You may have read recently that Renault Malaysia revealed an updated version of the current generation Captur with more power and features but what you’re about to see will rile your senses.
With 85% new parts and a new platform, the new Captur may sport the same silhouette but the finer details such as the head and tail lamps have been completely revised and I reckon it’ll probably be the sleekest, most good looking crossover by the time it’s available in Malaysia.
The headlamp design takes after the Koleos while the tail lights, if you look closely, vaguely resembles that of the Corolla Sport – possibly the most appealing aspect of the new Captur’s exterior.
Despite the same essence in design, the new Captur is now 11 cm longer, extending boot space to 81 litres as compared to before for a new total of 536 litres.
Drastic change has also taken place inside the interior – thank god! Let’s face it, as vibrant and fresh as Renault tried to portray the current Captur to be, it’s really just a sub-par interior glorified by glossy surfaces which looks like a crime scene under black light with every surface littered with finger prints.
In the new Captur, the revised dashboard design housing a digital instrument cluster, the new centre console with the largest-in-segment 9.3-inch touchscreen and gear lever just works – no doubt a huge improvement in aesthetics.
Another interesting addition to the new car is the Fresh Air Speaker feature which is essentially a compact subwoofer that transmits bass into the cabin via a duct system. It’s built into the right hand corner of the boot without compromising space.
Apart from the improved insulation of the engine compartment which Renault says reduces up to 2dB of noice at speeds of up to 130 km/h, rear knee room has also increased by 17 mm by making the rear section of the front seats hollow.
Crucially, driver assistance systems such as adaptive cruise control and lane change assist is now available with up to Level 2 autonomous driving. The system will alert the driver if the steering is left untouched for 13 seconds although it remains to be seen whether such features will be offered for our local models.
They’re complemented by an active emergency braking feature, blind spot warning, 360-degree camera, rear cross traffic alert system, and an Easy Park Assist feature.
The new Captur will come with a plug-in hybrid powertrain where a 1.6-litre engine is combined with a pair of electric motors. There are two diesel options available along with three petrol-powered models.
There’s a TCe 100 with 100 hp and 160 Nm from a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged engine and a TCe 130 GPF with 130 hp and 240 Nm from a 1.3-litre turbocharged engine. The two variants are paired to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual clutch transmission.
At the top of the range is a TCe 155 GPF variant with 155 hp and 270 Nm from the same 1.3-litre engine as the TCe 130 but that said, TCe 155 will only be available with a 7-speed dual clutch.
Locally, Renault has experienced a strong momentum in sales for the current generation Captur due to its irresistible pricing, funky fresh design and assuring warranties offered by TC Euro Cars.
If the same approach is taken, without a change in consumer sentiment, expect this new Captur to flood our streets when it arrives.
IMAGE GALLERY
