The 2023 Renault Captur is a great-looking SUV with a spacious, high-quality cabin and boot space to spare. A frustrating infotainment and slightly rough ride, especially around town, means there may be more worthy considerations in a packed SUV segment.
Renault has been nailing monthly sales large in part to models like the Kwid, Triber, Clio and Kiger. The Captur SUV has been ever present in the local range since it was introduced in 2015, slotting behind the Koleos.
The first-generation SUV featured a very soft design language, and the new model is completely revamped with a more aggressive design. Renault incorporated the ‘C’ shape into the LED daytime running lights and rear lights, which really look the part compared to the predecessor.
Customers can choose between Zen or Intens derivatives, which we received to review. The Intens comes with 17-inch Bahamas Black diamond-cut alloy wheels and a bi-tone body colour scheme.
More about the model
Powering the Captur and sending power exclusively to the front wheels is a turbocharged 1.3-litre engine with figures of 113kW and 270Nm. There’s no manual gearbox available in the range, so a 7-speed automatic Efficiency Dual Clutch (EDC) does duty. There are gear shift paddles behind the steering wheel, should you need or want them.
The Intens model we had on test comes standard with some pretty neat features like driver and front passenger airbags, front and rear curtain side-impact airbags, emergency brake assist with hill start assist, front & rear parking sensors, reverse camera, lane departure warning, blind spot sensor and a wireless phone charger. Intens models get a larger 9.3-inch touchscreen that has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality.
Other features like the interior ambient lighting and stitched heated synthetic leather steering wheel sets it apart from the smaller Clio from behind the wheel. While the floating console and E-shifter combination does look nice in the cabin, it obscures the flat section below it where the wireless charger pad is located. If Renault can sort that configuration out with something ergonomically suited, then it’s one of the best laid-out cabins around, in our opinion.
The Captur is up against some decent opposition locally with the likes of the Volkswagen T-Cross, Hyundai Creta and Suzuki Vitara all vying for customer's affection. Judging by how many vehicles Renault sells per month, customers have renewed confidence in the French firm, with memories of poor aftersales service and unreliability a thing of the past.
Drive and feel
Sat behind the wheel, the first impression we got was that the Captur resembles a Clio with more cabin space. That is because the Captur is built upon the Clio’s hatchback platform, with the higher driving position and more interior space being the standouts. Having driven the current generation, Clio, we felt that the interior just needed to be made a tad more spacious – you can read our review of that car here.
The Captur isn't exactly a thriller to drive, especially around town; most small SUV's aren't. While it's not the worst ride, there are more comfortable SUV's out there (the VW T-Cross for example). The four-cylinder engine was relatively quiet and steering felt precise and grippy around turns.
The gearbox puts down power smoothly, and you start to feel the torque brought on by the turbocharger from early in the rev range. Most of the driving we did was in Eco mode, which resulted in a fuel return of 6.7 litres, and Renault claims a figure of 6.6 litres, which is superb.
Even though the Captur looks petite, it has ample interior space. There are 404 litres of useable space, and the rear bench also slides 16cm forward, freeing up an additional 132 litres, so we didn’t need to fold down the rear seats.
The fact that the automatic gearbox is standard even in the entry-level trim is very appealing and is something prospective buyers should consider in the R450 000 price bracket. There’s no doubting its fuel consumption credentials, and we like the fact that there are only two derivatives that effectively serve as entry-level and top-of-the-range.
Renault can improve in specific aspects, but fortunately, it doesn’t detract from how the car drives and feels.
Spec and pricing
Captur 1.3L Turbo Zen EDC - R454 999
Captur 1.3L Turbo Intens EDC - R499 999
The range comes standard with a 5 year / 150 000km mechanical warranty, including a 6 year anti-corrosion warranty, and a 3 year / 45 000km service plan.
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