Setbacks after disassembly
Earlier this year you read what owners of the current generation Renault Captur think of their SUV. These are all experiences of Dutch Captur drivers. How did our German colleagues from AutoBild like the Renault Captur as an endurance tester? They drove the model for 100,000 kilometers and noticed the following.
Scratches on pistons and cylinders
When disassembled, the engine block shows ugly scratches on the fourth cylinder and on the piston skirt. They are caused by dirt particles.
Oil and carbon deposits on all eight intake valves of the Captur
Dirt accumulation in air filter
The air filter housing has not received sufficient attention during maintenance, resulting in an unnecessary accumulation of dirt.
Dirt marks and minor damage to the turbo
The turbo shows traces of dirt on the compressor side and minor damage on the compressor wheel. Like the deviations on the cylinder and piston, this is caused by ingress of dirt.
Cracks in the cheek of the front left seat
The seats offered good comfort during the endurance test, but upon closer inspection we already found cracks in the sidewall of the seat on the left side.
Uneven body corrosion protection
The bodywork has been given uneven corrosion protection in the cavities at the factory. We also see traces of corrosion on the longitudinal beams on the left and right.
Front wishbones already replaced at 75,000 kilometers
The axles suffer from minor corrosion at the welds and channels. The front wishbones have already been replaced under warranty at a mileage of 75,000.
Verdict after disassembly:
It is a pity that the Captur did not receive a better anti-rust treatment from the factory and that the workshop did not properly clean the air filter housing during maintenance. Rust deposits and rutting in one cylinder and the turbo could probably have been prevented otherwise. Then the crossover, which is a great travel car, could have achieved a much better result.
How did the endurance test go?
The Renault Captur managed to win the hearts of the AutoBild editors at the start of the endurance test period, but the love cooled considerably later. A report of an endurance test over 100,000 kilometers.
It all started so promisingly. When the Renault Captur rolled into our editor’s garage on September 23, 2020, in bright red (an optional metallic paint) and with a black roof (standard with the Intens version), many colleagues thought: oh-là-là ! The small French car seemed to have everything for a nice get-together. As a representative of the increasingly popular SUVs based on compact cars, the Captur fits perfectly with the times, but also with the wishes of the AutoBild editors. No unnecessary kilos (curb weight 1,346 kg) that reduce temperament and no expanding bodywork. With a length of 4.23 meters and a width of 1.80 meters, you can also use it in the city. It is also easy to maneuver into parking spaces.
Captur was even popular as a travel car
The Captur, which, like the Clio, is of the fifth generation and rests on the Renault-Nissan CMF-B platform, even received compliments for its qualities as a travel car. Only in cases where the driver’s height approached two meters did criticism of the available space arise. This applied, for example, to a very tall colleague. “This is not a model for tall people, the front seats are mounted too high and the door cutout is too low,” he noted in the logbook. Apart from that, the roof that slopes gracefully towards the rear, which gives the Captur a dynamic profile, caused dissatisfaction in the back seat. Tall passengers expressed the wish for more headroom and it was not exactly enjoyable for passengers with long legs. The drivers were also not always happy with the elegant design of the body. The low roof and narrow rear window limited visibility. This was a real challenge, especially in busy cities with cyclists who were not always clearly visible.
Apple CarPlay malfunctions
The infotainment system was sometimes a headache. The digital and freely configurable 10-inch instrument panel and the 9.3-inch tablet-style touchscreen (optional) usually made for happy faces at first encounter, but the clumsy operation and the regular malfunctions of Apple CarPlay (crashes) and the mediocre traffic sign recognition (incorrect reports) threw a spanner in the works. As early as August 2021, one of the editors expressed his dissatisfaction. “The traffic sign recognition sends the driver into the forest,” he reported. Another colleague grumbled: “The Live Traffic function responds with a delay. There is no haptic confirmation and too much map information is lost when zooming out.”
Comfort on long distances good
So why was the little Frenchman still popular as a traveling companion? Very simple: the chassis and engine performed their tasks to maximum satisfaction. Although a colleague with shoe size 46 sometimes got his foot stuck behind a metal bracket above the brake pedal and therefore braked later than intended (but fortunately not too late), he noted in August 2021: “The comfort on long distances is surprisingly good.”
It was not an isolated opinion and for the following reason: Renault engineers have given the Captur a well-balanced chassis that absorbs bumps well and with which many of the damages that are quite common on European roads could be neatly avoided. In addition, the compact SUV has a wheelbase of 2.64 meters, which kept body movements within limits on bumpy roads. That is not self-evident in this class; the Volkswagen T-Roc, which is one centimeter longer, offers five centimeters less space between the axles.
Edges and transverse ridges
If there was any criticism of driving comfort, it was mainly aimed at the not always refined response to raised edges and transverse ridges. The optional 18-inch wheels (€536) were largely responsible for this, with their 215/55R18 tires having some difficulty over manhole covers and similar bumps. A clear case of ‘who wants to be beautiful must suffer pain’. The standard 16-inch steel wheels with their tires with higher sidewalls do not look that impressive, but the 17-inch wheels with 215/60R17 tires that come with the more luxurious equipment variants also suit the Frenchman well.
The 1.3 turbo in the Renault Captur
The engine also received positive reviews. The turbo engine delivers a very acceptable power of 130 hp from a displacement of 1.3 liters. This four-cylinder was developed in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz. The engine, made entirely of aluminium, works decisively and allows the Captur to accelerate to 100 km/h in approximately ten seconds. The top speed is 193 km/h. “It is a lively engine that, despite its temperament, does not make too much noise,” was how a colleague summarized it. The good sound insulation of the small turbo engine was a source of joy to the end, so much so that some were bothered by the ‘considerable wind noise above 100 km/h’. Yes, in Germany people drive faster more often than in our country.
Consumption was disappointing
The drinking behavior of the 1.3 liter, on the other hand, left everyone with satisfied faces. “Consumption remains within limits even if you put a lot of strain on the engine,” a former colleague noted in the logbook. The standard lap of the AutoBild testers, including a stretch of highway at a higher speed, resulted in a neat average of 6.1 l/100 km, or 1 in 16.4. At the end of the test this had risen to 6.8 liters per 100 km, which equates to 1 in 14.7. No matter how convincing the power source was, the double clutch responsible for power distribution noticeably deteriorated over the course of the endurance test. In the beginning, the gearbox shifted smoothly and without any whims back and forth between the seven gears. “The automatic transmission shifts surprisingly pleasantly and without jerking,” noted the AutoBild test coordinator at a mileage of 25,349. Words of praise, which we no longer encountered in this form in the logbook. On the contrary. Another 25,000 kilometers later it said: “Driving from a stop in the city is a disaster.” Towards the end of the test, things got a notch worse. “The double clutch works as if it were on strike.”
Not a nice gearbox
The rather direct gearbox passed on the engine power very reluctantly. Especially when maneuvering, he was so rough that some drivers felt like they were back in their first driving lessons with a manual car. Before the disassembly, the German colleagues already had quite a few issues, but the overall picture still looked good. When dismantling it all turned out to look a little less flourishing.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl