By EWAN KENNEDY
Renault Captur is a stylish city car that’s virtually a Renault Clio with a taller five-door hatch body.
It joins a sudden rash of small crossover SUVs that are taking Australia by storm.
In fact these vehicles are a hit in global markets, particularly in Europe where parking in increasingly crowded cities is a huge problem.
Note the word styling in our opening to this story, because that’s the number one reason people are giving us when we talk about their buying a Renault Captur.
Interestingly, favourable responses are coming to us not only from youngsters who appreciate French style, but also from the over 60s who appreciate the ease of entry and exit from taller cars.
While relatively small on the outside, Renault Captur has space for four adults in comfort.
Mum and dad in the front and three pre-teen kids in the back is likely to be the typical Australian set-up and works well in this tall hatch.
Versatility is excellent as the rear seat slides back and forwards to let you choose between passenger and luggage space.
Headroom is plentiful for all but the tallest of basketball players.
Captur is sold in the usual Renault models of Expression and Dynamique, the recommended retail price begins at a pretty reasonable $22,990.
The kick up in the window line at the rear works well in the way it joins the roof-mounted rear spoiler.
Also appealing are the deeply sculpted lines of the lower part of the doors.
The style lines of Captur’s body are further enhanced by being offered in a large palette of bright colours, many of them to provide a two-tone paint scheme.
Buyers can choose from different colours in the cabin as well, both on the major surfaces and the detailed trim on the dash and doors.
Even better the seat covers can zipped off and replaced by new ones in different colours. Or simply removed for easy cleaning.
Captur has a multimedia system controlled through a seven-inch tablet-type screen accessing satellite navigation, radio, phone and networking for apps grouped.
Audio sounds good without being outstanding. USB, Bluetooth and Aux make connectivity easy.
Renault Captur is powered by either a 0.9-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing 62 kW, or a 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol with 88 kW.
The power number translatesinto 90 and 120 horsepower, hence the Captur models being labelled TCe 90 and TCe 120
The Captur TCe 90 comes only with a five-speed manual gearbox, all TCe 120 models drive through a six-speed double-clutch automatic.
Our test car on this occasion was a Captur TCe 120. It came in a latte coloured lower body and deep black roof.
The interior disappoints in being finished in various shades of grey, though the white stitching on the dark-grey seats does lift it a little, and there are some chromed highlights.
Renault was the first car maker ever to achieve a five-star safety rating and Captur obviously continues this important tradition.
It only requires six airbags to achieve this, avoiding the extra knee bags some makers are forced to include.
Child safety utilises IsoFix child seat anchorage at the two outboard rear seats
Seat comfort and support are good in the traditional French manner – those who live in that country certainly like to pamper themselves.
The luggage area is tall and voluminous.
The floor of the boot is reversible to give either conventional carpet or a wash-down surface for carrying wet items.
The boot floor can be set to give maximum height, or raised by about 150mm to provide a hidden area underneath it.
A particularly useful feature is that the boot floor can be set at a 45 degree angle that gives support to grocery bags which insist on falling over and spreading their contents far and wide.
Around town the Captur is quiet, comfortable and pleasant to ride in.
On motorways it shifts along in a relaxed easygoing manner.
However, it doesn’t like Australian country roads that are badly in need of repairs and moves about more on its suspension than we liked.
Handling is safe and competent, but nothing to get excited about, that’s the job of Captur’s little brother Clio which comes in both standard and exciting sports models.
Engine performance from the four-cylinder turbo-petrol unit is good and generally gets the car moving promptly.
The six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is generally in the right gear for the conditions and works well with the characteristics of the turbo engine.
It’s not as slow to react off the line as some other dual-clutch units, but can be mildly irritating at times.
Low fuel consumption is impressive and more than compensates for the moderate performance.
We typically used fuel in the low to mid fives in easy paced country and motorway running.
In suburban driving we seldom saw more than seven litres per 100 kilometres.
The Renault Captur has quirky, interesting lines that seem sure to capture the imagination of those looking for something out of the ordinary in practical day-to-day transport.
For more information contact Barry Bourke Renault, 755 Princes Highway, Berwick. Phone 9707 2222.
Model range
TCe 90 Expression 0.9-litre petrol five-door wagon: $22,990 (manual)
TCe 120 Expression 1.2-litre petrol five-door wagon: $25,990 (automatic)
TCe 120 Dynamique 1.2-litre petrol five-door wagon: $27,990 (automatic)
