THE noughties seemed to be the decade for the comebacks with bands that had long since disappeared into the depths of time brushing the dust off their drumkits and Fenders to hit the road again.

We have also seen some blasts from the past in the world of cars making a reappearance and one such model is the Renault Koleos.

Admittedly, the Koleos had only been put into hibernation for seven years mainly due to poor sales, but thanks to the overwhelming public demand for SUVs it re-emerged again last year, bigger and better in every possible way.

It completes Renault's trio of classy SUVs joining smaller stablemates, the Captur and Kadjar, and is a fitting model to carry the brand's flagship title.

Boasting a sporty, muscular design, the Koleos looks impressive from any approach with eye-catching features such as Renault's C-shaped LED daytime running lights, roof rails, a smart grille housing the company logo, tinted rear windows, 3D-effect tail lights, a panoramic sunroof and chunky 19-inch two-tone alloys.

The interior is equally as impressive with a raft of techno treats at your disposal. Creature comforts include heated and ventilated leather seats, a heated steering wheel, an 8.7-inch portrait touchscreen withRenault's R-LINK 2 multimedia system which coordinates the majority of the vehicle's infotainment functions such as navigation, hands-free calling, radio and driver aids.

It works similar to a smartphone or tablet with two-finger zoom, page scrolling plus drag and drop etc. Our car also featured an upgraded seven-speaker BOSE sound system costing £600 along with a few other options which saw the price rise from £34,200 to £36,610.

The interior of the Koleos is beautifully designed with plenty of soft touch surfaces, leather upholstery and smart looking inlays.

It is also very spacious with ample room for five adults to travel in comfort. This is due to the fact that the Koleos boasts one of the longest wheelbases in its class with short overhangs.

Luggage limitations will rarely apply either because the boot has a capacity ranging from579 litres to 1,795 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat - this is achieved simply by pressing a button.

Then, there is an extra 35 litres worth of storage space scattered throughout the cabin including a practically-sized glovebox, door pockets and heated or cooled cup holders that can warm or chill drinks on the go.

Our car was powered by a 2.0-litre 175bhp diesel engine mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

It could reach 62mph from a standing start in 9.5 seconds, maxed out at 125mph and, according to official figures, deliver combined fuel economy of 47.9mpog with carbon emission of 156g/km.

When it comes to performance, the Koleos is a very competent and composed model to drive.

The road holding is ultra grippy meaning tight curves can be attacked with confidence - our car also featured 4x4 reassurance. There can be a little body sway if driven into bends too enthusiastically because of its high-sided SUV styling, but it's not too severe.

The steering offers plenty of feedback and the acceleration through the gears is smooth and rapid with a constant supply of power on tap - some CVT gearboxes can be noisy and quite jumpy, but that's certainly not the case with the Koleos.

Out on the open road and motorways, the car cruises effortlessly at higher speeds and then it is deceptively agile while tackling the congested town centres where the excellent all-round visibility and elevated driving position are real plus points.

The addition of hands-free parking costing £350 will make any driver look like an expert when squeezing into tight parking spaces - this is a bonus with a car measuring almost 4.7 metres in length.

On the downside, I did find quite a lot of engine and road surface noise filtering into the cabin at higher speeds, but this can soon be eradicated by the pitch perfect BOSE music system.

That aside, the Koleos was a great all-rounder and is also packed with safety features that helped it secure a maximum five stars when it was tested for its Euro NCAP safety rating.

Features include the likes of anti-lock brakes with emergency brake assist, six airbags, lane departure warning, advanced emergency braking system, hill start assist, automatic lights and wipers, blind spot warning and a rear parking camera with front and rear sensors.

All in all, the Koleos has made a very welcome return and joins the larger SUV sector that seems to be bursting at its sides with model options such as the Nissan X-Trail, Audi Q5 and Peugeot 5008.