Read Caroline’s Renault Captur review for everything you need to know about buying Renault’s small SUV in Ireland.
The Renault Captur is one of Ireland’s favourite small SUVs. The second generation of it arrived in Ireland in 2020 and quickly became one of my favourites too with its curvy design, digital tech and spacious interior. Now it’s time for a facelift.
The Captur is once again available with a petrol engine or as a hybrid. It goes on sale priced from €29,120.
Let’s take a closer look.
Design
Renault has been modernising its range of cars once again with a new designer on board with some different ideas on style. The latest Captur gets a new nose that is quite a dramatic change from its cute and friendly forebear, but it gives the Captur the now company face as seen on the new Scenic and Symbioz. The back is much more familiar, with the only change being that the rear lights now have clear coloured glass.
The Captur is available in Evolution, Techno and new Esprit Alpine trim. The latter joins the range for the very first time. It’s reserved for the hybrid only and adds sporty features like 19-inch alloy wheels, front splitter and skid plates front and rear in grey, and a badge on each side.
LED headlights come as standard across the range.
Interior
Every Captur now gets a 10.4-inch portrait-style touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Even better news is that all but the entry model have the excellent Google in-built operating system and a full digital driver display.
The cabin still feels modern and inviting, with plenty of comfort features on the Esprit Alpine model tested including heated steering wheel, heated front seats, power adjustment for the driver’s seat and adaptive cruise control. A wireless smartphone charger and automatic climate control come standard across the range, as does keyless entry and start.
The Esprit Alpine gets a snazzier interior with French Tricolour stitching in the steering wheel, blue trimmed seatbelts and Alpine-branded front seats. The dashboard panel on the passenger side is also given a unique treatment with a fabric insert and metallic blue finish.
Renault’s ‘Multisense’ drive modes are easily accessible from a button on the steering wheel and allow you to switch between different settings like Comfort, Sport, Eco and Perso for more individualised settings.
Practicality
The Captur offers seating for five and is reasonably spacious for this size of vehicle. Legroom is fine for adults, but it will be more comfortable for two rather than three. There’s Isofix child seat fixtures on the two outer seats in the rear and the front passenger seat.
Renault Captur Boot
The Captur petrol has the biggest boot of the range at a generous 484 litres. That’s versus a more modest 348 litres in the hybrid. But the Captur Hybrid’s boot is still larger than what you will find in the Clio Hybrid, so that might be a good reason to step up to the Captur.
The boot also has a false floor, which you can move around to create a flat loading sill or drop down to enjoy all the space. Another neat feature is that the rear seats can be moved forward to create more boot space. But this is only really useful if you don’t need to carry rear seat passengers. The rear seats can also split fold 60:40.
Driving the Captur
The Captur is available with the choice of the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder TCe 90 petrol engine with a 6-speed manual gearbox or the 1.6 E-Tech Hybrid 145 Auto. The 1.0-litre petrol is not the most powerful engine on offer, but is relatively frugal and the most affordable of the range.
The E-Tech Hybrid is more expensive to buy but feels pleasantly powerful and responsive to drive. There’s 145hp from its 1.6-litre hybrid set-up and 0-100km/h feels livelier than what 10.6 seconds might suggest. The hybrid performs well and the engine never gets too noisy when you accelerate hard. It’s really in its element around town, where it can run off the power from its electric motor up to 80% of the time.
Out on the motorway, consumption will be heavier. During my time with the Captur Hybrid my average consumption was 5.8 litres per 100 kilometres including a long motorway run, though Renault quotes consumption as low as 4.7 litres for this model.
Renault also used this update as an opportunity to review the Captur’s steering, suspension and powertrains for improved responsiveness and driving pleasure. A Ford Puma is more fun to drive when the roads get twisty but overall it’s a solid and steady car to drive and handles Irish roads well, whether that’s motorway, town or rural. It gets noisier in the cabin at high speeds and the ride quality is not super soft, but it’s a likable car all the same.
Renault Captur Price
The petrol range kicks off from €29,120 in the Evolution trim, while the same engine in the Techno trim costs from €31,320. The hybrid range starts from €33,990 for the Evolution, from €36,190 for the Techno, and from €38,590 for the Esprit Alpine.
Verdict
The Captur has had quite a significant facelift, but otherwise this is business as usual for Renault’s small SUV. The Renault Captur has a lot of fans and for good reason – it’s stylish and practical, and offers good value for money. But that does depend on where you shop in the range. The sweet spot is the Techno trim level for its balance on price and equipment. The hybrid certainly offers more punch behind the wheel than the petrol and it’s impressive how it can dip into EV driving for a cleaner and more fuel-efficient driving experience, particularly around town. It’s also swift and natural to drive, making it an appealing companion for the road.
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Written by Caroline Kidd
Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes, Juror for Irish Car of the Year
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