Renault are on a high right now. The French brand last week picked up the Continental Irish Car of the Year award for their Renault Scenic E-Tech EV. In the recent past, the Bill Cullen group held the Irish franchise for Renault, but now Renault and Dacia cars are distributed here by the Cedar Group, who also have the Irish franchise for Nissan.
New versions of the Scenic E-Tech EV and Captur plus a new model called the Rafaele were launched by Renault in Orlagh House in the foothills of the Dublin mountains on a very wet day last July when we could just about see the cars in the fog. The fog has cleared and now Renault are making their mark, with the E-Tech becoming the fifth electric car in-a-row to win the annual Irish Motor Writers’ award.
I was very impressed with the Scenic E-Tech and last week I drove the new version of the Captur which is a very neat motor. Colour is so important when deciding to buy a new car and my test car came in Iron Blue with a Diamond Black roof.
Since its introduction in 2012, the Captur has become one of Renault’s most popular models. Now, the crossover has received an overhaul to modernise its appearance. You now get more technology and a modern hybrid powertrain. Topping the range is the sporty-looking Esprit Alpine version which was the version I drove.
The makeover means you now get a more upright image with thinner headlights and distinctive LED daytime running lights. At the front, the nose now has much the same look as the award-winning Scenic and there’s nothing wrong with that. The Esprit Alpine version gives the Captur a sportier look thanks to a contrasting matt slate-grey section to the front bumper, 19-inch Elixir alloys, a contrasting black roof and matching door mirror covers.
Some car manufacturers are now switching from touch-screen to old-fashioned buttons so that drivers don’t take their eyes off the road when driving. Underneath the neat 10.3-inch vertical infotainment screen on the Captur you will find manual switches for the air con. And I loved the slave controls for the radio which are located to the right of the steering wheel, which meant I could change stations and volume with my small finger!
There is room for three adults in the back seat, but if you have only two it would probably be more comfortable for the occupants. In the petrol version, the boot size is an impressive 484 litres, but with the hybrid technology located in the boot space in the hybrid version is reduced to 348 litres.
The Captur is available in 1.0-litre, three-cylinder TCe 90 petrol engine with a six-speed manual gearbox or the 1.6 E-Tech Hybrid 145 auto. When I picked up the car on Monday morning, the range on my hybrid version with a full tank of petrol on board, was an impressive 850km. It’s certainly a frugal engine and the petrol gauge was the only slow-moving item in the car.
This is a neat, lively and comfortable car to travel in. And with a few French flags brightening the interior you will never forget that you are driving a French-made car.
Prices start at €29,120 for the Evolution TCe90 version while the Esprit Alpine e-Tech full Hybrid version I drove will cost you €39,815.
