The Renault Captur dominated the compact crossover segment in 2017, finishing the year in the number one position with 29.8% share. So when the opportunity came to drive the latest facelifted version, it had to be done. Walking up to the freshened Captur put a smile on my face with its cheeky but still chunky styling. The new version comes with added chrome strips as well as improved feel and quality of materials in the cabin. Climbing in you can feel the step up in quality is not dissimilar to its big brother the Koleos, but it still keeps the fun factor. On the technology front the little Renault comes with enough to make life easy but still keeping it simple. You get a simple cruise control system and an R-LINK infotainment system that is very easy to use and comes with Android auto connectivity. The test car came with the ubiquitous 1.5-litre diesel engine used all across the Renault and Dacia ranges with varying amounts of success. This car produces 90bhp, which feels like a perfect fit for this car.

The power is transmitted to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. The space in the Captur is good for this class of car but by no means cavernous. There is plenty of room across the back for two baby seats and a buggy in the boot, but very little else.

On the road

The diesel engine is very good in this car and produces sufficient power to make the Captur very driveable. On the motorway the Renault Captur gets up to the national limit very comfortably and cruises very smoothly. On a longer drive I found it to be very comfortable and extremely frugal.

Off the main roads the Captur is surprisingly fun for what is just a Clio on stilts. It isn’t sporty but the simplicity of it makes it feel like more fun than it should be. Cabin noise is very low with no need to turn up the wireless unless you are really thrashing the diesel engine. In many of these cars their top-heavy nature does not lead to a decent handling prospect, but that was not the case here.

The Renault engineers have endowed the car with plenty of grip, no end of cornering ability and a ride quality which is not far short of your standard supermini. In and around the town the Captur is very well behaved and soaks up the choppiest of speed bumps with ease making full use of the extra suspension travel given by the extra height over a standard supermini.

Verdict

The Captur is very good, so good in fact that I was very surprised by it. I was expecting a bland and not-very-interesting car but it turned out to be a simple but really quite characterful little car that punches well above its weight. The combination of these factors along with the well-matched diesel engine, make for a driving experience that is far ahead of what one might reasonably expect. Throw in excellent comfort levels and a top-specification and you have a package which amounts to considerably more than the sum of its parts. Renault has also thrown stuff at this car such as washable seat covers — sorry, ‘Removable Zip Collection’ upholstery — and it makes for an intriguing package. With this combination of simplicity and fun I can see why this car accounted for nearly one third of all the cars in this class sold last year and this facelift will see it at least holding this strong position in the market.