New Renault Captur – bigger, better and a touch of the Clios

The second generation Renault Captur arrives as a bigger, slicker take on a compact SUV, with all new platform and design cues from the Clio.

The Renault Captur has been quite a success story since it arrived in 2013 to take on the compact SUV market but, in the face of ever increasing competition, its success has started to wane.

But Renault has that covered with this – a new Renault Captur – which looks set to improve the Captur in all the areas that matter without losing the essence of a car that captured the wallets of many a family.

Much of the new Captur’s styling owes a debt to the Clio, but there’s also bits borrowed from the Megane too, making the new Captur a core part of Renault’s latest design mojo.

The new styling is slicker and less fussy than the current model, with nice touches – like the bonnet creases, C-shaped headlights and LED rear lights – making the Captur a more visually appealing SUV.

Under the skin it’s the same CMF-B Platform you find under the new Clio – although the new Captur is longer, wider and taller – despite which it manages to be lighter than the current model.

Inside owes a lot to the new Clio too with the Portrait infotainment screen – with Android Auto and Apple Car play and either 7″ or 9.3″ screen – wireless phone charging, more shoulder and leg room and a bigger boot.

Under the bonnet there’s a choice of 1.0 litre three-pot with 100bhp and 1.3 litre with 130bhp petrols and a 1.5 litre diesel with 95bhp or 115bhp, all with Eco, Sport and My Sense Drive modes.

There’s also a plug-in hybrid – the Captur E-TECH – with 1.6 litre petrol engine, electric motors and 9.8kWh battery promising around 150bhp and a 28-mile electric range.

The regular petrol and diesel Capturs go on sale at the end of the year, but you’ll have to wait until next year if you want a plug-in hybrid Captur.