We already know the new update of one of the best-selling compact SUVs in our country: the 2024 Renault Captur is updated to continue garnering sales and followers with a design, technology and modularity proposal that had not been seen before in the segment. The new Renault Captur It is more than an important SUV for Renault, it is responsible since 2013 for accumulating the number of 2.2 million cars of the more than 8 million who have left the Valladolid factory of the brand since 1953, as you can see the importance of this car goes beyond its 2024 proposal since it means employment and that Renault considers Valladolid as its second home.
If we say that the new Renault Captur of 2024 is a product 100% made in Spain, we can extend it to 110% since the design language of the Captur presented in Madrid on April 3 is the work and art of Paula Fabregat, Director of Renault design projects, without a doubt a major detail that makes this car have a sweeping personality in the segment. Today we delve into Paula's mind, the technique of the Valladolid production team and the news of Renault's best-selling SUV.
Valladolid, Palencia, Seville and Renault
If we have to contextualize the importance (although I hate to say it) of the B-SUV or compact SUV in our market in terms of sales numbers, we have to say that they represent the 25% approx. about the sales car totals. That is, of four cars sold in Spain, 1 of them is an SUV like the Captur. Within this portion of the cake the 69% are sales of gasoline cars In all its modalities, you see where the shots are going. If we have to go further ashore, of the Best-selling B-SUV We have to position the Captur as the top that we have known since 2019 with 91,000 units sold, the Peugeot 2008 in second place with 88,000 units sold and to cite one of the alliance, we have the Nissan Juke in the middle of the table with 62,000 units sold. As you can see, it is of capital importance for Renault and it bets everything, as I will tell you below, on improve and renew a car that on its own was already pretty good.
The Valladolid factory has been preparing for the future for two years in what is called «4th industrialization plan«, this factory has been adapting to host the production of the 2024 Captur, attacking production demands with a significant jump in production. digitization of the processes, in the adaptation of the equipment to include the new driving aids and all this to remain faithful to the commitments environmental measures to reduce factory consumables savings by up to 30%. In this sense, we will soon learn more details about the new Renault C-SUV, the so-called Renault Symbioz that will share a factory and equipment upon its more than imminent arrival in our market.
Palencia and Seville would not be left out of this 4th plan either, since Austral and Espace were born in the heart of Palencia and will have the production of the Rafale. For its part, the Seville Refactorywhich after 50 years specialized in the manufacture of gearboxes, has become the first innovation center of Renault Group in Spain and will continue to dedicate itself entirely to mobility and the circular economy, betting on the development of accessible, sustainable mobility solutions. , without carbon emissions.
The new Renault Captur of 2024
Contextualizing the importance of the model in a historical way, we are going to delve into the first sensations when seeing and touching the Captur, since it was a static presentation I was not able to drive it, but knowing the engines that are going to be fitted, at first I can get an idea. Let's get to it:
Design
In this part I transfer to you the words of Paula Fabregat:
Maintaining the strengths that have made it a success to date, New Captur gains personality with new, more athletic and dynamic proportions. Completely transformed, its horizontal front, graphic and technological in its expression, gives it a strong identity.
In the new Captur and returning to the most interesting points of Paula Fabregat's intervention in the presentation, I have to say that the new front design It seems like a great success to me. We went from more rounded and classic lines to a design that directly attacks the most direct competitor, the Peugeot 2008, which within the segment is the one with the most sporty and athletic suit. The most notable change is on the front, with a calender in three styles which makes the hood rise and be more horizontal. I say grille in three styles since, from bottom to top, we will have air intake, a more classic second third and a third that intersperses transparencies and body color.
The LED groups at first gave me the sensation of being reformulated through those of the Clio that we have already tested on the portal, but as Paula Fabregat said, the design is more typical with more elongated and thinner silhouettes that are part of the new design language of the brand and the language of the car itself. This verticality is born from the logo (this time of moderate size) creating a sensation of waves due to all the rhombuses that arise from the logo to the full LED optical groups available throughout the range. This verticality is completely broken with the daytime running lights that simulate lightning and are the culmination of the Captur's personality.
Side and backThey maintain the most conservative cut of the design, since 90% of the looks and photos that the attendees took were precisely of the new design, but returning to the side we see how the silhouette is continuous, without major changes until we reach the rear . At the back, the new optical groups stand out above all, this time similar to those of the Clio, with transparent tulips, the inclusion of the new logo and a redesigned diffuser. Three changes to provide something new, but as I say again: very continuous side and rear.
What is not continuous is the range of finishes and colors. In this sense, Renault is once again betting on simplifying the range and leaving three finishes; the well-known evolution and techno to which the Esprit Alpine finish is added for the first time. He evolution finish It will be the entry finish with a 17″ wheel and plastic details on the body. Next is the finish, which I estimate will sell the most, techno with 18″ rim and glossy plastic protectors and finally the top finish Esprit Alpine with the 19″ wheel, satin black logos, gloss black door surrounds and other sportier details.
Finally, I was able to learn more about the Esprit Alpine finish in lightning blue and the techno version in pearly white (like the photos that illustrate the article), but the entire range is made up of 14 combinations color and two-tone bodywork.
Inside
The best thing about the interior is without a doubt the integration with Android Automotive 12, which is the most typical system of the Austral and Espace, reaches the B-SUV segment with the Captur. Exclusively, Renault gives a very important sales argument by providing the Captur with, possibly, the best infotainment system of the moment and this is what an Apple Carplay fan tells you. We have a 10.4-inch console with a good resolution of 960×1280 pixels commanded by its own system Open R Link If it works just as well in the Clio, it will undoubtedly be one of the strong points that we defend when we test the car intensively.
Strongly hyperconnected, we do not forget that it is a generalist car that wants to stand out for its interior modularity and offer a pleasant driving experience. In the few minutes that I was able to touch qualities and adjust the comfort of the seat I leave with good sensations. In the absence of traveling with it, it seems to me like a very well-finished car that, with and without a sporty air, is perfectly adapted to daily and long-distance trips. I also leave with a good taste in my mouth (and tell me things) knowing that the interior chrome plating is eliminated and that synthetic leather (TEP fabric) continues to be used as the norm throughout Renault without giving up the feeling of quality and betting, as you know by recycled and recyclable materials and of biological origin such as hemp or linen.
For the most sybarites, among whom I include myself, the Captur evolves from the Bose sound system to an option Harman Kardon of 9 speakers that I am looking forward to configuring since the acoustic experiences have been designed by Jean Michel Jarre (from Oxygen, Pop Corn or Equinoxe) and for the more technological ones, I can tell you that we will also have FOTA updates (Firmware Over The Air) and connectivity with more than 50 apps, even if we only connect Spotify it is good to know that we have it available.
Engines
The crown, for me will be the Captur with E-Tech Full Hybrid engine, definitely. It seems to me to be one of the top hybrid engines on the current market and after testing it for a week in the Clio and in more detail the Captur that we have at home, I reaffirm myself. The purchase without a doubt is the roof finish with this engine. To remind you of the details: 1.6-liter engine with 145 HP – 205 Nm of torque. A four-cylinder engine assembly combined with two electric motors and a gearbox.
intelligent multimode changes that give us a WLTP consumption of 4.7 – 4.9 l/100 km and the possibility of doing 80% in electric mode within the city, my best figure is 69% and improving.
If the hybrid becomes too expensive for any reason, we have more varied gasoline options:
- 1.0 TCE turbo 90 HP – 160 Nm of torque: three-cylinder engine combined with six-speed manual gearbox. Consumption: 5.8 – 5.9 l/100 km.
- 1.3 TCE mild hybrid turbo 140 HP – 260 Nm of torque: four-cylinder engine combined with six-speed manual gearbox. Consumption: 5.8 – 5.9 l/100 km.
- 1.3 TCE mild hybrid turbo 160 HP – 270 Nm of torque: four-cylinder engine combined with an EDC automatic gearbox. Fuel consumption: 5.8 – 5.9 l/100 km.
And of course the sacrosanct engine with LPG option, which I tested in the Dacia Sandero Stepway Extreme Go a few months ago, an engine 1.0 TCE turbo 100 HP – 160 Nm of torque (170 Nm in LPG), three-cylinder bi-fuel gasoline/LPG combined with a six-speed manual gearbox. A solvent and fair engine, but very worthy for our daily life. I invite you to learn more about it in the Dacia test.
First conclusions
On paper, the change is manifest and I will summarize it for you by the points where they have given us the most emphasis:
- Design: more aggressive to compete in the segment and more adapted, on the one hand, to the “nouvelle vague” of Renaulution (take French words) and, on the other, to what the market demands.
- Technology: at the moment above the sector and by far. Especially in ADAS and infotainment.
As a to-do list we are left with the following:
- Check how you apply the new efficiency of the hybrid engine in consumption.
- Test the new changes in the chassis of the Renault Captur and its shock absorbers redesigned
- In-depth test of ADAS and Android Automotive 12.
With all this, we are making an appointment to discuss all these points, do you think?
