Renault Captur Review (2024)

Introduction

Like many automakers, Renault has embraced the trend that has seen millions ditch their family hatchbacks and saloons for SUVs. So much so that the firm hardly makes a car that isn't an SUV nowadays.

Of course, there’s still the venerable Clio, now well into its fifth generation, while the classic Renault 5 of the 1970s, 80s and 90s has recently been given a modern-day makeover and put on the market as an all-electric car.

Meanwhile, the Megane has also returned, but it's in name only, given that it's now a small, all-electric SUV crossover.

The Captur is the next model up in the range in terms of size - and it's hard to believe it’s been around for over a decade already.

It evolved from a 2011 concept car and was put into production two years later, followed by a second-generation version in 2019.

The Captur is based on the same CMF-B platform as the Clio, but it’s around 17cm longer – and it’s the smallest Renault SUV with a combustion engine.

It has proven to be popular, too, with Renault shifting nearly 200,000 Capturs in the UK alone since it first went on sale in 2013.

New exterior styling brings the Captur into line with its larger siblings, while the overhauled infotainment system's ingredients threaten to trounce its competitors.

And, what’s more, it remains affordable to lease.

So, are the tweaks enough to give it the edge?

We have taken the new version for a test drive to find out.

At a Glance

The Captur certainly resembles some of its rivals from some angles, such as the Vauxhall Mokka. However, the wholly overhauled front end resembles the rest of Renault’s SUV range.

Out has gone the dated-looking V-shaped front grille styling, bringing consistency to Renault’s line-up, given the horizontally-designed front ends of its SUV siblings.

It looks like a smaller version of the Scenic.

The thinned-out grille, sitting high up, tricks you into thinking that the car is taller than it is, while the Renault badge protrudes downwards into a vacant piece of bodywork beneath the grille.

The headlights, which blend seamlessly into the grille and thicken out at the sides, aid in this trick of the eye.

Beneath sits a chiselled air intake on each side, featuring light panels, while a blackened, trapezoidal lower grille dominates the appearance towards the bottom.

A sizeable crease in the lower part of the doors adds character at the sides, with another notable furrow heavily defining the wheel arches.

At the rear, the lights are almost 'C' shaped, with the top quiff extending into the boot lid. Another trapezoid cut-out houses the number plate above a cladded bumper.

Renault’s styling has never been everyone’s cup of tea, but it looks modern, sleek and more athletic than before.

Key Features

A trio of trim levels are offered on the Captur.

Evolution (technically with a small 'e') is entry-level, offering 17-inch alloys, a 10.4-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, voice control, an Arkamys audio system, and a seven-inch digital driver's display.

You also get tinted rear windows, a shark fin antenna, LED front and rear lights with automatic headlights and main beam, automatic windscreen wipers, grey and black fabric seats, an electronic parking brake and a synthetic leather steering wheel, plus a height-adjustable driver’s seat and front and rear parking sensors.

Mid-range Techno trim flaunts 18-inch alloys, roof bars, side parking sensors, electrically folding door mirrors, black fabric seats, a modular boot floor, a height-adjustable passenger's seat, a 10.25-inch digital driver's display, two rear USB-C ports, three driving modes, and a large selection of ambient lighting colours.

The top-of-the-range Esprit Alpine (again, technically with a small ‘e’) gets 19-inch alloys, two-tone paint with a contrasting roof colour, a gloss black window frame, additional interior styling tweaks, aluminium sports pedals, electric front seat height adjustment, heated front seats and steering wheel, and recycled Jacquard Madama fabric upholstery.

A couple of power modes are offered, both in the form of petrol engines.

The TCe 90 is a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder with a six-speed manual gearbox, producing 90PS, although it’s not available if you choose the top-of-the-range Esprit Alpine trim.

Alternatively, there’s the E-Tech full hybrid 145, which has a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder mill that, again, as the name suggests, produces 145PS from its six-speed automatic gearbox.

Some components in the Captur are made from recycled materials, while all leather options have been removed to be more environmentally conscious.

Performance & Drive

We are testing the Esprit Alpine trim, meaning we must have the E-Tech Hybrid 145 powertrain.

Thank goodness because the entry-level, lower-powered TCe 90 takes 14.3 seconds from zero to 62mph. That is pedestrian at best, and unless you almost exclusively drive in rush hour queues, you'll want more.

Happily, this is provided by the E-Tech Hybrid 145, which boasts over 45% more clout and shaves 30% off the 0-62mph time, which is 10.6 seconds.

That is still not jaw-dropping, and some opponents are pacier, but it’s enough to cope with the rigours of dual-carriageways and motorway driving.

However, compared with the TCe 90, the 145 also adds to the price, so it's worth factoring that in.

The hybrid is alright, but it could be better. The automatic gearbox sometimes doesn't respond as responsively to accelerator inputs as we'd hoped.

It can also screech a bit when working hard. But the consolation is that the E-Tech can provide engineless driving, even at higher motorway speeds, offering a serenely silent experience. The engine effortlessly cuts in and out as required, although perhaps not as smoothly as some rivals.

The Captur's suspension has had various tweaks, but it’s still very soft, meaning it offers an absorbing ride, even though our top-of-the-range Esprit Alpine test whip has 19-inch alloys.

If you’re driving a lesser trim, these come with 17- or 18-inch alloys and are even more comfortable.

Potholes and ridges on the road surface don't faze the Captur, thank Thor! It is adept at protecting your spine on poorer road surfaces and offers a smooth driving experience.

As you’d imagine, this soft setup doesn’t make for particularly impressive handling, although Renault has improved it slightly.

There is more grip than before, and the steering feels slightly better weighted in the bends than it did previously. However, it's still not a driver-focused car when taking corners quickly.

We took a rural, twisty B-road outside Cheltenham on our test drive. The Captur still didn’t seem particularly keen to change direction as quickly as we wanted, with plenty of understeer and a bit of body roll in the bends, although it's better than the outgoing model.

Admittedly, those seeking a comfortable cruiser likely won’t be bothered about its agility, and Renault is hardly thinking of performance-seekers as potential drivers of the Captur.

Even so, despite the tweaks, some other automakers offer more fun behind the wheel in vehicles of the same class.

Running Costs & Emissions

The TCe 90 petrol unit manages 47mpg and returns 134 or 135g/km of CO2 depending on the trim.

By comparison, the E-Tech full hybrid 145 returns 60mpg and emits just 105 to 107g/km of CO2 despite being much more powerful.

With such a difference in fuel economy, even those baulking at the price difference between the TCe 90 and the full hybrid may be tempted, given its lower running costs.

Despite its economy, the E-Tech version won't be as appealing as a company car, as the Benefit In Kind tax bands are, in reality, not that kind in practice unless you’re driving a plug-in hybrid or an electric vehicle.

Interior & Technology

Only a few years ago, nicely designed interiors were a privilege reserved for more expensive cars, but that’s no longer the case.

Happily, Renault has embraced this changing trend in the Captur, which has a lovely cabin layout.

Piano black décor runs along the dashboard, accommodating four air vents. Silver trim surrounds the gear lever and the bottom of the steering wheel.

There are many soft-to-the-touch surfaces, although cheaper plastics can be found lower down, and sturdiness needs to be improved in places.

The infotainment screen is in portrait form, peering over the dashboard. This orientation is rare but not unheard of elsewhere, and it's slightly tilted towards the driver to make it easier to view when the car is moving.

The system is vastly upgraded from what was provided before, and it’s intuitive to use, with a simple menu layout.

It also features an improved, sharper display and is responsive to prods and touches from your finger.

Our test car gets Google integration and is available on all but the entry-level trim. This means that features like Google Maps are native to the vehicle, making it one of the best systems in its class.

It also means you can display the map on the digital driver’s display when using the SatNav system. However, the display is smaller in the Evolution model, which, as we said earlier, doesn't allow Google integration.

Smartphone mirroring via the Captur's Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will provide consolation to base-model drivers. However, having Google applications built into the car is a big plus, and that alone is enough for us to avoid the Evolution trim.

What’s more, we loved the simplicity of the climate controls in the outgoing Captur, and the same physical controls have been retained in the facelifted version, which features three rotary dials to adjust the temperature and fan settings.

Overall, there’s a lot to like about the Captur’s cabin.

You won't be kidding yourself that you're sitting in a Range Rover, but the interior has a distinctly premium feel, making it a formidable rival to its closest competitors.

Boot Space & Practicality

Finding a decent driving position is easy, with loads of adjustment in the Renault's seats and steering wheel. Our top-of-the-range model has powered height adjustment, but sliding the seat forwards and backwards is still done manually.

The Captur does not offer adjustable lumbar support, though, which is a disadvantage for those with dodgy backs.

Given that the Captur isn't the largest SUV, you're positioned reasonably high up, which helps with visibility. Relatively thin pillars at the front and a large windscreen further aid visibility.

However, the sloping roofline joins the body of the car so that the rear pillars are much thicker. At the same time, the tapering angle of the back window limits visibility over your shoulders. All trim levels include a standard rear-view camera and rear parking sensors, which help solve the problem. Mind you, the camera's resolution seems outdated compared with some rivals.

In terms of space, the front of the Captur has abundant headroom, legroom, and shoulder space, while the interior's clean design makes you feel like you can sprawl out a bit.

It is on a par in the back, which has a good amount of legroom, especially if you slide the rear seats back as much as possible. However, the sloping roofline doesn't help with headroom, which might mean taller adults are polishing the ceiling with their bonce.

There is no getting around the fact that it's a small SUV, though. Despite the flat floor in the back, three adults in the back will be a challenge for all but the shortest journeys.

The Captur boasts 616 litres of boot space in the TCe 90 petrol and 480 litres in the E-Tech hybrid. But that's with the rear seats slid as far forward as possible, so maximising the boot space means you'll have barely any rear legroom left.

Sliding them as far back as they’ll go (there’s 16cm of travel, according to Renault) reduces the capacity to 484 litres in the petrol and 348 litres if you choose the E-Tech hybrid.

The rear seats fold down in what Renault calls a ‘70:30’ split, rather than the more common 60:40 – although the ‘60:40’ term has always been indicative rather than a precise measurement.

Regardless, doing this can increase the available boot space to a maximum of 1,596 litres in the petrol and 1,458 litres in the hybrid.

At least the top two trims get an adjustable boot floor, which means you can raise the height at the boot entry to remove the loading lip, making it easier to slide more oversized items in and out.

You will also find plenty of interior storage inside the cabin, with the wireless charger accommodating your phone, a large glove compartment and a sizeable central cubby.

Safety

The Renault Captur was put through its paces by Euro NCAP in 2019, earning a five-star rating, though the crash-testing experts have upped the ante by raising the bar regarding its testing criteria since then.

It did well in the individual categories, scoring 96% for adults, 83% for children and 74% for safety assists.

Active emergency braking, cruise control, a speed limiter, traffic sign recognition with overspeed prevention, driver attention alert, lane keep assist, and tyre pressure warning light are all standard across the Captur range.

Mid-range Techno trim adds side parking sensors, while our Esprit Alpine test car also gets adaptive cruise control.

Options

There are plenty of options on the list offered by Renault.

Flame red is the default hue, although the Evolution trim can have white, grey, dark grey, black, or dark blue as alternatives if you don't mind paying extra. The Techno grade can opt for the same shades - and add a black roof and black pillars at a price.

The above two-tone paint job is standard on the top Esprit Alpine trim, but changing the primary body colour away from flame red will still cost extra.

The Evolution trim can also add the adjustable boot floor, which comes with a space-saver emergency spare wheel.

Various packs are also available, with touring, protection, cycle, storage, and family themes. These bundles combine various accessories depending on your preferences, and you can add as many of these packs as you wish.

Rival Cars

The Captur has plenty of competition.

If having fun behind the wheel is a bigger priority, the Ford Puma is the one to go for, while ultimate comfort comes from the Citroen C3 Aircross.

Other models to consider for leasing include the Nissan Juke, Skoda Kamiq, and Volkswagen T-Cross.

The Toyota Yaris Cross is also worth a gander, as is the Vauxhall Mokka.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the latest Renault Captur puts up a good fight.

It is comfortable, reasonably practical, and offers a very nice-looking interior. The Google-derived infotainment system gives it a clear edge over the competition, but this feature isn’t available on the entry-level model.

The French car isn't pants-on-fire fun to drive, though. Most will likely find the TCe 90 petrol engine slow, and given the E-Tech full hybrid 145’s superior fuel economy, there’s little reason not to choose the latter unless its reduced boot space is an issue.

We recommend avoiding the entry-level trim, given that you miss out on the Google infotainment. The additional features of the range-topping Esprit Alpine don't offer much that you really need, so we'd stick with the mid-range Techno trim.

The new Captur is pleasing to look at and sit in, and it's not surprising that Renault has shifted nearly 200,000 models in the UK in less than a decade.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Renault Captur.

**Correct as of 25/07/2024. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £2,006.01 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.