Renault Captur review - Engines, drive & performance

Before the facelift we found the Renault Captur’s suspension setup to be very soft and it was clear the focus was on a supple, relaxed ride. For a more engaging and sporty experience, you’d be better served by the Ford Puma. That’s still the case with the facelifted Renault Captur, but this time around it feels as though there’s a better balance than there was before.

The Captur’s steering is quick, but there’s not much offered by way of feedback. There’s a selection of drive modes comprising Comfort, Eco, Sport and a customisable Personal setting, but Comfort probably makes the most sense for the car’s character.

Putting the hybrid Captur in Sport means the combustion engine is programmed to chime in more of the time, but in all honesty, putting our foot down just seemed to increase the gruff sound from the four-cylinder without a noticeable surge in performance, and that can quickly start to grate on you.

Keep it in Comfort and get up to motorway speeds and the hybrid version of the Captur feels very refined and serene. Wind and road noise are kept to a minimum, and features like Adaptive cruise control, which is standard on the Esprit Alpine, make for a relaxing, effortless driving experience.

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Renault Captur petrol engines

There’s now just one petrol engine available for the Captur, and it’s the 1.0-litre TCe – a three-cylinder turbo engine with 89bhp. It’s economical, but it also feels rather slow, taking 14.3 seconds to get from 0-62mph. A 99bhp 1.0-litre petrol Hyundai Bayon takes 10.7 seconds to hit the same speed, and that’ll feel noticeably quicker. On the motorway the Captur TCe requires plenty of revs and sometimes a lower gear to pass slower traffic, but the six-speed manual gearbox is good to use. The TCe 90 cannot be had with an automatic transmission, so those who can only drive an automatic will have to opt for the hybrid.

Hybrid engines

The self-charging E-Tech Hybrid uses the same powertrain as the Renault Clio Hybrid, which uses an electric motor and small battery paired to a 1.6-litre petrol engine for an output of 145bhp. 0-62mph is dispatched in 10.6 seconds, which is hardly quick, but the extra punch from the electric motor makes overtaking on the motorway much easier in the hybrid.

This generation of Renault Captur was briefly offered with a plug-in hybrid model capable of driving for short distances on electricity alone, but this was discontinued before the arrival of the facelifted car, and it’s unclear whether it will ever make a comeback.