This is the extensively updated Renault Captur

Highlights Renault Captur

• Completely new front
• New infotainment
• Four engines, but no more plug-in hybrid

Renault was certainly not the first manufacturer to come up with a compact crossover. Toyota has been selling the Urban Cruiser since 2008, Nissan has sold the Juke since 2010 and Peugeot introduced its 2008 the day before the first Renault Captur was introduced. However, the Renault Captur turned out to be a direct hit. In the Netherlands alone, thousands of them were sold every year. Although the second and current generation Captur, introduced in 2019, does not come close to matching the success of its predecessor in Dutch sales figures, Renault is doing very good business with it internationally. Almost five years after market introduction, the Renault Captur is getting a facelift. Quite late and quite thorough.

It is easy to explain that the Renault Captur was treated quite roughly on the cutting table. Since the introduction of the model, Renault has changed its design language considerably. Just look at the metamorphosis that the front of the Clio underwent during its facelift. The relatively rounded toe of the Clio made way for a much more tightly cut front, completely in line with that of cars such as the Scenic and Rafale. The Renault Captur cannot of course be left behind and is being tightened up in a similar manner.

The Renault Captur as you knew it until now.

Design

As with the Clio, Renault has focused mainly on the front when renewing the Captur. Anyone who looks at the updated Renault Captur straight from the front may think they are looking at a completely different model. The headlights with C-shaped LED elements running down from them make way for significantly flatter headlights with which the crossover peers into the world a lot more viciously. The LED elements of the daytime running lights have been separated and are now housed separately from the headlights lower in the bumper. Speaking of that bumper: it is also completely new and contributes to the new Captur face. The rounded shapes have been demolished and so there is no longer room for the old grille. Between the full LED headlights now standard on every version we find a segmented pattern, the actual cooling opening has been replaced by a sleek horizontal slot underneath. From now on, the (new) Renault logo no longer takes a bite out of the bonnet, with the result that Renault has also had to completely revise the front hatch. That is certainly not usual with a facelift.

Right from the front, the facelifted Captur looks like a completely new model.

At the rear, the changes are more subtle in nature. Here we only see a new trim part in the rear bumper. The rear lights have also been subtly sharpened by the introduction of colorless glass. Other exterior innovations only concern the alloy wheels. Newly designed copies are available. Renault is also introducing new paint colors. Is the appearance of the updated Renault Captur a huge surprise? Probably not. AutoWeek was able to show you the facelifted Captur in a patent image as early as December 2023.

Interior

There is also news in the Captur. Renault is introducing a completely new infotainment system. It runs new software and is displayed on a new 10.4-inch screen, although it is not standard. More interior news concerns the upholstery. A new type of fabric is available and Renault is revising the colors of the stitching. Not much shocking here. It is also done with leather upholstery. More green policy: chrome is no longer used on the outside.

Renault Captur: with new large vertical infotainment screen.

engines

The engine range of the Renault Captur has always been very extensive. The Captur was available with regular petrol engines, with mild-hybrid petrol engines, with petrol engines that also took LPG, with fully hybrid machines and even with plug-in hybrid powertrains. The plug-in hybrid versions were previously deleted, the question remains whether they will return. The Captur will soon be available in the Netherlands with a 90 hp 1.0 turbo engine, with a 160 hp mild-hybrid 1.3 TCe, with a 100 hp 1.0 TCe that can also use LPG in addition to petrol and with the well-known 145 hp hybrid drivetrain.

The updated Renault Captur will be available in the Netherlands before the summer of this year. Prices will follow in the run-up to the market introduction. The updated Captur is available as Evolution, Techno and – new for the Captur – as Esprit Alpine.