Renault has a sure feather in its cap with this, the multi faceted Koleos. This being an attempt to break into the SUV or ?soft roader? market, albeit maybe a little late with competition such as the Nissan X-Trail, Subaru Forester, VW Tiguan and the Suzuki Grand Vitara already listed as the leaders in this segment.

This might be Renault?s first attempt at a 4x4 crossover vehicle, but its underpinnings are tried and tested. Renault drafted in the off-road expertise of its bed partner Nissan to develop the 4x4 system which is essentially used in the X-Trail and it works pretty darn well.

One of the handy features of this 4x4 system is that the driver has the option of which mode he or she wants the vehicle to assume at any time; for instance it can be set to permanent 2WD, an automatic system or constant 4WD at the press of a button.

Having the ?soft roader? title means there are certain expectations of the vehicle. Firstly it must be excellent on road and also have the ability to adapt well to the surface change of dirt, sort of like being able to run the 100m in 10seconds but still able to hold your own in a Sumo wrestling match.

The Koleos is exceptional on road, holds corners without making you feel like you?re about to be launched out the window, which is good for a vehicle where you sit pretty high up. Now generally this results in the car being stiff but the Koleos soaks up the bumps and potholes in the road with no argument.

So now to the off-road bit and I have to say again that it?s definitely capable in that department thanks again to Nissan?s expert advice. Most of the obstacles we set it through it had no problem with, the electronics decide which is the easiest way to get out of a sticky situation and send power to the relevant place.

The only time it did get stuck was when our photographer took it out on a shoot and ran into what can only be described as quicksand and buried the Koleos good and proper. It would have needed a tractor to pull it out but thankfully we had a Land Rover Defender at hand to winch him out.

The Koleos does have a downside but not really enough to detract from the ups - the petrol 2.5-litre that we had turned out to be a fuelaholic averaging around 11.5l/100km, which comparatively is not good.

The standard 2.5-litre is missing a few nice bits of gear as well, things we?ve come to nonchalantly expect from Renault such as climate control; auto headlamps and auto windscreen wipers, but this doesn?t relinquish the fact that this is a serious competitor within the 4x4 cross-over market.

With the 2.0-litre diesel an option as well and a pretty keen price this is a viable option for any outdoor enthusiast.