You may be wondering, much like we are, as to what happened to the ‘e’ at the end of Renault’s newest crossover? Well, it could be that Renault was so anxious to grace the world with official images of the Captur, that they simply left the ‘e’ off to save a bit of time. Even by Renault’s standards, a January unveiling is pretty early for a Geneva Motor Show debut.
Renault’s new, compact crossover is loosely based on the style of the Captur Concept originally shown at last year’s Geneva Motor Show. The earlier concept car may have offered more of a coupe-like style, but the production version of the Captur seems to fly in the face of the sports car look and err more towards necessary practicality.
The Renault Captur also features the carmaker’s new family design, making sure the Captur’s face connects the broad headlights and badge with a long, singular front grille. Underneath the fresh styling, the Renault Captur is built on the same platform that underpins the Nissan Juke, as well as the new Renault Clio, which we are yet to receive here in South Africa.
At 4 120 mm long, the Renault Captur is only 5 mm shorter than the Juke, but Renault stress that they see the Captur as much more of a Clio family member, rather than an uncle of the Nissan Juke. Renault say they will offer the Captur with many customisation options, including: a two-tone colour scheme to contrast the roof and pillars from the rest of the bodywork; as well as a choice of colours and motifs for the different trim features in the cabin.
The goals for Renault’s new crossover were to deliver the driving position of an SUV, the interior versatility of a small MPV, and the agility of a compact hatchback. Much like what the Nissan Juke tried to achieve. Renault will offer for the first time a new ‘R-Link’ infotainment system featuring Bluetooth calling, audio streaming and other connectivity conveniences.
Sadly, no mechanical details have been released as yet, so whether the Renault Captur will share the Nissan Juke’s 1.6-litre DIG-T engine and drivetrain remains uncertain, but we can assume it will share at least some of the powertrain options available on the new Renault Clio range. This could mean some good, low emissions and frugal dCi engines, with the potential of an automatic gearbox in the line-up as well.
Renault South Africa hasn’t confirmed plans for bringing the Captur crossover to local roads, but if they do, the vehicle could potentially arrive in late 2013 or early 2014.
