Test drive Mini, Koleos, Kuga, Kodiaq, Lexus RC and Passat Alltrack
Every month, the AvtoTachki editorial staff selects several cars that are sold on the Russian market right now, and comes up with different tasks for them
The non-disconnectable stabilization system prevents frolic. A field blurred by autumn rains with several shallow ruts can still be overcome even by a mono-drive car, and even with all-wheel drive here it turns out to go from the heart, easily throwing the car from skid to skid. Alas, only up to a speed of 50 km / h, when the disabled ESP is activated again and stifles all attempts to slip.
It is difficult to explain to yourself why this childishness is behind the wheel of a large crossover that claims to be the flagship of the brand. But after a calm mono-drive summer, this was the first experience of driving for fun, and the outwardly heavy Koleos suddenly turned out to be quite docile and adequate. Yes, there is a variator and a not too agile interaxle clutch, but for a person accustomed to the nature of the machine, it is not at all difficult to handle them. The main thing is not to dirty the states later by jumping out of the car - the clearance of the Koleos is decent, and the thresholds, fortunately, are well covered by doors. And you also have to remember to wash your car.
Against the background of low-end budget crossovers, the current Koleos looks mature and expensive, so you don't want to drive a dirty car at all. I want to flaunt a non-standard, even controversial appearance so that people can see these unusual body curves, complex-shaped optics and LED boomerangs. Since the questioning can not be avoided, then let the subject of discussion look worthy. And yes, this is Renault - big and solid.
The impressive dimensions are very well felt from the inside. There are a lot of glasses, a wide interior and good finishes, although, of course, it is far from premium. And the media system tablet actually turned out to be a very confused device with its own characteristics. But visually, the Koleos salon fascinates - it is non-standard, cozy and very pleasant to the touch. And even in the atypical drift mode on the field, it remains quiet and calm.
Front-wheel drive crossover. Is this even legal? Until recently, I did not understand why the world needs such cars at all, until I drove a Ford Kuga. It was a 2,5-liter aspirated version with front-wheel drive - in general, the most popular of all Kugs on the Russian market right now.
Oh, and don't be surprised that Ford customers choose the front-wheel drive option. Not only is it almost $ 2 cheaper than the base version with AWD, but the super-reliable naturally aspirated engine is only available in front-wheel drive versions. The all-wheel drive Ford Kuga is equipped with 637 EcoBoost, which, depending on the degree of boost, can produce 1,5 or 150 horsepower.
Heavy Kuga in the city did not give out its mono-drive for a whole week. But on the day when another downpour hit Moscow, everything changed. On wet asphalt, the crossover behaves very fervently: the front end slips and planes with slipping. At the same time, the behavior of the Kuga cannot be characterized as unstable: the crossover is still massive and obedient at city speeds.
The lack of all-wheel drive absolutely does not prevent the Kuge from climbing high curbs and not slowing down on tram tracks. In addition, the ground clearance of such a car does not differ from the AWD versions - 200 millimeters. It turns out that in a big city four-wheel drive is not needed for a large crossover? In the days of freezing rain and snowy apocalypse, things will be different.
They say that Volkswagen is jealous of the success of its own brand Skoda. I drove the new Kodiaq crossover and I think there is every reason to be afraid of it. Something it badly matches the image of the budget brand itself, and this is the place of Skoda in the hierarchy of the German concern. Solid appearance, quiet interior, comfortable seats, many incredible options. And unexpectedly sharp handling for a large family car.
I drove the same two-liter petrol "Tiguan" on the roads of the Czech Republic, and there it feels perfect. Perhaps due to the lack of a package for bad roads, which is installed on Russian cars. For our conditions, it is still set up a little harsh, but otherwise it fits perfectly. Door umbrellas are just right for our changeable weather: dirt will not penetrate through the multi-layer seals at the bottom of the doors and will not stain the threshold.
VW Tiguan is emphatically high-tech, but therefore cold. The soplatform Kodiaq appeals to simpler instincts: it is large, practical, and can accommodate seven. Let the passengers in the gallery, in order to sit down with relative comfort, have to squeeze the passengers in the second row. It would not hurt "Skoda" to create its own car-sharing with "Kodiaks", but only for those who are going to move from apartment to apartment with all the accumulated junk. This is the best way to recruit followers of the Shkoda religion.
Some of Kodiak's clever things set new standards altogether. I'm talking about the retractable liners that protect the corners of the doors - it's strange that they are not on other cars. They help out great in a tight parking lot, although they are powerless if there is a low car with bulging sides nearby.
Naturally, there is reason for concern VW. Isn't that why Kodiaq has deliberately cheap plastic wood inserts, hard sills of the rear doors are not in status. And because of the specific settings of the "robot", which hesitates or twitches when switching, the declared 180 forces seem to be insufficient. Odd though, the crossover doesn't weigh that much. Another "sabotage" - the price for two million, but soon Kodiaq will get on the conveyor of GAZ, so it should fall in price. In the meantime, the only Russian node in the crossover is the ERA-GLONAC terminal, which at times slows down.
To talk about the Lexus RC, I need to go back a little bit. In the summer of 2016, it seems, I briefly got his crazy older brother - the 477-strong RC F. Since in our family I am also the elder and also a nutcase, we immediately had love. With one roar on a cold start, he made me forget everyone I managed to hate for the day. But any bright love needs drama, and it happened quickly enough - I lost it.
No, seriously, I parked somewhere in the same lovely side streets in the Myasnitskaya area, went to breakfast, and when I returned, the dazzlingly beautiful white RC F for six and a half million with a black carbon hood was not there. Once my wife stole my car and threw it somewhere on the sea, because the sun and I wanted to walk, but this is where my experience of finding missing cars is exhausted - never before has none of them been evacuated or stolen. So I did what a man should do - stumbled around absurdly in one place, and then went somewhere aimlessly. I think at that time it was the only such Lexus in Moscow.
All in all, I stumbled upon this brilliant RC F in a nearby alley, where I walked out quite by accident. He stood under exactly the same beautiful doorway as where I thought I had left him. I exhaled and paid more attention to him for the rest of the time, as it should be after the drama in the period of bright love.
A little time passed and, again quite by accident, I was already at the wheel of an RC - and not even an atmospheric 350, but a two-liter turbocharged 245-horsepower already for some four million. It accelerates to a hundred in 7,5 seconds, which is a lot for Moscow, but not very much for the money. He also pretends to be aspirated by his habits, and this, coupled with the rear-wheel drive, gives the feeling of the correct old school.
That being said, the RC and RC F are made partly from IS and partly from the GS business sedan, and therefore they are wide on the inside, which I really like. I mean, they pack you into an ordinary sports car, wrap you inside, jack your knees, because otherwise you won't fit, and then they show your thumb and give you an encouraging kick. At this point, you usually just opened your mouth to admit that you are scared. In the case of the RC, on the contrary, you feel like the master of the situation: you sit down calmly, spread all the contents of your pockets on the wide armrest and realize that it is still subordinated to the idea of an everyday, urban sports car - no matter how strange these words may look in one row.
In this story, where impulsiveness and hatred of ruts are accompanied by an unusually soft for sports cars, the firm-Lexus suspension, in my opinion, there was some understatement - especially in comparison with the crazy RC F. But this is also called a compromise, in the opposite side of which, as you know, fanaticism is. And we have become much less likely to burn someone at the stake.
In my previous interactions with the VW Passat sedan, I was amazed at how close it got to the big three competitors. Stylish exterior, spacious interior, decent finishing materials - a real business class without any amendments. "What if we add a spacious trunk and four-wheel drive to this functionality?" - I thought and took the Alltrack version for a short test drive.
How organically this five-door fits into the urban landscape. So you can't say that this is an all-terrain wagon. All these black plastic arches and silver elements along the sills and the lower edge of the bumpers seem to benefit the Passat and make its appearance more complete. In addition, already in the basic configuration, the car is equipped with LED optics, which not only looks beautiful, but also perfectly illuminates the road.
I don't want to drive off into open off-road with only 14 mm increased ground clearance and a simple differential lock. However, the car is not at all about that. But on the frosty autumn roads with all-wheel drive, you feel much more confident. In addition, Adaptive suspension is installed on Alltrack by default, so now you can not worry about the comfort of passengers when driving on almost any surface.
But perhaps the most pleasant and unexpected surprise is hidden under the hood. It is on the Alltrack version that Russian buyers are offered the most powerful engine. The inline-four 2,0 TSI develops 220 hp, and to the first hundred, the all-terrain Passat accelerates 1,1 seconds faster than the fastest sedan we have presented. Yes, with this power, the car falls into a different tax category, but on the track you don't think about how to contrive and overtake the truck. Add to this the roomy trunk (from 639 to 1769 liters) with a full underground spare tire - and here you are the ideal vehicle for long-distance travel.
Five people easily crammed into the cabin of a seemingly small Mini Countryman: me, two of my university classmates and their wives. The route of our company was not the shortest. First, from the center to Novogireevo, then to the south - to Butovo, and only after that to their own casemates outside the Moscow Ring Road. However, what can we complain about - it always happens to those who come to a party by car.
Mini Countryman did not complain either, it only lost a little agility, and demanded more diesel fuel for each kilometer of run. Fortunately, Moscow at night, despite all the reconstruction and the program "My Street", still pleases with deserted avenues and the absence of traffic jams. Therefore, although the Countryman's consumption has increased, it has not gone beyond 8 liters per “hundred”.
In general, for more than two weeks that the diesel Mini spent in our editorial office, it saved my salary a lot. And not to say that I tried to actively save. In traffic jams, he turned off the annoying start / stop, and where it was possible to press, he gladly transferred all mechatronics from normal to sports mode, completely forgetting about pensioner eco-settings.
And even with this in mind, the two-liter 150-horsepower Countryman Cooper D diesel engine required no more than 7,6-7,8 liters of fuel. And this, you see, is a good result.
The editors are grateful to the administration of the Areal congress hotel for help in organizing the shooting of Mini Countryman, to the administration of the Metropolis shopping center for help in organizing the shooting of the Skoda Kodiaq, as well as to the administration of the Imperial Park Hotel & SPA complex for the help in organizing the shooting of Renault Koleos.
