The batteries for the hybrid system do cut into boot space, but there's a workaround that should help you juggle between boot and passenger space easily as needed. However, while it looks much like the car it replaced, the latest Captur is larger in all directions and boasts a flexible interior that's packaged more sensibly than before. If you listen harder, perhaps the Captur’s whistle has a nonchalant air.The Renault Captur E-TECH is based on the same platform as the Renault Clio, so it's not the biggest SUV going. I’m all in favour of cutting down on particulates and CO2 emissions while driving, but the lifetime carbon footprint of a car with both a traditional petrol engine and a sizeable battery is harder to fathom. While low running costs are great, I’m not entirely convinced that driving a hybrid is an entirely believable environmental solution.

They’re the sort of numbers that, not so long ago, you’d have been gloating over from a diesel. My typical mix of urban, countryside and A-road miles has seen the trip computer refuse to budge from a worst-case scenario of 52.5mpg, and it more often lingers around the 54.4mpg mark. It’s smooth, quiet, sufficiently powerful when you need it, and perhaps most of all, it’s impressively efficient. The other drive mode options are Sport and a configurable one called My Sense, neither of which I’ve yet really explored, but that’s really an indication of how nicely the Captur drivetrain works when left to its own devices. They also enjoy the raised ride height, and a recent visit to our local banger track even gave them a chance to try out tailgate spectating, although the practical boot more often plays host to a Large Munsterlander dog. I like how it looks, too, and so do the kids, who have also been fascinated by the Captur’s alternating drive modes – especially when that means using grubby fingers to select Eco driving via the touchscreen. That heart-stopping moment was once again in EV mode… Coincidence? Who knows?

But following that close shave on Bury Hill, I felt the weight of evidence was sufficient to share my suspicions in a test report.Īnd would you believe it? Five minutes after bidding farewell to photographer Pete following the shoot for these pages, a large deer hurled itself into the road at a distance from the Captur’s bonnet that could have been measured in fag-paper widths. But an Audi electric car engineer told me recently that you need to be travelling at somewhere close to 60mph to generate enough tyre noise to mask the sound of an internal-combustion engine.ĭriving in the countryside means speeds are often lower than that, or perhaps it’s just a different noise that’s confused the animals. After all, even when in EV mode the Captur isn’t actually silent, not least because there’s the audible whistle that Renault builds in to warn of the car’s approach, but also because there’s an appreciable amount of road noise from the big tyres. To be honest, on that October evening when I first noticed the high numbers of glowing eyes reflecting the Captur’s headlights back at me from both sides of the road, I thought I was being fanciful. Meanwhile, as a driver, I’ve appreciated the clear dashboard layout with straightforward rotary controls for the heating.Īlso impressive is the very well modulated regenerative braking mode for the hybrid powertrain that allows one-pedal driving in almost every situation, whether that’s (almost) stop-start town traffic, or slowing downhill or at a junction. When riding shotgun, a passenger seat with height adjustment and a decently sized touchscreen mean there’s plenty to keep the kids’ idle fingers occupied. Indeed, while I’ve been looking for qualities the Captur was never supposed to have, our family dog has enjoyed the flexibility of a back seat that slides back and forwards depending on where the space is needed, while the only complaint from the children has been over the surprising lack of rear cup-holders. On the other hand, the Captur’s charms clearly work for many, and on a more objective level, it’s pretty hard to find fault with its practical abilities. We all do those things of course, but a little more edginess about the styling and some zing to the handling would work for me.

Captur e tech hybrid