Updated Captur includes full hybrid option
The facelift includes a strongly restyled front fascia that gives the car a more premium look.
Renault introduced its updated Captur crossover SUV with a more stylish look, upgraded cabin and a new full hybrid 145hp engine joining the petrol line-up. The 145hp petrol-electric set-up is Renault’s own system.
The first generation of the model was introduced back in 2013 with the second generation in 2019.
Captur competes in the hotly contested small SUV segment that accounted for more than a quarter of all cars sold in Ireland last year. While Arkana remains the top seller for Renault with Irish buyers, Captur comes in second place with 817 units sold last year.
The facelift includes a strongly restyled front fascia that gives the car a more premium look, new taillight graphics, a higher and more horizontal bonnet, high gloss black window surrounds, and a new Hybrid Esprit Alpine trim, which adds extras like Alpine badging on both front wings, shale grey front and rear skids, a special front bumper with shale grey blade, and gorgeous 19-inch alloys. My car was in a lovely shade of Iron Blue with a black roof and black pillars. This top trim is only available with the Hybrid version. Other trims are Evolution and Techno.
This is a stylish, practical car for a young family, more spacious than the smaller Clio hatchback. The high driving position allows easy access to the car and good visibility on the road.
The cabin has also been given a more modern look and feel. The interior was quite dark but some satin chrome finish and nice decorative detailing helped lighten the look. New upholstery and materials also give a more premium look and feel. Renault is now using recyclable materials in place of leather in its interiors and the Esprit Alpine finish includes over 26% of recycled and recyclable fabrics in its upholstery. The French national flag colours of red, white and blue are displayed on the front seats and on the leather steering wheel. Captur’s seats proved to be extremely comfortable while gently supporting my lower back. My driver’s seat had power seat adjustments.
Centre stage on the dash is the new bigger 10.4-inch portrait-style touchscreen that comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and has Google built-in for maps navigation, Google Assistant voice assistant and apps downloadable from Google Play, even Spotify.
There are physical controls for the climate control, the heated front seats and steering wheel, and up and down arrows for the temperature control.
The deeply recessed and customisable 7-inch instrument cluster is also larger than before and is clear to see at a glance.
The Multi-Sense settings, available via the central display or by a button on the steering wheel, allow you to choose from four driving modes of Eco, Sport, Comfort and MySense. An E-Save button on the right-hand side of the dash maintains a battery charge of at least 40% which ensures optimum performance when driving uphill.
The automatic transmission shifter is located on a floating centre console. Front passengers have two USB C-type ports, a 12V socket and a wireless smartphone charger.
For me, this is really just a four-seater car for adults, but you can squeeze smaller teens in the back if needs must. The rear bench seat is designed to slide back over 16cms which allows more space for cargo or for passengers. The middle seat is a bit higher than the outer two. Here also you’ll find a power socket and two small USBs.
The boot’s removable floor can create a flat space. This full hybrid version has 348-480 litres of capacity rising to 1,458 with the rear bench folded down.
Features included a very good reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors with flank protection, hill start assist, but not a very good blind spot monitoring system. However, the car comes with 28 new-generation driving aids for safety, driving and parking.
A niggle for me is the location of the radio controls on a stalk off the lower right of the steering wheel, out of sight when driving. You have to feel your way around the controls while on the move.
The car has a claimed 10.7 seconds acceleration to 100km/h. But really, I felt very comfy driving this car which had plenty of acceleration for everyday use. Additionally, the mid-life launch provided the brand’s engineers with an opportunity to improve the steering and suspension responses.
Petrol powertrains with manual transmissions are 1.0 with 90/140/155/160bhp units, and the new E-Tech four-cylinder 1.6 full hybrid outputting 145bhp and with 205Nm of torque and 7-speed automatic transmission, which would seal the deal for me. The full hybrid also allows you do up to 80% of driving in urban areas in electric mode while delivering fuel savings of up to 40% compared with a conventional petrol engine.
Renault claims a low fuel consumption of 4.7 L/100kms for the full hybrid, but my average figure came in at 6.5 L/100kms. The full hybrid delivers the quietness of an electric vehicle without the charging constraints of an EV. Annual road tax is €180.
PRICE: starting at €29,120 (evolution TCe90); the price of my full hybrid was €39,815 (€38,590 without metallic paint).
