When the latest Renault Captur arrived at Company Car & Van, I couldn’t believe that it was as far back as 2012 that it was launched as Renault’s first small SUV. In the ensuing years, the Captur literally captured sales, going on to sell 1.5 million units worldwide. Like sister model the Nissan Juke, the Captur though, was showing it’s age & a new model was launched at the beginning of the year.
The new model sits on the same CMF-B platform as the latest Clio, a car we really loved. It’s 110mm longer, 19mm wider & 17mm taller than the original version & is a far more attractive proposition, both inside & out.
The exterior has been completely redesigned & now features front & rear protection skid plates, a wider grille, prominent wheel arch extensions, scalloped sides & a two-tone ‘floating roof’ treatment. LED headlamps are standard across the range & at the rear, there’s a far more aggressive tailgate & light clusters.
Captur is available with six engine options: three petrol, two diesels & a newly introduced plug-in hybrid engine, called E-TECH Plug-in. Transmission options run to five or six-speed manuals, plus a seven-speed Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) automatic.
Entry level petrol is the the 3-cylinder TCe 100, with 100hp ,160Nm of torque & a five-speed gearbox. It offers up to 54.3mpg & emits 118g/km of CO2 (NEDC). Next up is the TCe 130, which comes with 130hp & 240Nm & a choice of er six-speed manual or seven-speed EDC transmissions. The TCe 155 is the flagship engine for performance, with 155hp & 270Nm, available exclusively with the seven-speed EDC transmission.
Both the diesel engines are based on the well-proven 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit. In dCi 95 guise it offers 95hp & 240Nm, while the dCi 115 increases these outputs to 115hp & 260Nm respectively. While the former is available exclusively with the six-speed manual, the dCi 115 can alternatively be ordered with the seven-speed EDC.
In line with Renault’s familiar EasyLife trim line-up, the new Captur is available in three guises: Play, Iconic & S Edition. The interior is almost identical to the one you’ll find in the new Clio. So, a 7″ multimedia screen is standard on Play & Iconic models, while S Edition gets the 9.3″ portrait set-up. Both give access to Renault’s EASY LINK connected system that bundles together all the navigation, infotainment & on S Edition versions, MULTI-SENSE functions.
Boot capacity has been increased by 81 litres to a maximum of 536 litres, by adding a sliding rear bench seat that allows 160 mm of fore & aft movement. This can also be folded down in a 1/3 or 2/3 pattern, liberating a maximum payload length of 1.57 m with an almost completely flat floor. A further benefit is the movable boot floor that can be used to split the payload volume into two levels, creating more space or a totally flat loading lip with hidden storage below.
Standard safety features across the range include Lane Departure Warning & Lane Keep Assist & Traffic Sign Recognition. Speed Alert is also included, as is cruise control with a speed limiter function. An Active Emergency Braking System is standard which is bolstered by the latest cyclist & pedestrian detection functionality.
Prices begin at £17,595 for the Captur Play, which also features a 4.2″ driver information display, hands free key card access & electric front rear windows. Mid-range Iconic starts at £19,095 & adds Renault’s EasyLink multimedia system, with a 7″ touchscreen, SatNav, FM/DAB tuner, 4x20W speakers, sound auditorium, 2 x USB & 1 x Aux, Bluetooth, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay. Also included are rear parking sensors, 2-Tone paint, dark rear windows & tailgate glass & roof bars. Range topping S-Edition is available from £20,595 & up’s the stakes with a the larger 9.3″ touchscreen, MULTI-SENSE driving mode selector with 8 ambient lighting settings, front parking sensors, a reversing camera & a leather steering wheel.
We got to spend some time in the range topping S Edition TCe 130 EDC, which costs from £23,395.
All of the things that make the Clio so good to drive, are also present in the Captur, namely excellent handling, precise steering , soft suspension & a comfortable ride. The auto box on our test car is a little jerky from a standing start & the power comes in all at once, so you need to get used to massaging the accelerator pedal, especially if your in Sport Mode. There’s also Eco & Multi-Sense Modes as well.
Getting comfortable is easy. The longer, wider, taller Captur offers both front passengers good head & leg room. Rear leg room is great, if the bench seat is pushed back. Push it all the way forwards though & there’s no leg room at all. Rear headroom though is very good.
For storage, there’s an average sized glove box, two largish front door pockets, storage under the adjustable centre armrest, a spot for your key card & a couple of drinks holders. Plus an additional storage space, located under the floating gear lever.
The 9.3″ portrait touchscreen is simple to use & is easy to reach, plus it’s crystal clear. The climate controls are located underneath the screen, a sensible decision. The dashboard & door fittings are finished in quality, soft-touch grey, black & plastics. The only thing we didn’t particularly like was the seat fabric, which looked too cheap for the rest of the cabin, seemingly built more for longevity, over luxury.
Utilising the Capturs Cruise Control, made motorway driving relaxing & enjoyable. There’s a tasty turn of pace from the 130 unit, as it will hit 62mph in just 9.6 seconds, going on to a top speed of 120 mph. The auto comes with 124g/km of CO2 emissions with an average MPG of 44.8. We drove the Captur for almost 300 miles across all types of roads, averaging 41.8 MPG, so not too far away from the claimed.
At least until we get to try the PHEV Captur, we’d make you aware that the three diesels available, offer the best economy, of 58.9 mpg, whether you select the 95, 115 manual or 115 auto, with lower emissions of 106, 111 or 108 g/km respectively. Diesel may not be popular in the media at present, but for high mileage customers it’s very much worth considering.
The best selling Captur Mk1 was always going to be a hard act to follow, but we believe that Renault has another success on it’s hands with the Mk2. It’s improved in every way over the original, offering better practicality, improved safety, on-trend connectivity & sharper looks than the original. It also benefits from Renault’s 5-year/100,00 mile warranty. And, to take advantage of the electric market, the launch of the plug-in hybrid Captur, a first for the class, will offer up to 30 miles of range from it’s 9.8kWh battery,so Renault have that covered too.
Twenty-four hour shopping in Captur. 4/5
