Renault Captur

Step inside the Renault Captur, and you will surely be impressed with the trademark European build quality and fit and finish levels of the cabin. The layout looks classy and well-built, with all the essential features in the right places. However, compared to the competition, the Renault Captur lacks a few features which have become a norm in this segment of midsize SUVs and crossovers.

The driver’s cockpit comprising of a three-spoke steering wheel with satin chrome inserts and a large 10.25-inch full-TFT instrument console looks fresh. Even the portrait-style 9.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system in the middle of the centre console is well laid out and packs in a whole lot of features. The lower centre console gets three-rounded dials for the automatic climate control and flows down towards the transmission tunnel having a stubby gear lever.

The cabin is equipped with a few premium features like full leather upholstery with Architect Grey theme and contrast white stitching, customizable drive modes, 8-colour ambient lighting and a 3D sound system from Arkamys with eight speakers.

The designers at Renault have done a tremendous job in making the Captur a true head-turner. The overall design looks stunning, and their charm is even more enhanced by the interesting dual-tone colour options on offer. That being said, the crossover stance might not appeal to the SUV purists, who want their vehicles to have an upright stance.

At the front, the Renault Captur has a wide front fascia with a large V-shaped grille with vertical chrome studs on the inside and a chrome garnish on the lower part of the grille across its width. The large C-shaped housings for the headlamps make the front face of the Captur look wide and aggressive, with daytime running LED across its outer boundary and LED projectors on the inside for the main headlamps. Even the front bumper looks captivating with big housings for the LED fog lamps and a large silver skid plate in the middle.

The Renault Captur has a striking side profile, with a slanted design for the hood, window beltline and rounded wheel arches with curved bulges over the fenders and on door panels. The beltline rises strikingly upwards towards the C-pillar and comes with a chrome garnish, which gives it a floating roof effect. The large door-mounted rearview mirrors, 17-inch Bahama Black diamond-cut alloy wheels and chrome insignia and air deflectors on the front fender give it a sporty flavour.

The rear profile of the Renault Captur too looks amazing with the C-shaped LED tail lamps, the upper inner edges of which flow towards the middle of the boot lid. Other design highlights which catch your attention are a compact windscreen with an integrated roof spoiler, heavy-looking silver skid plate on the rear bumper and chrome garnish on the upper edges of the rear bumper.

The Renault Captur created a benchmark with its ride and handling balance in its previous iteration, and the baton is carried forward with this new model too. The ride quality feels rock solid and the Captur feels unnerved even over the non-uniform terrains and rough surfaces. However, it is not an out-and-out SUV and is not a go-anywhere vehicle in that sense.

The Renault Captur is offered in Singapore with only one engine option – a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which puts up a maximum power output of 130 PS and a peak torque output of 240 Nm. The engine is paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and gets an ECO mode for excellent fuel efficiency in low-speed driving conditions.

For its segment, the Renault Captur gets all the must-have safety features like front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD, cruise control with speed limiter, electronic auto-hold function on slopes, electronic stability control, front and rear park assist, reverse camera and hill start assist.

The Renault Captur is a great looking car that offers a unique proposition of a rugged-looking crossover in its segment. The rich quality interior and well-sorted ride and handling balance make it an even more interesting proposition.