Family car review: Renault Captur 1.5 diesel

Renaults Captur is a small family car which looks like an SUV and has a higher seating position than the standard hatchback. Prices start at under €20,000 new, meaning it is within budget for most families, and makes a neat ‘second’ car for some, too. It is not much longer than the Renault Clio, but offers more space inside. It looks quite young and funky, especially with some ‘personalisation’ options fitted, but more of that later. Sounds great, right? We recently checked the Captur out for a week to see if it is as good as it sounds.

Inside the Captur feels quite airy, and bigger than it looks from the outside. You sit high up in the driver’s seat, although the seats are not particularly supportive at the sides. The back bench slides back and forth so there’s oodles of space for taller passengers. The touch screen pictured here is best of these types of screens we have tested on any car – it is large, not too high up, and had big, easy to read graphics for things like radio stations. On many cars these are simply too complicated to use on the move, but Renault has not made this mistake.

Another clever feature on this car which, in our opinion should be a feature on every family car is the zippable seat covers on all seats, which can be easily removed for cleaning. Spilled drinks, food, and mud can be easily washed away which is great for hygiene and also means keeping your Captur pristine inside is simple. Some of the plastics in the cabin are a little hollow, but the colours are quite neutral so any scratching will not be too noticeable.

The Captur is quite smooth to drive as small cars go – you don’t feel the bumps on the road too much around town. It leans slightly in corners because it is tall, and it turns sharply which is good for tight manoeuvres in car parks. There is a petrol and a diesel engine available, both of which will suit city or low mileage drivers, although the 1.5 diesel is the only one that offers enough power for faster roads outside the city. It is €1,800 more expensive than the petrol car, but the fuel economy impressed us when we drove it – we used just €20 diesel all week which is impressive.

Back to those ‘personalisation’ options. Renault reckons that we should be able to spice up our cars looks to suit ourselves, rather than having to choose from basic standard colours like on most models. You can select from all sorts of fun exterior colour combinations including options like an orange roof and alloy wheels. It doesn’t stop there either; inside you can add a splash of colour to the seats and dashboard. And I have to say, we really fancy the orange inside too!

Prices start at €19,390 for the 0.9 petrol ‘Life’ model, and €21,390 for the 1.5 diesel ‘Life’ version. Life specification includes cruise control, automatic wipers and headlights, fog lights, alloys, four electric windows and an onboard computer. You must spend an extra €1,300 to jump to ‘Intense’ specification which adds the multimedia touch screen including sat nav, and some fancy chrome and piano black styling parts inside and outside the car. Renault’s are now sold from new with a five year unlimited mileage warranty.

Is there loads of storage space?

Storage space comes close to what you would expect to find in a family hatchback like a Renault Megane or Toyota Auris. The Captur’s storage party trick is that the rear bench slides back and forth so you can adjust the amount of space for passengers and luggage to suit your needs. There’s an extra storage compartment under the boot floor, and the boot loading bay is high so there is no bending down to get things out.

Is it baby friendly?

There’s two Isofix child seat mounts, and as the seating is quite high it is easier for Mum’s to get in and out with babies. The rear door length is not as big as in some family hatchbacks though. With two baby seats in place there will only be room for a very small child in the rear middle seat. The sliding rear bench makes it easier to reach babies from the driver’s seat.

Is parking easy?

Overall yes, the high driving position, large mirrors, and short length of the Captur means tight spaces shouldn’t give you the parking fear! However the rear pillars are quite thick meaning the view out the rear window could be better, and parking sensors are optional on even the top spec car. We advise fitting parking sensors if you spend a lot of time in school car parks – smaller children are sometimes harder to see behind taller cars.

What about safety?

The Captur has a 5 star Ncap safety rating, with a 79% child safety score. The Captur scored the full twelve marks available for protection of an eighteen month old child in a baby seat. There’s six airbags, hill start assist and stability control fitted standard to all Capturs.

Verdict:

Thumbs Up:

A fun family option

Clever family friendly features

Incredibly cheap to run

Strong safety record

Thumbs down:

Some bigger cars are similarly priced or cheaper

Some cheap interior plastics

Mummypages Ratings:

Baby friendliness: 4/5

Safety: 4/5