the Nissan Qashqai and the SUV and the crossover put of fashion. What was the goal of the Renault Koleos Concept 1999?
Renault already imagined in 1999 how the minivan would evolve into something more like a crossover strategy that will continue now models recently renovated as Scénic and Espace.
In 1999, Renault already was very clear that the goose that lays the golden eggs, in those years, it was the minivan. The first generation of the Renault Scénic was already in the dealerships, and the French brand had a strong commitment over many years to bring the phenomenon to a mini-van arrived to Europe, with the Renault Espace.
In any case, the Renault Koleos Concept emphasises a fact, that in those years, before the turn of the century, in Renault were already imagining how the idea of the minivan would eventually evolve into what today we understand as crossover. Something like a minivan-looking van, or an SUV with the qualities of mpvs. And that evolution is perhaps not so patent in models such as the Renault Kadjar, or the new Renault Koleos 2016, but precisely in the new Scénic and Espace, which will undoubtedly after your silhouette minivan, exhibit features that until very recently we understood own of a todocamino.
The prototype would continue to evolve until what we finally know as the Renault Koleos, one of the least French – in all senses – Renault has marketed in recent years.
Renault Koleos Concept 1999 had wheels, which at that time seemed huge, 21-inch. Today in day they continue to amaze us, but we don’t appear to much if we take into account that even the Renault Scénic equipped with series 20-inch wheels.
Among other details of this prototype, we were also with its high waist, its free height to the soil, or even a system of suspensions hydraulic which allowed it to lift his body to move from one height (total) of 1.6 metres in configuration “tourism” to 1.7 metres in height settings off-road.
One prototype had a futuristic design, outside and inside. On board called for the minimalism and solutions as unique as a compartment to separate the load by means of a window retractable, or a tailgate to be opened is slid toward the left side of the body.
Under the hood, a mechanical hybrid no less interesting, with a gasoline engine 2.0-liter, 16-valve, turbo and 170 HP, connected to the front axle, and an electric motor of 30 kW of solidarity to the rear axle and powered by lithium ion batteries.
Years later he would present a second prototype of the Renault Koleos, this time closer to the final model, which would be less French, in terms of development, and production, which would begin at the plant of Renault Samsung Motors in Busan, South Korea.
Source: Renault
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