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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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We ride away in the 2016 Renault Captur Sunset Edition

Grab and enjoy

Posted: 5 Nov 2016

The numbers
Price: R292 400
Engine: 1461 cc, SOHC, eight-valve turbodiesel
Power: 66 kW at 4400 rpm
Torque: 220 Nm at 1750 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 13.1 seconds
Maximum speed: 171 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6.0 l/100 km
Tank: 45 litres
Luggage: 377 – 455 – 1235 litres
Ground clearance: 200 mm
Warranty: 5 years / 150 000 km
Service plan: 3 years / 45 000 km at 15 000 km intervals

Rounding out the engine line-up for Renault’s Captur range of small Crossovers is the Alliance’s K9K, 1.5-litre, turbodiesel that joined the introductory pair of petrol motors this past July. Renault’s most-sold engine worldwide, it boasts significantly reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emission levels (up to 35 percent lower). The secret is in the innovative turbocharging architecture that simplifies air admission for higher output.

Like the 900 cc turbopetrol motor, it develops 66 kilowatts, which doesn’t sound like much, but the secret is in the Newton-metres. There are 220 of them; 63 percent more than you get with the little petrol motor. Without getting boringly technical, this thing pulls like two big carthorses rather than one.

Trotting along at 2300 rpm at 120 km/h in top (fifth) gear, it shrugs off hills and never seems stressed. The kind of engine that makes diesel-heads so tiresome and predictable once you allow them into polite company, it’s that good.

And what better way to celebrate adding this engine to the line-up than by launching a 100-unit special release? It’s called the Sunset Limited Edition and is aimed at younger buyers and recycled teenagers. Fundamentally a 1.5 dCi, 66kW Turbo Dynamique, it comes only in Diamond Black with Sunset Orange highlights on the roof; mirror caps; front, rear and side trims; ventilator bezels; MediaNav console; zip-off seat covers and door speaker surrounds. As a final flourish, a soupçon of amber is drizzled artistically onto the steering wheel too.

The gear shift is smooth and positive, there is plenty of space for big left feet to reach the footrest, steering is light and easy, the dials are clear and the seven-inch touch screen with its half-dozen menus is straightforward. Thankfully, music volume and air controls are separate and consist of simple buttons and knobs. The car feels solidly built and fit and finish is good. Dash and door panels are of hard plastic but so are those in some more expensive vehicles.

All that this will cost you, above the price of a regular diesel Dynamique, is R2500. Considering that’s the normal surcharge for a metallic paint job, the upgrade is actually free, so grab and enjoy while there are still some available.

Standard equipment is substantial for a just-sub R300 000 car with the only “cost cutting” being four airbags rather than the now almost universal six. Apart from automatic locking and touch-button unlocking with push-button starting, there is the usual braking and handling kit, multimedia equipment, hill start assist, auto-on headlights and wipers, cornering fog lamps, automatic air conditioning with quick defrost, satellite navigation, tyre pressure sensor, parking alarms and reversing camera.

Space is good, with a medium-sized boot that can be expanded (+ 78 litres) by sliding the back seat forward a few inches. This cramps knee space somewhat but that’s more than adequate when it’s moved back again. Head- and foot room is plentiful for what is essentially a small car. Below the reversible floor board (carpet or rubberised sides) is a square box, 23 centimetres deep, that could be used for hidden storage or simply for expanding the main boot. The spare is a steel spacesaver.

Although the petrol options offered by Captur are excellent pieces of machinery, we like this one best. Apart from the long term fuel savings one enjoys with a diesel, its easy-driving day-to-day performance makes it a winner too.

Test unit from Renault SA press fleet



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This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

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