The Renault Captur is a compact crossover SUV designed to attract buyers with its looks, equipment, affordable price, affordable running costs, and practicality. It lies in the most competitive segment of the current market which means that it needs to be a really good car to succeed, so is Renault Captur a good car?
In short, yes, the Renault Captur is indeed a really good car, but if you want the long answer, you will have to stick around and read this article. We will tell you more about the Captur which includes all of the engines, the design, the practicality, the driving experience, reliability, pricing, and practicality.
To finish it all off, we are also going to discuss its safety and how it stacks up against some of its fiercest rivals. We can say that the Renault Captur is an immensely popular car in Europe as Renault is shifting these like crazy.
This is true because Renault offers a well-rounded package that does not sacrifice what is known to attract economy buyers the most. So, if you want to know more about the Captur, and potentially even buy one, be sure to read this article to find out why you should buy it!
The Powertrain
The first-gen Captur offers either gasoline or diesel engines while the second-gen Captur offers only gasoline engines with an addition of a single hybrid model as well. Gasoline engines range from the smallest 0.9L 3-cylinders that barely push more than 90hp and go all the way up to the most powerful 1.4L inline 4-cylinder engines with 150hp which are also the best gasoline engines you can buy.
The 1st gen Captur also offers a few diesel variants as well, and all are based on the same 1.5L dCi engine that offers between 90hp and 110hp. Lastly, we also need to talk about the newest hybrid 1.6L Captur which offers 160hp and is the most powerful, and likely most reasonable engine you can buy for a car such as the Captur.
Entry-level models come with manual transmissions while higher-end models come with a 6-speed automatic that fits the car’s character really well. Front-wheel-drive is the only option for the Capture while fuel efficiency is rated at around 60MPG for diesel engines, 150MPG for the hybrid, and 40MPG for smaller gasoline models.
Design and Driving Experience
The exterior design of the Captur is sharp and really modern, especially if you go for a higher-end model that gets cool-looking exterior black trim and sharp LED headlights. The interior is fairly docile, not of the best quality, but is well-equipped, especially with higher-trim models which are available with pretty much anything you’d think of.
The driving experience is relatively bland as the Captur was never intended to capture the hearts of car enthusiasts. However, as far as normal daily driving and commuting are concerned, the Captur does the trick well as it functions as all modern-day good cars do.
Reliability and Common Issues
Renault’s reliability has become better in the last few years, but the first-gen Captur models back in 2013 aren’t the best ones to go for. Nowadays, the Captur seems to be a decently reliable car which means that you shouldn’t worry about it breaking down too much if you do everything when it needs doing.
The most common Renault Captur problems include a wide variety of issues with the car’s electronics such as the sat nav, the A/C controls, the alternator, and maybe even the headlights. The car was recalled for alternator problems, brake-related problems, and problems with the catalytic converter. Lastly, the body panels don’t always line up properly, the trunk lid can stick, and the start-stop system can be a nightmare.
Practicality and Pricing
In the UK, the Renault Captur goes for about £22,395 to £34,095 while the prices in France and Germany are really similar. For this price, you are getting a well-equipped daily driver that is able to retain decent value after a few years. This does not mean that the Captur does not depreciate, because it does, but it does mean that it does not depreciate like crazy.
Practicality is more or less fine as it is in line with most other cars in its class. Sure, the 2nd generation of the Captur offers a 20mm longer wheelbase which does aid in rear seat foot space, but the overall trunk space and headspace are about average for the class.
FAQ Section
How Safe is the Renault Captur?
Renault knows that most people who buy the Captur buy it for family chauffeuring purposes which means that the Captur needs to be a really safe car. Thankfully, that is exactly the case as the Captur enjoys a stellar 5-star rating from Euro NCAP which is the European leading organization dealing in car safety and crash protection.
The Captur also gets all the usual stuff most other modern-day cars do such as lane keep assist, automatic braking, cruise control, cameras, parking sensors, and traffic alerts. All in all, the Captur is indeed a safe car, and you should be more than fine with one.
Is the Renault Captur Better Than Its Rivals?
If you spend a decent amount of time browsing through various head-on tests between the Captur and its fiercest rivals, you will often see the Captur come out on top which does make sense as it truly is better than most of its competitors, but not by much.
The C4 Aircross isn’t on par when it comes to styling, the Ford Puma isn’t as practical, the Peugeot 2008 isn’t well-equipped and the HR-V isn’t as modern or as good to look at.
Is Renault Going to Discontinue the Captur?
Back in 2020, Renault announced that they are going to discontinue the Captur in India which immediately started the conversation about the Captur being discontinued for Europe, but that does not seem to be taking place.
The new Captur is soon to come out which means that Renault is still not interested in calling it a day with the Captur. This makes a whole load of sense as these are still selling like crazy in Europe.
