I’VE just had a dirty weekend, but not in the way you might expect!

No, far from enjoying some quality time with my other half, I’ve been finding out the pluses and minuses of owning Renault’s new off-roader, the Koleos.

It’s the first crossover vehicle from the French manufacturer and the first to be designed from the word go with four-wheel drive.

Built by Renault Samsung Motors in Korea and utilising the off-road expertise of Nissan, the Koleos has come late to the party, but is no less worthy than some of its more illustriously badged rivals.

It’s competitively priced, well put together and what’s more it can actually do the dirty work, something many of its ilk only profess to.

It’s no design classic, admittedly, and from the front it could be argued it resembles a baby hippo, which I guess is no bad thing if you fancy a little wallowing around in the brown stuff.

Turn the car on, though, and you’re likely to turn a few people off as the diesel engine is somewhat agricultural in nature.

But noise aside, and to be fair, it doesn’t invade the cabin to a great degree, the power plant is a very capable unit.

One of two diesel-only options, the two litre engine in our test car, pulled smartly in low gears and made motorway driving a pleasant experience as well, once up to the 70mph limit.

But it’s away from the Tarmac where the Koleos stands out from the school run crowd.

Although it handles itself well enough on the road, I actually found it more sure-footed on the dirt and it inspired me with enough confidence to push a little harder than I had originally dared.

Aligned to hill descent control, the Koleos’ all-mode 4x4- i system automatically switches from 4x2 to 4x4 operation when it detects low- grip conditions, something which was used to good effect on the backroads near me.

So much fun was I having that I stayed out longer than I had originally intended and when I returned to terra a lot firma the car was well and truly clarted up.

Pulling up to collect my eldest, it made me feel good to have actually been able to put the car to good use, but a couple of minutes later the bubble had well and truly burst.

On opening the doors to enable him to get in I was greeted with a lathering of mud all the way up the wheel arches.

This meant I had to adopt a rather odd stance when trying to get the boy in, which involved my legs being completely, and I must say somewhat painfully, vertical, back at a 45 degree angle and arms outstretched, so as to keep as much as my body as possible away from the car.

Mission accomplished, I returned home triumphant at the fact that both myself and my boy were mud free, only for him to slide out of the car of his own free will and adorn his trousers with two giant streaks of finest British countryside.

Now I am not sure whether this is par for the course when such cars are put through their paces, but I can imagine it becoming a bit of a pain.

The Koleos’ interior is based on a series of flowing curves, and Renault says the bottom of the dash, which forms a wave-like line gives it the impression that the cowling is floating. However, I found it functional more than flamboyant.

Everything is well constructed and looks like it could take a lot of wear and tear. The materials are all very wipe-downable and certainly, there were none of the little scratches and scuffs that sometimes occur when kids’ feet get a little too close to the backs of the front seats.

Those sitting in the front benefit from class-leading head and knee room, but while Renault describes the room in the rear as generous, those of a larger persuasion might disagree. On premium model versions passengers can adjust the backrest to counter this.

The boot is not the biggest, but is more than capable of taking the average load and it also features a split-opening tailgate. This means that in tight spaces you need only open the top half, while opening the lower section enables longer items to be stowed with minimum fuss.

What the Koleos might lack in raw space, it makes up for with plenty of storage points.

There’s a cooled 15-litre glovebox and the centre console comes with a removable bin.

There’s also a drawer beneath the front passenger seat, bins in the front doors, a stowage unit in the armrest, lidded compartments in the rear floor and two folding seatback tables with cupholders.

Add to that a further 28 litres of space under the boot and you’ve got more than 70 litres of interior storage.

The Koleos is very well equipped, even at base level, with the likes of six airbags, cruise control, front fog lights and alloys as standard.

So while Renault may have arrived late to the off-road game, the Koleos proves that the company is more than capable of muddying the waters when it comes to which 4x4 to opt for.

Specification

Engine: 2.0 litre diesel
Max power: 173bhp
Max torque: 266lb/ft
Max speed: 117mph
0-60mph: 10.8secs
Avg fuel consumption: 35.8mpg
Equipment (includes): 17ins alloys; air conditioning; front fog lights; electric windows; six airbags; Isofix child seat anchors; ABS with EBD and EBA; remote central locking; push button start; cruise control; roof bars; tinted glass; 60:40 split folding rear seats; leather steering wheel and gear knob; full leather upholstery; heated front seats; CD radio with MP3 capability; panoramic electric sunroof; hands free Bluetooth phone operation.