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| Search used Renault Captur for sale |
Renault has got its second-generation Captur just about spot on. Here is a small SUV that’s based on the Clio supermini yet offers more head and leg room thanks to its taller body, and a raised driving position that so many drivers choose an SUV for. It also looks good – not as cutting edge as some, such as the Nissan Juke the Captur shares its platform with, but simply stylish and fresh. It means the Captur is one of the key contenders in this class alongside the likes of the Skoda Kamiq, Ford Puma, and Peugeot 2008.
That’s some tough competition to be mixing with, but the Renault does it with a good deal of charm and panache. A lot of this comes down to the much improved quality of the Renault Captur’s cabin compared to the previous generation model. It now feels high grade and solidly built, which in turn makes you happy about the car you’ve chosen and that it will last the course.
There’s plenty of space in the front and lots of adjustment for any driver to get comfy in the Renault Captur. The rear seat also slides to vary load and passenger room, though the rear quarters are not as roomy as a Skoda Kamiq’s. However, there’s more than enough storage dotted around the Captur’s interior to keep all of your clutter from spilling on to the seats.
There are four engines to pick from, and three of them come with hybrid technology. The 1.0-litre TCe 90 petrol motor offers a low-cost route into the Renault Captur, while the 1.3-litre Mild Hybrid 140 is a perkier choice for those covering longer distances. Go for the E-Tech Hybrid 145 and you get economy much like you would expect from a diesel-powered SUV, while the plug-in model offers an electric driving range of up to 31 miles along with low carbon dioxide emissions.
Take a seat in the Renault Captur and you will notice right away that it comes with a higher-set driving position than many other small SUVs. This gives a good view of the road ahead and the sides, but vision over the driver’s left shoulder is restricted by the broad rear pillars. When parking, this is mitigated by the rear parking sensors that are standard on all Captur models, and higher spec cars also come with reversing camera to make life even simpler. The driver’s seat has height adjustment in all versions, but there’s no adjustable lumbar support. Still, the Renault Captur’s seating position is good and the steering wheel, which moves for height and reach, is directly in line with chair and pedals.
In the Evolution and Techno trims, you get straightforward analogue dials in the main instrument binnacle, unless you choose the plug-in hybrid model that swaps this for a 10-inch colour display. This monitor is also used in the higher trim levels of Renault Captur and can be configured in a variety of ways to suit your tastes and the information you want to see. With either type of display, it’s easy to read. Renault also fits physical buttons for the heating and ventilation in the centre console, which are a doddle to use on the move.
Above the heater controls sits the Renault Captur’s infotainment screen. In the two lower trims, this is a 7.0-inch screen that is easy to see and use, though its responses can take a beat longer than feels ideal when you press your finger on an icon. It comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to pair with your phone, and there’s a handy tray below to store your phone and charge it using the USB ports there. In the upper three trims levels, Renault upgrades to a 9.3-inch infotainment screen that sits more upright in the middle of the dash. It’s better to use, but still not the best in the class.
Head into the back seats of the Renault Captur and you find there’s decent space for adults, though not as much as in a Skoda Kamiq. A couple of fully grown passengers will be fine here, but anyone over six feet tall will begin to struggle for head room and knee space may also become a bit tight if there are taller from occupants. Kids won’t have any complaints, however, and the floor is flat to allow for lots of room for feet. Renault supplies three triple-point seat belts and Isofix child seat mounts on the two outer rear chairs. In the doors, there are generous bins plus map pockets in the backs of the front seats.
The rear bench of the Renault Captur can slide back and forth to vary passenger and load spaces. With it set to the rear-most position, there are 422-litres of carrying capacity, which is much the same as most of the Renault’s main rivals. Fold the 60-40 split and tumble seat down and you free up a maximum of 1275-litres of cargo room. However, the E-Tech hybrid models’ boots are made smaller by the batteries and tech, so the hybrid has minimum and maximum boot capacities of 326- and 1149-litres. The plug-in hybrid model offers between 265- and 1118-litres of space.
Given the Renault Captur shares most of the bits under its skin with the Clio, it should be good to drive. In the main, it is and the quite softly sprung suspension does a fair job of isolating the car and its occupants from uneven roads. There’s more lean in bends than you get in a Ford Puma, but the Captur has easy, safe driving manners on twisty roads.
Head on to faster routes and the Renault Captur is just as competent without every quite getting on terms with the class best. The suspension is happiest on the motorway where it helps the car feel stable and does a solid job of ironing out bumps. Also, the steering that has little in the way of feel on country lanes becomes an asset on long trips as it requires little thought from the driver to maintain your line. Every Captur comes with Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keep Assist, as well as cruise control with speed limiter and traffic sign recognition, so it's a safe and protective machine. In town, some ridge can be felt as the car travels over them more than you’d notice in a Skoda Kamiq or Ford Puma, but the Captur is still fairly refined at all speeds.
For urban use, the 1.0-litre three-cylinder TCe 90 petrol engine is an affordable way into a Captur. The engine is smooth and happy to rev, which is just as well as it needs to be worked quite hard to get decent performance from it. It’s also a little too vocal at motorway speeds for ideal comfort, so a better bet is the Mild Hybrid 140 1.3-litre model that offers the same fuel economy and emissions as the smaller engine but delivers notably brisker performance. A measure of this is 0-62mph in the 140 takes 10.3 seconds compared to the 90’s tardy 14.0 seconds. Both share a six-speed manual gearbox that is light and easy to use, and the 140 is a much better engine for long distances thanks to its better refinement at higher velocities.
The E-Tech Hybrid 145 comes with an automatic gearbox as standard to make it very easy to use in all conditions. It can run on electric power alone for periods, which makes it perfect for city use and it’s happy on the motorway too. For the full hybrid experience, however, you need the E-Tech Plug-In Hybrid 160 that also has an auto ’box as standard. It’s the quickest of the Renault Captur range off the mark, but not by much so you need to press hard on the accelerator pedal to get a shift on. Once at a cruise, though, this plug-in model is relaxing to be in and it offers an electric driving range of up to 31 miles, so it’s well suited to urban commuting.
The Renault Captur range gets out of the blocks with the Evolution trim and starts at £22,195 with the 1.0-litre TCe 90 engine. You can upgrade to the TCe 140 engine for £1500, or the E-Tech Mild Hybrid 140 for a further £1100. Techno is the next trim and costs from £23,795 and is available with all four engine choices. Rive Gauche trim is next in line and starts at £24,995, while the r.s line model is only offered with the Mild Hybrid 140 engine and costs £26,895. Top of the pile is the E-Tech engineered versions that begin at £28,395. Savings of around £2300 are perfectly feasible on a brand new Renault Captur, or you could choose a nearly model with less than 5000 miles on the clock from around £18,500. A three-year old Captur with average miles to its name will cost from £15,000.
Every Renault Captur comes with six airbags, automatic emergency braking, eCall, lane keep assist and lane departure warning. There’s also cruise control with speed limiter, traffic sign recognition, and rear parking sensors. The Evolution trim has 17-inch alloy wheels, grey cloth upholstery, air conditioning, keyless entry, electric windows all-round, and automatic headlights and wipers. You also get a 7-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Move up to the Techno model and you get front parking sensors and a reversing camera, 18-inch wheels, two-tone paint, and a black and grey cloth interior. This trim also has a variable height load floor, Multi-Sense driving models, and the E-Tech Hybrid-powered model has the 10-inch digital main dash display included. That screen is standard on the r.s line model, which also has a unique front bumper, faux leather interior, and the 9.3-inch Easy Link infotainment monitor. The Rive Gauche model has its own wheel design, gloss black exterior trim, and unique black cloth and synthetic leather upholstery. Lastly, the E-Tech engineered Captur comes with a one-off wheel design, front bumper and side skirts with gold-coloured highlights, leather and suede upholstery, and gold-painted trim details inside.
The 1.0-litre TCe 90 and Mild Hybrid 140 1.3-litre engine share the same 48.7mpg average fuel economy and 131g/km carbon dioxide emissions. Choose the E-Tech hybrid 145 and it offers between 58.9mpg and 60.1mpg combined economy depending on which trim you pick, while all Capturs with this engine emit 107g/km. Best of the bunch is the E-Tech Plug-in Hybrid that provides fuel economy of 217.3mpg and 30g/km of CO2 output, and it’s capable of up to 31 miles on electric power alone. This helps the plug-in models to a company car-friendly Benefit-in-Kind figure of 12%, which is well below the 26% of the E-Tech Mild Hybrid. Also, the plug-in model qualifies for free first-year road tax where the E-Tech Mild Hybrid pays £160 and the rest of the Renault Captur range comes in at £230. However, the PHEV version sits in groups 21-22 for insurance depending on trim, whereas the rest of the line-up lies in groups 12-20.
The Renault Captur is priced keenly next to all of its major rivals, and it has affordable running costs. Should you choose the plug-in hybrid model, you’ll enjoy a reasonable EV driving range and low running costs. It’s also well equipped in every trim level and comes with all of the latest safety kit you expect of a car in this class.
The engines perform a decent service, but they don’t quite deliver the fun of a Ford Puma or zip of a Volkswagen T-Cross. It’s a similar story with the way the Captur drives, which is perfectly acceptable but just not anything much to get excited about. For many, that will be just fine, and the Captur does offer a more raised driving position than many of its rivals to give that all-important SUV feel.
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The Ford Puma has become the go-to small SUV for many drivers, and it’s easy to see why. The Puma is stylish, great to drive, affordable, and it’s practical too. The cabin is well put together and roomy, while the boot is simply huge once you get used to the idea of its extra underfloor space. It’s also available with hybrid power, but not a full EV version. The Puma is the best in its class when it comes to driving fun, and this is allied to a composed ride, even in the performance ST version.
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There are few more striking cars to look at in the small SUV class than the Nissan Juke. It’s more well-stocked handsome than its predecessor while still retaining a distinct look, while inside the Juke now offers plenty of space and lots of safety equipment included with every model. There’s a hybrid model to broaden the engine line-up, but the Juke has a firm ride that means it’s only average for the class when it comes to driving pleasure and comfort. Still, Nissan has priced the Juke very temptingly.
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The T-Cross is exactly how you’d expect Volkswagen to approach the small SUV sector. For some, that will come as welcome relief to know the T-Cross is comfortable, easy to drive, good on practicality, and you can have it with VW’s fine 1.0-litre TSI petrol engine. However, you will also have to put up with some less than attractive and hard-to-the-touch plastics, and the diesel engine is too noisy and unrefined next to many of its rivals now. However, VW has kept prices of the T-Cross keen in this tightly fought sector.
