The Renault Captur is the most exciting product the French marque has launched to the local market in recent memory, the limited-run Megane RS Trophy excluded, of course. We recently had a chance to spend some time with the top-of-the-range Intens variant and feel that this may be the best Renault currently on sale locally.
Related: Renault Captur (2023) - First Drive Review
Styling
The Captur is a great example of a modern crossover design, combining much of what makes its Clio sibling a looker, but with the added ride height, cladding and front and rear skid plates, creating the aesthetic that buyers in this segment are after. Its design is further accentuated by the 17-inch alloy wheels and two-tone colour combination.
Related: Everything you need to know about the 2023 Renault Captur
Interior and space
Stepping inside, there has been a marked improvement in the tangible quality of the material used versus the previous model. In addition to the step up in quality, the ergonomics and general layout of the interior appear both more logical and functional. Features in the flagship include a raft of semi-autonomous driving aids, a digitised instrument cluster, combination cloth/artificial leather seats, front and rear PDC, a reverse camera and keyless entry/start among others.
Infotainment is taken care of by a portrait-mounted 9.3-inch touchscreen system that features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. The system is not class-leading by any stretch of the imagination, but it is reasonably easy to use, the audio quality is acceptable and it has all of the functionality one requires from a modern infotainment system.
From a practical perspective, there's a 404-litre boot, which expands to 1 275-litres, making it larger than the Omoda C5, but smaller than the Toyota Corolla Cross. Rear occupant space is best described as good for two occupants while front occupants have sufficient room too. The 174mm of ground clearance is impressive for the segment in which it competes.
Performance and driving impression
The powertrain in the new Captur is one of its strong points, with the 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox being shared with several Mercedes-Benz and Nissan models. In this guise, it produces 113kW and 270Nm of torque, allowing the 1 365kg crossover to get from 0-100km/h in a claimed 9.6 seconds and go onto a top speed of 196km/h.
The engine and gearbox work incredibly well in city driving scenarios and out on the freeway, provided that dynamic driving is not on the agenda, where the powertrain can feel slightly lethargic. The ride and handling are similarly refined and quiet when compared with its predecessor. The more premium driving experience put some daylight between Renault's latest small crossover and some of its incredibly well-priced Chinese rivals such as the Omoda C5 and Haval's Jolion.
Safety
The Captur was crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2019 and achieved a 5-Star rating, including 96% for driver safety, 83% for occupant safety, 75% for pedestrian safety and 74% for its safety assistance systems.
Fuel consumption
Renault claims that the Captur will consume petrol at a rate of 6.6 L/100km, however, our week with the model yielded a figure of 7.8 L/100km, which is neither particularly light nor heavy when looking at some rivals.
Pricing
The Captur, in Intens guise, was priced at R499 999 at the time of writing, making it slightly more expensive than the Omoda C5 in Lux S guise and the Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 GR-S. The Captur comes as standard with a 3-year/45 000km service plan along with a 5-year/ 150 000 km vehicle warranty.
Verdict
The new Captur is the best Renault product that we have driven in years, offering a great package for small families and those with a desire or requirement for a crossover that is reasonably efficient and spacious. The Toyota Corolla Cross may be tempting for many, but for those looking for something different, this is a must-drive model!
