![]() ![]() With a solid five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty including a full five years of roadside assist and driveaway pricing that matches pre on-roads pricing of a lot of the opposition, there can be no arguing Renault is not trying hard to position the Captur as an attractive, viable small SUV alternative. The problem for the Captur is not that it has competitors – it’s more that there are so many of them. Compared with its class competitors, the Captur is certainly not at a loss in the way it treats passengers. Of course no-one expects a small, tight and light SUV to ride like a two tonne-plus, long-wheelbase leviathan – or even a mid-size SUV. Revealing its city car bias, the Captur is not super-quiet a cruising speeds. On the open road, it’s actually pretty sporty and companionable in terms of grip and steering response, let down slightly by a ride that fares well on initial impact harshness but gets a bit abrupt when the bumps, even smooth-edged bumps, get a bit deeper and more frequent. With the help of the self-parking system, a tight 10.4m turning circle, light, quick steering and reasonable all-round visibility, it’s a great city car. The Captur’s light kerb weight of 1215kg – below competitors such as the Mazda CX-3, Mitsubishi ASX and Holden Trax – and handy size suggests a potential for easy zipping around suburbia and that’s where it’s in its element. This is with the supposed benefits of the Captur’s Getrag-sourced six-speed Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) gearbox – which itself suffers many of the traits typical of the genre: a sometimes-lumpy, sometimes-tardy takeoff and a tendency to roll backwards or forwards on a slope if the driver hasn’t first applied the brake. ![]() Worse still, Renault asks that the Captur be fed a minimum diet of 95 RON premium unleaded. It also fails to deliver anything like the claimed fuel economy: Over a week of mixed-conditions driving, our test car remained pretty steady at 8.3L/100km, well above the claimed ADR combined figure of 5.8L/100km and suggesting the 45-litre tank would find it difficult to help the Captur reach 600km on a country cruise. Only fitted at Intens level, the self-steering system enables the Captur to slot with minimal driver assistance into a parallel kerbside spot only 70cm longer than the car, or into a supermarket space at least 90cm wider than the car. Of definite value is Renault’s Easy Park. Not impressive, but it’s probably better than having nothing to help you at all. Fortunately, with some judiciously applied steering lock, the Captur retrieved itself. There are three modes: on-road, off-road, or “Expert” and the assumption, given Renault’s brief explanations, is that it is essentially a conventional traction control system that balances braking and engine output to provide the best grip dependent on the surface conditions.Ĭaptur drivers are warned not to expect miracles: Trying out the system on a minimally rutted, puddled surface saw our test Renault, despite the special Kumho mud and snow-rated tyres, slipping and sliding to a full halt. The Intens-spec Captur also gets a new three-mode traction-enhancing “extended grip control” system that purports to improve its abilities off the tarmac but the company is a bit cagey describing what it does. No ANCAP safety rating is yet issued, but it’s reasonable to expect that, despite the airbag shortfall, the Captur will retain its five-star safety status. There’s no autonomous emergency braking though, and the curtain airbags aren’t full-length – that is, they don’t extend to protect back-seat passengers. Self-parking, LED headlights, additional parking sensors at the front and sides, a (fixed) panoramic sunroof and Renault’s R-Link enhanced sat -nav system, as well as blind-spot warning, are now standard at this level. Even the most ardent Renault fans will be struggling to pick it.Īnd although the base Zen version now gets rear parking sensors, plus a rearview camera and auto-folding side mirrors – which goes some of the way to justifying the $1000 price increase applying to both models – it’s the top-spec Intens that benefits more from the update. ![]() About the only things that have changed are the front and rear bumpers and the tail-light lenses. Now offered in Zen and Intens form (Expression and Dynamique previously) to reflect the nomenclature changes already seen in Renault Megane and Koleos, the Captur, in terms of looks, is no cause for excitement. Well, the latest Captur has got a lot of stuff that was not on the original. ![]()
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