Available to order in the UK from 1st May, the French new entrant will be looking to emulate the start of the new Clio, with which it shares its underpinnings and much of its style. Led by its sister Alliance car, Nissan Juke, the market’s already growing fast on the back of the MINI Countryman and the slightly larger Chevrolet Trax and Vauxhall Mokka. It’s expected to explode even more with the future launches of rivals such as the Fiat 500X, Ford EcoSport and Peugeot 2008.
Renault’s latest compact car, Captur takes its name and inspiration from the striking three-door concept from 2011. It represents the second flower petal in head of design Laurens Van Den Acker’s circle of life design strategy for the brand.
Captur’s simple four version range is powered by a series of all turbo petrol and diesel engines, all of which have either been recently launched or revised. They include the 0.9-litre TCe 90 and 1.5 dCi 90, through to the new 1.2 TCe 120, mated exclusively to EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) transmission, which has only just debuted in Clio GT-Line.
At launch, Renault’s latest small car is offered in a choice of four trim levels: Expression, Expression+, Dynamique MediaNav and Dynamique S MediaNav. The well-equipped Expression offers 16” alloy wheels, 60/40 split and sliding rear seat bench, body coloured bumpers, cruise control, ECO mode (up to 10% fuel saving), ESC (Electronic Stability Control), ETC (Electronic Traction Control), front and rear electric windows, HSA (Hill Start Assist), speed limiter, trip computer.
Moving up to Expression+ takes things up a notch in the comfort and style stakes, with front fog lights, body coloured door mirrors and handles and hands-free keycard. It also features auto lights and wipers, climate control.
The likely UK best-seller, Dynamique MediaNav, brings in the world of personalisation as well as the zipped seat covers which can be simply wiped or washed.
They can also be replaced to freshen up the interior come resale time. Naturally, the mid-range trim, befitting its name, features MediaNav, the integrated multimedia tablet with seven-inch touchscreen, including Navteq Nav ‘n’ Go satellite navigation, 4x20W Arkamys radio, Bluetooth, USB and handsfree technology. It also has cornering lights and a leather steering wheel (with gloss insert) and gearknob.
The new Captur prices were confirmed from £12,495 on-the-road. This undercuts current class top-seller by £500. The most expensive version is the 90 hp dCi with Dynamique S Medis NAV trim, priced a 18.995 euros. Colour Pack £550: contrasting roof colour, Interior Touch and Exterior Gloss Packs.
