The exact reasons are unclear, but one thing is certain – cars from French automaker Renault haven’t found much favour in Singapore. Last year, it put just 121 new cars on the road, a paltry figure against segment competitor Toyota’s 3459 registrations. Heck, Porsche registered nearly three times as many cars as Renault did, and it was even outsold by ultra-luxury marque Bentley, which delivered 125 units.
However, that might be about to change with the Captur, Reanult’s first foray into compact-crossover territory. The reason for it wading into comparatively unknown waters is rather simple – a supermini, while inexpensive and functional, is far from sexy, whereas one that’s been given a tarting-up with butch “off-roader” looks (regardless of its ability to stray from the beaten path) is far more desirable.
Which is where the Clio-based Captur comes in. Whether or not you agree with its lurid orange-and-cream paintwork, it’s handsome, and if nothing else, quite striking to look at. This is complemented by tasteful chrome trim, matte black cladding and racy-looking two-tone wheels.
This is matched by an equally stylish interior, what with the stash pockets behind the front seats taking the form of angled bungee cords, a glossy black centre console and funkily patterned fabric seats (actually just seat covers which are interchangeable and washable).
Unfortunately, some switchgear (the window winders in particular) and cabin plastics tend to be more cheap than cheerful, but at least the Captur has a more practical interior than Renaults of old. The cupholders located on the centre tunnel are still laughably tiny, though the massive storage bin behind it and the doorbins that (Renault claims) are able to hold 1.5-litre bottles of water make up for that somewhat.
Since we’re on the subject of practicality, the Captur has a wheelbase 16mm longer than the Clio, which makes for better rear legroom, and with an overall height 116mm taller, it also bodes well for visibility. It’s also a cinch to manoeuvre around tighter spots, even though the Captur is 62mm longer than the Clio because a car with an overall length of 4122mm is still tiny by any stretch of the imagination 
Where the Captur really impresses is in how much standard kit it comes with. It has automatic wipers/lights, keyless entry/go (the car also automatically locks itself once you walk several metres away from it) and LED daytime running lights. Best of all, though, the Captur has an infotainment system with a 7-inch touchscreen as standard. Included in its functions are satellite navigation and a reverse-parking camera. Cool as that may be, the system’s touchscreen isn’t the most responsive, nor is the navigation software the most intuitive around.
That said, we’re inclined to forgive the wobbly switchgear and the infotainment’s wobbly interface in light of the $127,999 Renault is asking for the Captur. It isn’t what anyone might call bargain basement, but in light of the crossover’s general attractiveness and how it’s packed to the rafters with equipment, it’s great value for money.
Where it does fall apart for the Captur, however, is in the way it drives, which is a bit of a letdown, considering the turbo-diesel engine and 6-speed dual-clutch gearbox are more than up to the task. The 1.5-litre mill may “only” have 88bhp and feels rather agricultural (thankfully, this isn’t very evident when cocooned inside the cabin), but peak torque of 220Nm is developed at 1750rpm, which means the Captur is remarkably perky. Better still, we managed to return 15km per litre during our test – this is in spite of us thrashing it rather hard.
No, our biggest beef with the Captur isn’t in the way it handles (it’s a crossover, so we know it has its limitations), but in its ride quality, which is decidedly un-French. Unlike Renaults of yore, which tend to have brilliantly well-damped rides, delivering equal amounts of comfort and control, the Captur, well, doesn’t. It lurches into corners and clatters its way over even the smallest bumps. While the ride is far from abysmal, it’s also some way from good.
Thankfully, the rather wonky ride isn’t enough to dampen our enthusiasm for the Captur. It has a cheerful disposition (the orange paint job certainly helps there), is frighteningly frugal and is reasonably priced. It’s just about the most complete car Renault has in its model range at the moment, and if this doesn’t let the French automaker find some favour amongst the local car-buying public, perhaps nothing will.
DRIVETRAIN
TYPE Inline-4, 16-valves, turbo-diesel
CAPACITY 1461cc
BORE X STROKE 76mm x 80.5mm
COMPRESSION RATIO 15.6:1
MAX POWER 88bhp at 4000rpm
MAX TORQUE 220Nm at 1750rpm
POWER TO WEIGHT 72.5bhp per tonne
GEARBOX 6-speed dual-clutch with manual select
DRIVEN WHEELS Front
PERFORMANCE
0-100KM/H 13.5 seconds
TOP SPEED 170km/h
CONSUMPTION 25.6km/L (combined)
CO2 EMISSION 103g/km
SUSPENSION
FRONT MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
REAR Torsion beam, coil springs
BRAKES
FRONT / REAR Ventilated discs / Drums
TYRES
TYPE Michelin Primacy 3
SIZE 205/55 R17
SAFETY
AIRBAGS 4
TRACTION CONTROL ABS with ESC
MEASUREMENTS
LENGTH 4122mm
WIDTH 1778mm
HEIGHT 1566mm
WHEELBASE 2606mm
KERB WEIGHT 1213kg
TURNING CIRCLE 10.4m
BUYING IT
PRICE INCL. COE $127,999 (after $15k CEVS rebate)
WARRANTY 3 years/100,000km
WE SAY
+ Smart exterior styling, packed with upmarket equipment, reasonable price
– Some wobbly switchgear, wobbly handling, clattery ride quality
