The Captur is the new urban crossover from Renault which will arrive here this July, bringing a splash of colour and glamour to the B segment.
A blend of MPV, SUV and family hatchback, Captur hopes to appeal to a particularly broad spectrum of customer tastes.
Though compact, it is roomy - thanks to a key feature, a sliding rear seat which has fore-and-aft travel of 160mm and provides up to 215mm of knee room for rear passengers.
The French marque’s chic new entrant will be looking to emulate the impressive start for the new Clio, with which it shares its underpinnings and much of its style.
With keen pricing and a series of life-simplifing features up its sleeve, it will also be looking to make serious inroads in the booming B-segment crossover class. Led by the Nissan Juke, the market’s already growing fast on the back of the Mini Countryman and the slightly larger Opel Mokka and Nissan Qashqai. This segment is 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.
Powering Renault’s latest creation on Irish roads will be two 100 per cent turbo engines, including the TCe 90 and 1.5dCi 90. An efficient dual clutch version of the dCi 90 will follow later in 2014. Improving fuel economy and helping to drive down emissions still further, stop and start is standard on every manual version.
Renault’s new entrant combines the best of three worlds: the style and driving position of an SUV, the cabin space and versatility of an MPV, and the driving experience of a compact hatchback.
Underneath its contemporary, inoffensive style are several clever practical touches which should prove a boon to all types of buyers, including one of the biggest boots in the class. With the rear seat bench slid forward, and including the storage area under its dual height boot floor, its 377-litre boot increases to a sizeable 455 litres. With the rear seats folded it will swallow up to 1,235 litres.
The boot floor not only allows valuables to be hidden away from prying eyes, it is also reversible, carpeted on one side, with rubber on the other. The latter gives a myriad of uses, whether it is just to cope with wet shopping bags or boots in winter, dog hairs and mud come rain or shine. It is also removable so owners can free up even more boot space whatever the need.
At launch, the Renault Captur is offered in a choice of two trim levels: Life and Intense. Further details of theses trims specs and pricing will be announced at launch.
The well-equipped Life offers 16” alloy wheels, 60/40 split and sliding rear seat bench, body coloured bumpers, cruise control, ABS with emergency brake assist, electronic stability control, front and rear electric windows, hill start assist, speed limiter, Bluetooth® connectivity, trip computer, hands-free key card, automatic climate control, and leather steering wheel.
The Intense takes things up a notch in the comfort and style stakes with 17” alloy wheels, front fog lights with cornering function, chromed design features and removable upholstery. And how about black, orange or ivory coloured 17” alloy wheels?
The likely Irish best-seller, Intense, has zipped seat covers which can be simply wiped or washed. They can also be replaced to freshen up the interior come resale time.
Intense features MediaNav as standard, the integrated multimedia tablet with seven-inch touchscreen, including Navteq Nav ‘n’ Go satellite navigation, R-plug and radio+, Bluetooth, USB and handsfree technology. It also has cornering lights and a leather steering wheel and gear-knob.
