Renault Captur: Five Things We Would’ve Liked

Like every other car, the Captur does have some shortcomings

Renault India is all set to launch the Captur, which will take the product count for the company in India to four. It is expected to go on sale next month but we’ve already driven it. With pricing expected to hover in the range of Rs 13-15 lakh, the Renault Captur has a lot to offer. The French carmaker is planning to launch just two variants of its new SUV and will offer an awful lot of kit as part of the standard package.

That does sound promising and the overall recipe of the Captur does have the potential to shake up the segment. But, like every other car, the Captur does have some shortcomings too. Here are five things we would’ve liked on Renault’s new flagship product.

More Space: Space inside the cabin is acceptable. The seats are comfortable and the rear ones can just about accommodate three average-sized frames. But the cabin space offered in its rivals like the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, which is due for a mid-life update, and the Hyundai Creta is more.

Finer Finish: When you associate the word ‘premium’ with something, you expect it to live up to the hype. That isn’t the case with the Captur. Yes, the fit and finish is marginally better than the Duster’s but that isn’t the threshold. Plastics used are good in terms of quality but the interior could’ve been better with soft-touch ones. The infotainment screen is straight lift from the Kwid and feels like an aftermarket job. And there is no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay on offer.

Lag-Free Diesel Engine: Underpinning the Captur is the same platform that does duty in the Duster. Unfortunately, the Captur also gets the same 1.5-litre diesel engine from its brawny sibling. While power figures are good, there is a noticeable amount of turbo-lag before you reach 2,000rpm. Not only does it feel dull before the turbo kicks in, but also asks for more frequent shift of gears than what could otherwise be termed as comfortable.

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Better Driving Position: There are two aspects to it. One - the steering wheel can only be tilt-adjusted. Two - the height of the driver’s seat is too high, even at the lowest height setting. As far as steering is concerned, telescopic adjustment would have helped for better reach. The driver’s seat, on the other hand, is funnily high and tall drivers, above 5’10’’, will find the headroom poor.

More Convenient Ingress/Egress Space: The passageway to get into the rear seats is quite narrow. The situation is worsened with an intrusive B-pillar at foot level. Both these downers mean that you’ll really have to place yourself in a crouching position to get into the backseat in one go. This can also transform into a bigger problem with the elderly who will find getting into the rear seats tricky.

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