Having owned the Koleos for more than 2 years now, I thought it timely to review my experience with the car.
It’s a 2019 Zen, 2.5L petrol 2WD auto (CVT). Ex Hertz rental car, purchased June 2021 with 30000ks, now up to approx. 62000ks.
11000 kms of that has been covered recently in Oct to Dec 2023 when we took a long road trip across the country, Perth – Melbourne – Sydney and return in 8 weeks, so I was able to conclude a few more things about the Koleos on country driving as well as its normal urban usage. (Some of this text is borrowed from my other thread in the General Chat forum).
Firstly, it was a very comfortable and reasonably quiet car to complete this trip. Would be even quieter without the roof racks and awning, but they were not particularly noticeable. I probably came to appreciate the car more after this trip, it exceeded my expectations to some extent.
One thing that I have had to revise my opinion of, and that is the CVT transmission. Not a fan of CVT, but I found on this trip it performed perfectly in all conditions including steep hilly country (ie, climbing from Batemans Bay to Canberra). With previous cars with conventional autos, I have usually found myself selecting either power mode or a lower gear when approaching a steep climb, just to make it feel better, but I realised during this trip I did not touch the gear lever at all, it was extremely good at being in the correct rev range under all conditions, and it felt like it was transferring the grunt of the engine without any "slippy" feeling at all. Excellent score for the CVT.
However, not the case under some conditions with cruise control selected. So I blame the cruise control interaction for this, not the CVT itself. I hadn't experienced it too much before, because we don't have too many hills over here in WA, haha. And I thought I had a defect, until by chance a post was put up on AF re the cruise control letting the engine rev to 4500-5000rpm even on medium gradients on the highway at around 100km/hr - same as my experience. At this speed on level road it was usually sitting on around 2000 rpm, and the overun was ridiculous. Having covered some roads several times, I experimented by driving some roads where the cruise had previously flared badly, not using cruise control, and holding the full speed required - never went over 3500rpm, and that included the Kings Hwy up from Batemans Bay, where I didn't bother with cruise control, and realised the CVT did a really good job. Not to say the cruise control wasn't useful for most of the trip, it was essential for me, but just not in hilly areas.
Another feature of the Koleos I really like is the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). It has a direct reading of all 4 wheels at any time when selected, displayed on the instrument panel. A couple of times a day, I would check the pressures while driving, so easy - didn't touch the gauge I carry in the console, which I usually would have used every morning on a trip such as this. I was running 38-40psi (2.6-2.7bar) due to the constant average speed. The TPMS is accurate enough to watch the pressure increase as the tyres warm up - interesting, and makes you realise the variance in initial pressure depending on the ambient temp.
The Goodyear Efficient Grip SUV tyres I fitted in 2022 were comfortable and reasonably quiet (only some noise on rough metal road surface), and to this date I have not had any front wheel loss of traction on wet roads, even when provoked, unlike the OE Nexen tyres. https://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/index.php?threads/koleos-2-tyre-thread.146363/
A necessary addition to the car before we left was window tinting. Although all the rear side and hatch windows are "privacy glass" from the factory, the front passenger and driver's windows have nil or very light tint, I had noticed the "burning" feeling on my right arm previously, and you don't want that heading West for 4-5 hours per day. I was just going to get the 2 front windows done, but the 3M guy convinced me the rear windows, although privacy glass, are not fully UV protected. I got a medium tint on the front windows (I didn't want maximum dark) and very light, but UV protected on the rear windows. If anyone wants to know the full spec, let me know. I had no feeling of burning, and vision was good, very happy with that.
Servicing has been minimal, and most items I have serviced have been easily carried out. Engine oil and filter change doesn’t require jacking, just a low ramp on the front wheels. I’m using genuine oil filter and Penrite HPR5 5w-40 full synthetic. Engine air filter is super easy, box hinges open to slide out old filter and slide in new filter. Not the same can be said for the cabin air filter, which is accessed from the LH passenger footwell after removing the glovebox and the glovebox support. The opening for the filter is some 30mm smaller than the filter, one has to compress the filter (like a piano accordion) to feed it in, then hope it expanded correctly inside. PITA job. Another easy job is the front brake pads, just remove one small bolt and swing the caliper top section up, leaving the pads easily accessible against the disc. My replacement pads are Bendix DB2345 – 4WD/SUV.
I have a love/hate relationship with the “walk away locking” feature. It is very convenient and you don’t forget to lock the car, but for some reason the “zone” cuts out about the front bumper level. You can walk around the back of the car and up to about 3 metres away before it locks, but not at the front. So you go to check under the bonnet and the doors lock. Or you get out to open the gate, and the doors lock. If the key is left in the car or the engine is running it does not lock, of course. Just took some getting used to, because I like the feature. Like when home from shopping, park car in carport, get out and open the tailgate before going back to shut the gate, for instance. Then the car remains unlocked for when you go back to get the shopping out of the boot! Another side-effect of this feature is that we recently hired a MG SUV in Victoria, and we kept forgetting to lock it – yes, we are being dumbed down. But I still like the feature.
On this recent road trip, mostly sitting on 100-105 km/hr, but with some urban driving included, it averaged 8.9 L/100km on 91 RON petrol, not too bad I suppose. This is actual consumption, not what the trip computer tells me, I recorded that also, and the trip computer is optimistic to say the least – average error 8.1% from actual – not to be trusted for distance remaining.
Probably, the worst feature of the Koleos for me is the blind spots caused by the outside rear view mirrors, as discussed in another thread somewhere. Compared to other similar cars (Forester, Rav4 for instance), there is no gap between the ‘A’ pillar and the mirror housing, so there is quite a wide area where vision is blocked. I am sitting higher than normal, and consciously looking for anything in the blind spot, but it still catches me out sometimes, especially a small car coming towards me on a small roundabout, the relative motion of both vehicles can block that car quite easily. I don’t think it is very good at all, but it’s not enough to get rid of the car, I will just remain more vigilant, I guess.
Overall, it’s been a pretty good car for us, nothing special, but that’s what I like in a car, I don’t want silly things to go wrong. It’s doing the job we want, it’s roomy and comfortable on short and long journeys. I like the car, but don’t have any strong feelings for it, like I have with some previous cars. It will do us for another while yet.
It’s a 2019 Zen, 2.5L petrol 2WD auto (CVT). Ex Hertz rental car, purchased June 2021 with 30000ks, now up to approx. 62000ks.
11000 kms of that has been covered recently in Oct to Dec 2023 when we took a long road trip across the country, Perth – Melbourne – Sydney and return in 8 weeks, so I was able to conclude a few more things about the Koleos on country driving as well as its normal urban usage. (Some of this text is borrowed from my other thread in the General Chat forum).
Firstly, it was a very comfortable and reasonably quiet car to complete this trip. Would be even quieter without the roof racks and awning, but they were not particularly noticeable. I probably came to appreciate the car more after this trip, it exceeded my expectations to some extent.
One thing that I have had to revise my opinion of, and that is the CVT transmission. Not a fan of CVT, but I found on this trip it performed perfectly in all conditions including steep hilly country (ie, climbing from Batemans Bay to Canberra). With previous cars with conventional autos, I have usually found myself selecting either power mode or a lower gear when approaching a steep climb, just to make it feel better, but I realised during this trip I did not touch the gear lever at all, it was extremely good at being in the correct rev range under all conditions, and it felt like it was transferring the grunt of the engine without any "slippy" feeling at all. Excellent score for the CVT.
However, not the case under some conditions with cruise control selected. So I blame the cruise control interaction for this, not the CVT itself. I hadn't experienced it too much before, because we don't have too many hills over here in WA, haha. And I thought I had a defect, until by chance a post was put up on AF re the cruise control letting the engine rev to 4500-5000rpm even on medium gradients on the highway at around 100km/hr - same as my experience. At this speed on level road it was usually sitting on around 2000 rpm, and the overun was ridiculous. Having covered some roads several times, I experimented by driving some roads where the cruise had previously flared badly, not using cruise control, and holding the full speed required - never went over 3500rpm, and that included the Kings Hwy up from Batemans Bay, where I didn't bother with cruise control, and realised the CVT did a really good job. Not to say the cruise control wasn't useful for most of the trip, it was essential for me, but just not in hilly areas.
Another feature of the Koleos I really like is the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). It has a direct reading of all 4 wheels at any time when selected, displayed on the instrument panel. A couple of times a day, I would check the pressures while driving, so easy - didn't touch the gauge I carry in the console, which I usually would have used every morning on a trip such as this. I was running 38-40psi (2.6-2.7bar) due to the constant average speed. The TPMS is accurate enough to watch the pressure increase as the tyres warm up - interesting, and makes you realise the variance in initial pressure depending on the ambient temp.
The Goodyear Efficient Grip SUV tyres I fitted in 2022 were comfortable and reasonably quiet (only some noise on rough metal road surface), and to this date I have not had any front wheel loss of traction on wet roads, even when provoked, unlike the OE Nexen tyres. https://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/index.php?threads/koleos-2-tyre-thread.146363/
A necessary addition to the car before we left was window tinting. Although all the rear side and hatch windows are "privacy glass" from the factory, the front passenger and driver's windows have nil or very light tint, I had noticed the "burning" feeling on my right arm previously, and you don't want that heading West for 4-5 hours per day. I was just going to get the 2 front windows done, but the 3M guy convinced me the rear windows, although privacy glass, are not fully UV protected. I got a medium tint on the front windows (I didn't want maximum dark) and very light, but UV protected on the rear windows. If anyone wants to know the full spec, let me know. I had no feeling of burning, and vision was good, very happy with that.
Servicing has been minimal, and most items I have serviced have been easily carried out. Engine oil and filter change doesn’t require jacking, just a low ramp on the front wheels. I’m using genuine oil filter and Penrite HPR5 5w-40 full synthetic. Engine air filter is super easy, box hinges open to slide out old filter and slide in new filter. Not the same can be said for the cabin air filter, which is accessed from the LH passenger footwell after removing the glovebox and the glovebox support. The opening for the filter is some 30mm smaller than the filter, one has to compress the filter (like a piano accordion) to feed it in, then hope it expanded correctly inside. PITA job. Another easy job is the front brake pads, just remove one small bolt and swing the caliper top section up, leaving the pads easily accessible against the disc. My replacement pads are Bendix DB2345 – 4WD/SUV.
I have a love/hate relationship with the “walk away locking” feature. It is very convenient and you don’t forget to lock the car, but for some reason the “zone” cuts out about the front bumper level. You can walk around the back of the car and up to about 3 metres away before it locks, but not at the front. So you go to check under the bonnet and the doors lock. Or you get out to open the gate, and the doors lock. If the key is left in the car or the engine is running it does not lock, of course. Just took some getting used to, because I like the feature. Like when home from shopping, park car in carport, get out and open the tailgate before going back to shut the gate, for instance. Then the car remains unlocked for when you go back to get the shopping out of the boot! Another side-effect of this feature is that we recently hired a MG SUV in Victoria, and we kept forgetting to lock it – yes, we are being dumbed down. But I still like the feature.
On this recent road trip, mostly sitting on 100-105 km/hr, but with some urban driving included, it averaged 8.9 L/100km on 91 RON petrol, not too bad I suppose. This is actual consumption, not what the trip computer tells me, I recorded that also, and the trip computer is optimistic to say the least – average error 8.1% from actual – not to be trusted for distance remaining.
Probably, the worst feature of the Koleos for me is the blind spots caused by the outside rear view mirrors, as discussed in another thread somewhere. Compared to other similar cars (Forester, Rav4 for instance), there is no gap between the ‘A’ pillar and the mirror housing, so there is quite a wide area where vision is blocked. I am sitting higher than normal, and consciously looking for anything in the blind spot, but it still catches me out sometimes, especially a small car coming towards me on a small roundabout, the relative motion of both vehicles can block that car quite easily. I don’t think it is very good at all, but it’s not enough to get rid of the car, I will just remain more vigilant, I guess.
Overall, it’s been a pretty good car for us, nothing special, but that’s what I like in a car, I don’t want silly things to go wrong. It’s doing the job we want, it’s roomy and comfortable on short and long journeys. I like the car, but don’t have any strong feelings for it, like I have with some previous cars. It will do us for another while yet.
still it’s an odd ‘feature’. 
