Renault Captur Overview
India is closely following the global trend of moving toward SUVs. Nobody knows that better than Renault, who has been fairly successful with the Duster. The Duster came at the right time for the French manufacturer and was unrivalled for a long time. There was just one major flaw with the Duster, it just didn’t feel premium at all. The interior quality was very average and didn’t justify the asking price. The Duster further lost the gloss once Hyundai launched the Creta and even though the Creta was more expensive it still found a lot more homes. Now, Renault wants to get back in the SUV game with the Captur, a Duster-platform SUV which Renault claims is more upmarket. For information on contact details of Renault car dealers in Hyderabad
Renault Captur Exterior & Style
The biggest USP of the Captur is in the styling. Renault has rendered it more crossover styling than a traditional boxy SUV. However, the SUV elements are still very much there like flared wheel arches, cladding, faux skid plates and segment best ground clearance of 210 mm. And those 17-inch alloy wheels also scream SUV. Renault has equipped the Captur with LED headlamps and tail-lamps. You also get fog lamps with cornering function and the best in all are the LED DRLs and dynamic swipe indicators (at the front) which Renault likes to call floating indicators.
The Captur is also the widest and longest car in its segment but that is more due to redesigned bumpers as the track and wheelbase is identical to that of the Duster. The side profile is highlighted by distinct proportions. The shoulder line rises up as it goes backwards and adds to the style quotient. The rear quarter bears a little similarity to the Kwid but that’s ok since it is part of the same family. Chrome has been generously used all around and Renault will be offering a lot of customisation options on the Captur at the dealership level, something similar to what they are already doing with the Kwid.
Renault Captur Interior & Cabin
While there’s nothing to complain about the chic exteriors, the interiors are a bit of a hit-and-miss. The wrap-around dashboard is a fresh design and certainly feels like a step up from the Duster’s. There are also some great design touches such as the butterfly-shaped instrument cluster that gets a large digital speedometer in the centre, flanked by a tachometer and a fuel gauge. And I really like the ambient LED lighting and design of the air conditioner controls. However, our biggest gripe is the type of materials that have been used for the dashboard and the overall use of hard plastics for the interiors. They don’t feel as upmarket as they should for a car in this category, especially the roof liner which feels like it’s from one full segment below.Then there are some slightly wonky design elements, like the centre armrest – it doesn’t fold away and interferes with the operation of the handbrake lever. We really hope that all variants of the Captur offer hill- hold assist; trying to start moving from a standstill on an incline will be quite tricky otherwise. Then there are the front seats. Only the driver’s seat gets height-adjust, which is fine. What isn’t fine, however, is the fact that even the lowest setting on the seat is so high that it not only gives you a commanding view of the road but also of the entire top of the very large dashboard; this serves as a visual reminder of the basic quality of plastics that populate much of the cabin. And, if you’re on the taller side, say over 6ft, you are going to be uncomfortably close to the roof. The other ‘fit’ issue with the Captur can be found in driver’s footwell. The pedals are well proportioned and placed, but forget a dead pedal, there’s almost no space to the left of the clutch. This means the driver needs to keep his left foot under the clutch pedal when cruising; not an easy transition to make if you have large feet.
Renault made a big deal about its ‘panoramic’ windscreen and minimal A-pillars, along with the quarter windows designed to provide you much better situational awareness of what’s around and in front of you. While the side-to-side visibility is great, sitting so high up behind a raked windshield cuts out a bit of the view of the sky. Now, this isn’t a problem when it comes to driving, but it does give you a feeling of looking at the world through a narrow letterbox.The front seats themselves aren’t too bad though. The two-tone white- and-black leatherette seats look and feel good, and there’s enough support for your back and under-thighs, as well as sufficient bolstering for your shoulders when tossing the car around corners. The design and similar contouring are seen on the rear seats as well. While two adults, or even three in a pinch, can sit fairly comfortably, the kneeroom is nothing to write home about, and the rising window line robs the back of some airiness. The rear cabin space also gets its own set of AC vents which should be useful on hot days.
Renault Captur Engine & Transmission
A 1.5-litre petrol engine churns about 99bhp of power and it produces about 150Nm of maximum torque. This engine is the same one that is offered on the Nissan Sunny too. It comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The petrol engine is silent and has low NVH too.The 1.5-litre K9K diesel engine churns about 108bhp of power and 250Nm of maximum torque. This engine is the most commonly used diesel engine by Renault. The same one on the Duster diesel too. At the same time, there is more than sufficient torque to drive in the city and even to overtake. The NVH levels of this engine aren’t too loud, but the insulation inside the Captur is good enough. This enhances the interior comfort of the car.The petrol engine returns about 10km/l in the city and about 15km/l on the highway. At the same time, the diesel engine returns close to 15km/l in the city and about 18km/l on the highway. There shall be no automatic on offer and only manual transmission will be made available.
Renault Captur Driving Dynamics
Driving the Captur calmly inside the city is something you learn to do. The heavy clutch bites in quite late, and when it does – there’s not much progress from the engine. You will have to go heavy on the throttle, and get the engine ticking over 2000rpm if you want to get anywhere quickly. Below the 2k mark, the Captur feels a bit lacklustre. This means that a quick overtake inside the city, will most definitely require a downshift. When the turbo kicks in, it kicks in with all its might. So, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed trying to ‘control’ the surge. But, drive it around for a while and you’d learn to work around it, and time your overtakes to make use of this wave of torque. Roll on times are quite strong – the Captur does 30-80kmph (in third) in 7.77 seconds, and 40-100kmph (in fourth) takes 11.56 seconds. For reference, an all-out 0-100kmph sprint is dealt with in 13.24 seconds. It could be a lot faster, if the ESP wasn’t as obtrusiveOut on the highway, the Captur is at absolute ease. It’d make for a fantastic road-tripper. Getting to triple digit speeds is a fuss-free affair, and maintaining it easier still. Slot it into sixth, set the cruise control and let it take over. The open highways seem like the Captur’s natural home. It sips consciously here too – the big Renault returned a respectable 21.09kmpl, whereas the figure was a healthy 15.50kmpl inside the city
Renault Captur Safety & Security
The list of Renault Captur safety features include Front Disc Brakes, Drum on Rear, ABS with EBD, Rear Parking Sensors, Central Locking, Driver & Passenger Airbags, Crash Sensors, Rear Seat Belts, Seat Belt Warning, Power Door Lock, Child Safety Locks, Side & Front Impact Beams, Passenger Side Rear View Mirror, Rear Camera, Centrally Mounted Fuel Tank, Engine Immobilizer, Automatic Headlamps, Follow Me Home Headlamps and ISOFIX Child Seat.
Renault Captur Price
Renault Captur Ex-Showroom Price in Bangalore ranges from 9,99,999/- (Captur RXE Petrol) to 14,10,499/- (Captur Platine Diesel). Get best offers for Renault Captur from Renault Dealers in Bangalore. Check for Captur price in Bangalore
Renault Captur Conclussion
The 2017 Renault Captur is an interesting and well-proportioned mid-sized SUV, which gets an attractive, trendy and appealing exterior design, great looking interiors, premium features and a well-refined & responsive engine. During our Renault Captur review and driving tests, we found that this car has everything needed to take Renault’s legacy and popularity forward in the Indian automobile market. What we liked the most is the overall appearance of this car. It is definitely one of the best-looking mid-sized SUVs available today.