Renault breathes new life into its Captur crossover

What’s new?

In truth, not too much. The Captur was Europe’s best-selling urban crossover in 2016 with 215,670 units sold, which makes it a crucial model for Renault. As such, the French manufacturer has breathed new life into the distinctive-looking car to further increase its appeal, adding touches such as LED running lights and a wider choice of alloy wheels, as well as new skid plates to highlight its ‘go anywhere’ looks.

Overall, the changes are subtle but bring the car’s looks closer into line with those of the current Kadjar and upcoming Koleos. However, you’ll find no changes to the engine line-up here, with the familiar 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel units making up the range.

Looks and image

The current crop of crossovers are quirky-looking vehicles, and the Captur is no different. You’ll have to look closely to notice the difference between this latest car and the one it replaces, but try hard and you’ll notice C-shaped LED daytime running lights at the front and updated LED light units at the rear. As previously mentioned, new skidplates now feature at the front and back of the Captur, and there’s a great variety of colours to pick from, too.

Inside, the changes are similarly subtle. A fixed glass sunroof is now available on cars in Dynamique S trim levels and above, while higher-quality plastics have been used on larger areas such as the dashboard. Top-end spec cars get a leather-trimmed steering wheel, too. These changes do make the difference, as the cabin feels distinctly more premium than that found in the previous generation – but the effect is not what we’d call groundbreaking.

Space and practicality

The Captur remains an impressively spacious car. The front seats offer plenty of shoulder room, while those in the back are equally well catered for. Thanks to large windows, it also feels quite airy, though darker coloured upholstery does somewhat go against this.

There’s 377 litres of boot space, and this is aided by plenty of in-car storage too. Deep door bins are ideal for water bottles, while cupholders in the centre of the car’s cabin are equally as useful.

Behind the wheel

The Captur delivers a surprisingly involving drive. The 1.2-litre petrol engine fitted to our test car was nippy and ideal for urban driving, but you need to work the gearbox to make consistent progress. However, that gearbox doesn’t have the most pleasant of actions, and lacks the accuracy that you’ll find in competitors’ ‘boxes. The ride isn’t too firm, and deals with lumps and bumps in the road well.

The Captur’s steering is very light, but this makes it well suited to urban driving as it allows for quick changes of direction and immediate turns.

Value for money

Our test car came in at £19,095 and featured a full infotainment system, air conditioning and a multifunction steering wheel. The car’s interior plastics have been heavily reworked, and because of this feel far more high-end than those found in the previous car. That said, those materials lower down the cabin aren’t as good, and are now more noticeable because of the soft-touch plastics used on the dashboard.

The infotainment system lacks the precision that is found in rival systems, and the satellite navigation can be slow to adjust. However, the Bose stereo fited to our car was impressive, and produced a premium sound.

Who would buy one?

The Captur is ideal for those people who want economical, low-frills motoring at a competitive price. This facelift has been a rather light one, but the changes that have been made only help to add to the Captur’s appeal. However, it has a tough fight on its hands to deal with competition from the likes of the Toyota CH-R or Citroen C4 Cactus.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Model: Renault Captur Dynamique S Nav TCe 120
Price as tested: £19,095
Engine: 1.2-litre petrol
Power: 118bhp
Torque: 205Nm
Max speed: 119mph
0-60mph: 9.7seconds
Economy: 51.5mpg
Emissions: 125g/km