The Renault Captur is a good all-rounder, available with an efficient and fuss-free hybrid engine, plenty of on-board tech and an impressive active safety suite
NOTE: This is an international drive review of the UK-market Renault Captur. The new Captur will reach Australia in early 2025, with pricing and specifications to be confirmed closer to launch.
Renault is just one of many manufacturers fighting for attention in the small SUV class, so rivals are both widespread and very competitive.
These include the tech-laden Peugeot 2008, the dynamic Ford Puma, and a trio of quality Volkswagen Group rivals in the shape of the Skoda Kamiq, SEAT Arona, and VW T-Cross.
There’s also the leftfield Fiat 600, Jeep’s closely related Avenger, and a range of Japanese alternatives from Nissan, Toyota, and Honda, not forgetting tech-forward Hyundai and Kia options from South Korea.
Engines, Performance, and Drive
The second-generation Renault Captur is based on the sweet-driving Renault Clio hatchback, which is a definite plus point. The steering is precise with a good amount of feel, making the car easy to place on the road and intuitive around town. This is matched with lively response from the engine and gearbox.
In town driving, most models are generally comfortable as the suspension does feel quite soft and forgiving. But with the increase in wheel sizes that came as part of the car’s 2024 update, ride quality has deteriorated on the larger-wheeled versions. Generally, base Captur Evolution and mid-spec Techno specs ride well, but top-spec Esprit Alpine models can get a bit choppy thanks to the larger 19-inch wheels and tyres.
Around town, this manifests itself in a slightly jarring feel as the car hits potholes or bigger bumps in the tarmac, although it does handle speed humps well.
At motorway speeds, the larger wheel sizes are less of an issue, and despite feeling quite soft, the car has a secure feeling at high speeds – something helped by the precise steering. This isn’t really a fun car to fling around, though, and if driving enjoyment is an important consideration, rivals like the Ford Puma or Dacia Duster are generally more engaging.
For those new to driving hybrid cars, the E-Tech’s regenerative braking system will feel a little odd as it uses the electric motors to funnel energy from the wheels back into the battery. The regenerative braking system is not adaptive based on the traffic ahead, though, so at least it remains consistent unless you choose ‘B’ mode on the transmission for a stronger effect. When you do hit the brake pedal, you can feel the car juggle between regenerative and friction braking systems. This can be a little disconcerting at first, especially at high speeds, but quickly becomes second nature.
The Renault Captur is reasonably quiet on the move, but cars on larger tyres can generate surprisingly high amounts of tyre roar. Wind noise is well suppressed, and the powertrain is mostly subdued unless you’re under hard acceleration. While the Captur isn’t the most refined option in the class, it does feel more solid and better insulated from vibration than some key rivals.
Engines, Acceleration, and Top Speed
High performance is rarely a top priority in this class, but the entry-level 1.0-litre TCe powertrain in the Renault Captur is, without sugar coating it, slow.
With the engine packing a peak power output of only 89bhp (66kW), and a lean 160Nm of torque, acceleration is leisurely beyond the sluggish on-paper 0-100km/h time of 14.0 seconds. Being a little undernourished, the engine needs to work quite hard to keep up with traffic at high speeds, and this affects refinement and economy. The six-speed manual gearbox shifts well, which is good news as you’ll need to use it frequently to make good progress.
The Captur E-Tech largely fixes all these issues, but for a not inconsiderable £3,500 ($6,627 AUD) extra. On paper, the hybrid’s 144bhp (107kW) doesn’t seem much more rapid, but the clever system of electric motors and a four-cylinder petrol engine do combine to create a more potent powertrain overall.
The E-Tech hybrid uses a system you’ll find in many Renaults, and even a few Nissans, where the petrol engine is aided by a small electric motor – helping it feel torquier and more responsive than its 10.3-second 0-100km/h time suggests.
At low speeds, the Captur’s hybrid system largely relies on one or both of its e-motors, keeping the petrol engine dormant up to 80 per cent of the time. This helps reduce fuel consumption by up to 40 per cent on the WLTP urban economy cycle.
This is not a plug-in hybrid, so there’s no need to charge up separately, instead it’s the petrol engine that chimes in when more power is needed, charging the battery at the same time. When the engine does wake up, it’s able to drive the front wheels with or without the e-motor, and does so through a four-speed automatic transmission.
At high speeds, the petrol engine can sometimes become a little raucous if you ask for full power, as it squeezes all the available power from the four-cylinder engine. But by and large, the system is refined, smooth, and responsive.
Fuel Consumption, CO2, and Running Costs
The Captur is relatively cheap to buy and is offered with a choice of efficient hybrid powertrains.
Renault expects the highest selling Captur in the UK to be the E-Tech hybrid, which manages up to 60.1mpg (4.7L/100km) on the combined cycle according to the WLTP test, with 106g/km of CO2. We ran a pre-facelift Renault Captur for six months and after covering more than 10,000 miles, we averaged 53.2mpg (5.3L/100km).
In the real world, Renault’s E-Tech hybrid system is generally set up to favour urban driving, so shorter trips in cities and towns generally yield better MPG returns thanks to the greater reliance on the electric motor. By contrast, mainly high-speed motorway driving will see that MPG figure drop.
The entry-level TCe 90 petrol engine provides good, if not quite class-leading efficiency figures, posting CO2 emissions of 131g/km and claimed fuel economy up to 48.7mpg (5.8L/100km) on the WLTP combined cycle.
This engine is a small-capacity 3-cylinder petrol engine with a very low-pressure turbocharger, so fuel consumption will be relatively consistent across all driving scenarios. If you keep that turbo on the boil, however, you will see MPG numbers rise. It does feature start-stop tech, as well as a braking energy recovery system, a variable displacement oil pump, and a highly efficient thermal management system.
Design, Interior and Technology
The materials used in the Captur are a real highlight – but the overall layout and architecture are starting to feel old.
The Renault Captur has recently undergone a substantial facelift, applying Renault’s new design language to the existing model with varying levels of success. The biggest difference is found up front, where the complex and curvy headlights have been replaced with more angular headlights that create a more distinct brow.
This is matched with a graduated grille pattern and the new Renault logo that together do a good job of keeping the overall design looking sharp. These big changes are not reflected along the sides or at the rear, however, both of which are a little softer and less chiselled.
Renault offers two general styling themes; the base car features a cleaner look with lots of body-coloured elements and either 17- or 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, and another variation of Renault’s daytime running lights.
At the top of the range sits the Esprit Alpine, which, as the name suggests, uses the Alpine brand’s sportier styling elements. These include the use of grey accents up front and a dual-tone roof with contrasting silver roof rails. The wheels are upsized to 19 inches – but these can compromise the ride.
The cabin is also now a generation behind the latest Renault design, but the use of soft-touch plastics throughout the cabin keeps the Captur up with the best in the small SUV class in terms of perceived quality.
The build feels strong, too. The Captur doesn’t quite match the design flair of the Peugeot 2008, and you might say that the lower-spec cars feel a little on the dowdy side, but the layout is functional and the materials used are certainly better than in the Ford Puma.
Renault has included generous levels of standard kit: all cars come with alloy wheels, LED headlights, auto folding electrically adjustable mirrors, rear privacy glass, automatic air conditioning and a host of active safety systems such as Lane Keep Assist and Traffic Sign Recognition.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
Standard on-board tech in the Captur includes a 10.4-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, Bluetooth, a DAB radio and a wireless smartphone charging function.
There’s also a 7-inch TFT driver information display for the base model, with techno and Esprit Alpine models upping this to a full 10.25-inch display.
Despite sitting in an older generation cabin design, the infotainment system and its graphics are the latest Renault R-Link tech and rely largely on Google software. This makes the system quite intuitive to use, and even if you choose not to connect your phone, the full integration of apps like Google Maps push the interface up close to the top of the class.
Renault has used near-identical volume controls mounted on the steering column for decades. There’s no need to change, because the simple switches for volume and track/radio station skipping are as intuitive as ever.
Boot space, comfort & practicality
The bigger Renault Captur offers good levels of practicality and includes clever touches to make the most of its interior space
The second-generation Captur sits on the same CMF-B platform as the latest Renault Clio and it’s 110mm longer, 19mm wider and 17mm taller than the original model. The new platform and bigger dimensions have brought gains in passenger space and practicality, helping the Captur attract customers with growing families. Usefully, each door can take a 1.5-litre water bottle and there’s good storage for cups and phones – including a wireless-charging plate.
Access for passengers at the rear is good, and noticeably better than the Peugeot 2008, which has a lower roofline. The rear seats in the Captur are also more comfortable than those in the Ford Puma where you have to sit higher up with your legs tucked back.
Dimensions & size
Overall length of the Captur has increased to 4,227mm, with width at 1,797mm (excluding mirrors) and height of 1,576mm. In comparison, the Ford Puma is 20mm shorter, 8mm wider and stands 1,537mm tall, while the Peugeot 2008 is 4,300mm long, 1,770mm wide and 1,550mm in height.
Seats, leg room, head room & passenger space
The increased dimensions give the driver and passengers ample room. Even with three passengers in the rear, legroom is fine and headroom isn’t an issue, either.
Boot space
The Captur features a sliding rear bench seat to maximise either boot space or rear passenger legroom.
With the seats all the way back, the Captur offers 422 litres of boot space, which is only 12 litres less than the 2008 but 34 litres down on the Puma.
Slide the bench forward, and there’s a decent 536 litres on offer, but remember that this extra practicality does come at the expense of rear legroom. Setting it somewhere in the middle is usually the best compromise.
Towing
Both the TCe 90 has a maximum braked towing weight of 1,200kg, while the hybrid has a reduced rating of 750kg.
Reliability and safety
Sharing much of its tech with its Clio sibling bodes well for reliability, while the Captur boasts excellent levels of standard safety kit
The previous Captur was a huge sales success and Renault is seeing similar levels of popularity with the second-generation model. It shares much of its tech with the smaller Clio, which should help in providing customers with a dependable family car.
Renault claims that the Captur is one of the safest cars in its class, due to a raft of driver assistance systems. The comprehensive standard kit includes a tyre pressure warning light, an Active Emergency Braking System, Traffic Sign Recognition, cruise control with a speed limiter, Hill Start Assist, a distance warning alert, automatic headlights and windscreen wipers, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist and E-Call: a system that allows the emergency services to be called automatically or manually in the event of an accident.
Industry safety experts, Euro NCAP, assessed the new Captur as providing the highest levels of safety and awarded it a five-star rating in 2019. Adult and child protection achieved excellent overall scores, with 96 per cent and 83 per cent, respectively, while pedestrian safety achieved a 74 per cent result.
Warranty (UK)
Every Renault Captur is covered by a three-year/60,000-mile warranty.
The mileage allowance is actually unlimited during the first 24 months, then drops to a total of 60,000 miles or 3 years, whichever comes first.
Servicing (UK)
Renault’s EasyLife servicing plan allows customers to spread the cost of scheduled maintenance over monthly instalments. There’s the option of a three-year/30,000 mile plan, or a four-year/60,000 mile package.
VERDICT
It’s difficult to stand out in the crowded supermini-based SUV segment, but the Renault Captur does an admirable job thanks to attractive pricing, slick tech and efficient powertrains. It might not be the newest option in the class, but valuable updates across the range have kept it competitive.
It’s not as sharp to drive as some rivals, and the cabin design is starting to look and feel a little dated, but fundamentally this car’s focus on what its buyers will appreciate is enough to keep it at the sharp end of the class. Just be careful with higher-spec models, as the value equation starts to falter as prices rise and the ride can get a bit choppy with the larger wheel sizes.
Jordan Katsianis & Automotive Daily
What will the 2025 Renault Captur cost in Australia?
The current Captur is priced from $39,500 before on-road costs, and this update is expected to see that go up – although full details are still to come.
