Review Renault Captur 1.2 TCe 120k EDC Dynamique – Urban stylist

Small urban crossovers have mushroomed in recent years. The entry into this segment was not missed by the French Renault , and this year it launched the Captur model on the Czech market, which is technically based on the fourth generation of the Clio hatchback. The car came to the weekly test in the highest Dynamique trim with a 1.2 TCe turbo four-cylinder and an EDC dual-clutch automatic transmission .

The production Renault Captur is based on the concept of the same name, which was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011. It was the second of six concepts that prepared the world for a change in the design language of the Renault brand after the arrival of the new chief designer Laurens Van den Acker . Thanks to the alliance with Nissan , the concept's technology came from the Juke . The production Captur was presented at the same auto show two years later.

Design – Long live individualization!

Nowadays, the focus is mainly on effect , and whoever wants to stand out must come up with a fresh or flashy look. The pioneer in this direction is undoubtedly the Captur 's competitor from the workshops of the alliance Nissan – Juke . He polarizes onlookers everywhere he goes. Captur is considerably more moderate, but it also does not fit in the gray of daily traffic. The wide range of options for individualizing the appearance of the car also has a lot to do with it. You can buy a one-color or two-color body, pay extra for moldings in a different color, different designs and colors of wheel rims, and there are also several stickers on offer.

However, the prices are definitely not popular, at least for the cheaper versions of the car. You cannot get a Captur in the basic Authentique trim with a two-tone body. You have to pay an extra CZK 33,000 for the higher Expression equipment, which still has a single-colored body in the default version. You have to pay an additional CZK 10,000, for which you get a bland blue base color with a white or black roof. A white body with a black or orange roof will cost you another 5,000 CZK , and if you want one of the flashy color combinations that Renault promotes everywhere, prepare 12,500 CZK instead of the aforementioned five thousand. The top trim Dynamique already has two-tone bodywork as a base, but the color combinations are charged the same as the Expression .

The Captur we tested had a white/orange body for CZK 5,000, orange 17" light alloy wheels for CZK 2,500, black exterior moldings ( Pack Look ) for CZK 7,500 and a Map hood sticker for another 7,500 CZK . In total, 22,500 CZK for only appearance matters. However, Renault did not charge anything for the removable and washable seat covers in our test car. If you want classic fixed covers, you can choose them free of charge. In our case, decorative interior elements in chrome color were also free of charge.

Interior – Modern, simple, clear

The interior of the Captur is a pleasant place to be. Although the front seats do not stand out in any significant way, they offer reasonable comfort and a sufficient range of settings. The same applies to the steering wheel, but the decor extends into the grip area, which was not particularly pleasant for me. The shiny plastic was sliding , and therefore I would welcome the option to get a version of the steering wheel without it, which Renault does not offer. The dashboard is in the style of the brand's current models, so you'll find a tachometer on the left, a fuel gauge on the right and a digital speedometer in the middle. Above it is the output of the on-board computer, and below the speedometer are the service and operating lights. An interesting detail of this part is the light strip, which changes its color according to the driver's handling of the gas pedal . If you drive calmly and add carefully, the strip lights up green. With sharper handling, its color gradually changes from yellow and orange to red. Thanks to its location, the driver still perceives it with peripheral vision and allows himself to be carried away by it to more delicate handling of the gas pedal. Quite a nifty detail.

At its top, the dashboard will offer a lockable box of a very decent volume. The part with the screen and ventilation controls that looks like it was added to the dashboard after the fact works well. The large screen of the R-Link multimedia system has a good resolution and very nice graphics. Its operation is intuitive and almost perfect, if not for a few buttons on its right side. In my opinion, they are completely redundant and you will use them minimally. Personally, I only used the one that was used to return to the home screen. In addition, you can configure it according to your wishes from several options. I had it display the outputs of the map, the audio system and the Driving Eco system, which evaluates the environmental friendliness of your driving style. After a week of living together , the Captur evaluated me with 80 points out of a possible 100, when I had almost the full score for anticipation, but I lost something for sharper acceleration. The option to save your result for later reference is nice.

I have no reservations about the navigation system from TomTom , working with it was trouble-free and it did not surprise me with anything unpleasant during the entire test. The function of early audio and visual warning of static speed cameras is nice. Speaking of sound… the audio system would deserve better performance. It is sufficient at lower volumes, but if you like to turn the volume to the right during your favorite songs, the Captur will disappoint you. The speakers simply cannot handle it. And I'm not such an audiophile , like Rychter's colleague.

In the lower part of the dashboard there is a start button and a socket for a typical Renault card , which serves instead of the classic remote control key. A little lower is the storage space, on the back of which we can find a 12V socket and sockets for a memory card , USB and AUX connectors . Above this is the gear lever head of the automatic transmission. It is quite close at hand and has an adequate length for possible manual shifting. The only problem is the insufficient locking of the individual positions, when it repeatedly happened to me that when shifting into reverse, the lever went through the R position to P with virtually no resistance. So it was necessary to shift slowly and with feeling, which required a little more attention than a person would like .

Between the front seats, in addition to the shift lever, there is also a button for turning on the ECO driving mode and activating the cruise control . There is also additional storage space and two drink holders, but these are so close to the gear lever that they were practically unusable. In addition, their depth did not inspire confidence in their reliability of retaining inserted drinks. The last interesting feature of the environment of the front two seats is the box in front of the passenger. It is not a classic hinged drawer, but it is a pull-out drawer of truly gigantic dimensions that absorbs almost everything. I found the storage spaces in the doors to be sufficient, although not exceptional.

There is no lack of space on the back seats, even in the head area, which was a pleasant surprise, as the competing Peugeot 2008 or Nissan Juke are much worse off. I am able to sit in the Captur by myself without any particular difficulties even with a 184 cm tall figure. However, I would not force three adults to ride in the back, after all, it is a small car for the city. Storage nets on the back of the front seats have replaced the impressive five rubbers. A visually interesting solution, but not very practical . You won't place any small objects here, the rubbers will only hold books or magazines.

The luggage compartment offers a decent volume and a double bottom, although the separating mat was missing in our car. There is a spare wheel and basic tools under the carpet, but don't look for space in the trunk to store small items. There are also no restraint systems or nets, which is perhaps a bit of a shame.

Driving – Up to the city and… preferably nowhere else

The turbocharged four-cylinder 1.2 TCe offers 120 hp , which is quite a decent value, but unfortunately only available with the EDC automatic transmission . If you want a gasoline engine with a manual, you have to buy a smaller and significantly weaker three-cylinder 0.9 TCe . The twelve-cylinder does not suffer from a lack of power, but the gearbox does not want a more dynamic drive . Although it is a modern dual-clutch transmission with six gears, it is installed as a saving element. Renault claims that the car with it will show lower consumption than with the manual. After driving for a week, with an average of 7.5 liters per 100 kilometers , I have a little trouble believing that. A colleague with a recently tested Juke drove for a similar amount of fuel and it had 190 horses under the hood, which he did not spare.

The mentioned EDC transmission also does not excel in shifting speed. She's not stupid, but it takes her a moment to decide on a gear change, and another moment to shift. So if you want to go faster, I recommend shifting manually . Changing the transmission is not faster, but the transmission decision process is eliminated. Even the power steering with variable effect does not wish for fast driving. That it does not offer an abundance of feedback is normal for modern cars, but the change in its effect surprised me a few times. When arriving from Prague to Liberec, at one point you exit the expressway directly to the intersection, which means deceleration from 90 km/h to 0 to 20 km/h during a short straight section, depending on the color of the traffic lights. The light was green, so I didn't have to stop and I turned straight away. But the power steering in the middle of the maneuver changed the effect from highway to city. The steering was suddenly completely free of resistance, causing me to oversteer a little more than I needed to and have to quickly correct. The second time I had the exact opposite happen, when I was overtaking on the exit of town, I downshifted and floored the accelerator. In the middle of the maneuver, the booster changed its effect again. You'll probably learn to deal with it, but it's certainly not pleasant, and I've never encountered it in another car. Captur should let the driver complete the maneuver in its current state and not change anything until it's finished.

As far as driving itself is concerned, the Captur is above all a comfortable car, and high speeds do not exactly do it the best. It is slightly unstable on the highway due to its taller structure and shorter wheelbase. It doesn't lean excessively in corners, but it doesn't rush into them with enthusiasm either. I really see the city and its surroundings as the ideal environment for Captur .

Conclusion – Nice styling

Renault Captur does not pretend to be a driver's car and is exactly what it looks like – a stylish car for the city . It offers a wide range of color solutions and a comfortable ride. He was pleased with the R-Link multimedia system and plenty of storage space for the front seats, as well as the original removable seat covers. On the contrary, the slow transmission and relatively high consumption were disappointing. In addition, unlike most other Renaults, the Captur does not compromise on price.

Basic price of the car (Renault Captur Energy 0.9 TCe 90k Authentique): CZK 299,900 incl. VAT
Basic price test. of the car (Renault Captur 1.2 TCe 120k EDC Dynamique): CZK 425,400 incl. VAT
Price of the tested car including surcharges: CZK 471,400 incl. VAT