Renault Captur First Drive Review

Why will I buy the Captur?

Looks modern, rides beautifully over worst of our roads and the diesel engine packs a punch too

Why will I avoid the Captur?

With fierce competition, Renault should have worked harder at interior fit, finish and attention to detail. 

Renault started the compact SUV segment with the Duster and it was a huge hit thanks to the butch yet compact styling. With no rivals in the compact SUV space, the Duster had it easy until the Hyundai Creta came along and changed the game. Although the Creta didn’t feel or looked as rugged as the Renault, the Korean car felt much more premium and it ate into the Duster’s sales despite costing a lot more. Now though the French manufacturer is back and is about to launch the Captur, which is essentially a more premium, feature laden and stylish version of the Duster aimed straight at the hot selling Creta. Although it is based on the same MO platform as the Duster, the Captur has no design similarities to the Duster whatsoever and it doesn’t carry over a single body panel too. 

Where the Duster with its boxy shape looks more old school, the Captur has a curvy design language and has a more crossover DNA. Look at it from any angle, this Renault appears balanced and it has a nice athletic stance. The front is very attractive thanks to the Megane-like grille and the well-detailed full LED headlamps. The boomerang shaped DRLs are positioned lower down on the bumper, which adds to the overall look. In profile the swooping roofline, flared wheel-arches and the big 17-inch wheels makes it look sporty. At the rear it looks more generic, yet the wraparound tail lamps and large bumper gives it sufficient oomph. In terms of dimensions the Captur shares its wheelbase of 2679mm with the Duster but it is slightly longer and taller.

Slide into the Captur’s cabin and you are welcomed by a pleasant ambience. The light colours, and low dash make the interiors appear more spacious than it actually is. The dashboard design looks more modern and different to the Duster thanks to the higher placement of the 7 inch infotainment system and funky new instrument cluster. The centre console looks uncluttered thanks to absence of too many physical buttons and the large touchscreen has big fonts and is easy to use. But the graphics on the system which are the same as on other Renault cars has started to look rudimentary, especially when compared to the Creta’s modern system. But where this car falls short by a considerable margin is in terms of quality of materials and fit and finish. Everywhere you see, the plastics are hard and even the graining doesn’t shout quality. The switches and control knobs too feel cheap especially in a car that will cost more than Rs 15 lakhs on-road. 

As far as comfort is concerned, front-seat occupants have plenty of room, the visibility out is great and the seats are comfy too. Although the driver seat gets height adjustment, it is perched too high and anyone above average height will find headroom in short supply. The rear bench is well contoured and thigh support is decent. But the rising window-line does rob some of the airiness at the back. The boot at 392-litres is par for the course and the intrusion free bay makes it very practical. The rear seat folds flat to increase luggage carrying capacity when needed but the lack of 60:40 split folding option is a glaring omission. It is a practical cabin with lot useful storage options like the big front door pockets, large cavity under the centre console and two cup holders each for front and rear passengers. But the glovebox, which you expect to be big is just half the size of the lid opening. Yes it is quite deep, but it is too narrow, to stow away larger items. 

In terms of kit, the top-of-the-line Platine variant comes well equipped. The infotainment system comes with a touchscreen interface, sat nav and can play music through USB, aux-in or Bluetooth. You also get rain sensing wipers, LED auto headlamps with dynamic turn indicators, climate control, rear parking sensors with reverse camera, keyless-go, leather upholstery and rear AC vents. In terms of safety, we feel Renault should have offered more than two airbags as its rivals offer as many as six in their top variants.

The Captur is powered by the very familiar 1.5-litre K9K diesel engine. Although this 108bhp motor is identical to the Duster, Renault has fine-tuned it, to boost refinement and drivability. Unlike our experience in the Duster which has pronounced turbo-lag under 2000rpm, the Captur feel more linear and there is a nice build-up of power from as low as 1600rpm. It felt significantly more refined too thanks to the better sound insulation. This motor comes in its own beyond 2000rpm and carries on till 4300rpm, after which power tails off. Even on the highway the punchy mid-range makes overtaking just a flex of the right foot away. Although the sixth gear ratio is really tall, it’s a great cruising tool that keeps the engine spinning at just about 2,000rpm at 100kph; great for stretching your fuel tank. The Captur will be a better city run about than the Duster too thanks to the lighter clutch and slicker gearbox. 

Like the Duster, the Captur’s ride quality is exceptional. It smothers even the biggest of potholes with ease and even on rough roads you can maintain a fair clip. In fact, the faster you go, the better the ride.  Also Renault has worked hard on the refinement and it has paid dividends. The cabin is very well insulated from the outside and it’s only when you cross the three-digit mark that there’s some wind noise entering the cabin through the A-pillars. 

As for handling, the Captur feels very stable at high speeds and rarely gets out of shape. Even at normal speeds, the handling is pretty impressive for a high-riding SUV. There is a bit of body roll due to the soft suspension setup, but never too much. And you always feel in control. It’s not a sporty car though and it feels best when you flow through corners than hustling through them. Even the steering is quite slow off-centre and the irritating steering kickback which is typical of this platform when you encounter mid corner bumps is still there.

Thanks to the proven mechanicals the Captur is a safe buy and is a SUV which drives really well. The improved engine refinement and drivability does make this SUV feel more compelling and the stylish exterior just adds to the feel good factor. Although the Captur feels more upmarket than the Duster, it just doesn’t feel premium enough for an Rs 15 lakh plus rupee car when you step inside the cabin. With competition as fierce as ever, Renault has to significantly undercut its rivals to make in-roads back in the segment it once dominated.

Renault will launch the Captur in both petrol and diesel variants. Initially it will come only with manual transmission and an automatic will follow soon. We expect Renault to under-cut its main rival, the Creta at least by Rs 50,000 bucks. Lower variants of the impressive Jeep Compass pose a threat to this compact SUV too.

Pictures by: Ameya Dandekar

Click here for Captur vs Compass spec comparo

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