Rapture in a Renault Captur

Captur the mood

Weary from travelling a lengthy 2500 km’s to Bloemfontein and back, I picked up the colourful Captur in Cape Town, on a grey and miserable day. But it’s hard to suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (also known as Winter Blues) when you get into a brand new Captur. Fashionable and French, the cheerful Captur, with its upmarket, trendy styling and quality interior, is quite a lifter of dark moods.

Zip me up

The shell-shaped seats of our press car, the Renault Captur Dynamique 88kW Turbo EDC (R 279 900), were stylishly dressed in optional black leather, with gunmetal grey inserts on the edges. If you don’t specify the leather, Renault’s Zip Collection Removable Upholstery is a standard option in the upper Dynamique variants. So next time Junior’s lunch doesn’t agree with him, seat covers can be removed and washed.

Glossy Interior

The 7-inch MediaNav touch screen is surrounded with glossy black trim, which is repeated on the leather-covered steering wheel and around the air-vents. It does tend to leave fingerprints but giving it a quick wipe with a cloth (or sleeve) should sort that out. The standard MediaNav system itself is a pleasure to use, with Maps of South Africa already pre-programmed. The radio with 4 speakers, standard hands-free Bluetooth and USB/AUX ports is also controlled from here. For a four-speaker system, it sounds really good when the car is moving slowly. At highway speeds, there’s some wind and road noise, which interferes a bit with the sound quality. The satellite controls on the steering wheel set the cruise control and speed limit, with the volume buttons and such located close to the driver’s fingertips.

Room for living

For a compact little car like the Captur, there is an astounding amount of useable space - in the cabin as well as the cargo area. The boot also features a “false” bottom, which reveals even more storage space underneath, when removed. This is perfect for storing valuables, like a laptop, or in my case, hiding the results of a retail therapy session from my spouse! Beneath that, is a space-saver spare wheel.

Convenience above all

Apart from being quite frugal with the fuel, the Captur is easy to park, with standard rear parking sensors in all variants. Once you step out of the Captur, it will lock itself as you walk away. And when you return to it with arms are full of groceries, no need to dig around for the key in your pocket or handbag – the Captur will unlock itself as you press the small black button on the door handle. Renault seems to have all the practical angles covered.

Agreeable engine

Even though Renault is the master of engine downsizing and F1-inspired turbo technology, the Captur felt slow out of the starting blocks when we drove it at the local launch in Johannesburg. Turbocharged engines shouldn’t really be affected by altitude above sea level, but as humdrum as the engine felt inland, it’s quite a different story here in Cape Town. Here, the 1.2 litre pot is not tardy at all, and gunning it to get the kids to school on time, proved that the power is there if you need it. You will need to press the accelerator quite flat, though!

Capturing the daily grind

The Captur’s suspension is comfortable at all times, and it handled all the bumps en route to school with a gentle spring in its step, even though we were in a great hurry. The six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox is not without it flaws - gear shifts are smooth, but if you’re a very spirited driver who makes sudden movements, it tends to be somewhat hesitant in selecting a suitable gear. That, teamed with a low-capacity engine’s turbo lag, can put a dampener on things at times. But it’s not really the performance enthusiast who will buy the Captur, now is it? They’d be better off buying the Renault Clio RS or Renault Mégane RS 265 LUX – read our review here.)

Road-hugger

When it comes to road holding, the Captur is quite the little burr-weed. It surprised me with its good level of grip and little body-roll. It’s almost as if it’s unaware of its slightly elevated position when its going around the bends of Cape Town’s De Waal Drive. But put it on some gravel or dirt and it sheds its city slicker skin quite readily, immediately feeling at home on rougher surfaces as well.

Jack of all trades

If you’re doing the daily commute to school and work in a sensible manner, the Captur will be the ideal, multi-tasking companion, with space for some family paraphernalia or a few boxes full of shoes. And it looks good enough to eat too! Apart from boasting a five star EuroNCAP rating, the Captur’s safety features include the usual ABS with EBD and brake assist, as well as stability control (with understeer control) and 4 airbags (2 front and 2 side). But bear in mind, that for R 10 000 less, you can actually buy a Renault Duster, the top-spec 1.5dCi Dynamique 4 x 4 variant, for R 269 900. Dads, take note – this is actually a very capable off-roader. You can browse the selection on our website here.

Winning!

The Captur has already won numerous awards overseas, such as the What Car? 2014 Best small SUV for Less than £16,000.‪ It was also named Voiture de l'Année 2013 (Best Car of 2013) by the French Association of Automotive Press.‪ I do hope that the Captur will do well in SA, among the urban folks who like their cars to be as versatile as they are. Its class-leading warranty of 5 years / 150 000 km, and the fact that it has so many convenience features, should help as well. For a full list of specifications, please go to www.renault.co.za‬‬


Facts & Figures

Price	: R279 900
Engine	: 1197 cc, four-cylinder, direct injection turbo-petrol
Power	: 88kW at 4900 rpm
Torque	: 190 Nm at 2000 rpm
Top speed	: 192 km/h
0 to 100 km/h	: 10.9 seconds
Fuel tank	: 45 litres
Claimed fuel consumption	: 5.4 litres per 100 km (combined)
Realistic fuel consumption	: About 6.4 – 7.2 litres per 100 km
Boot size	: 377 – 455 – 1235 litres (seats flat)
Ground clearance	: 170 mm
Warranty	: 5 years / 150 000 km with roadside assistance
Service plan	: 3 years / 45 000 km with 15 000 km intervals , 6 year corrosion warranty.
Also consider	: Opel Mokka, Ford EcoSport, Nissan Juke