Johannesburg - Renault’s facelifted Captur has arrived in South Africa sporting mildly updated styling inside and out and a few pricing and specification tweaks, chief among them being a new base model that’s quite a lot cheaper than before.
The new 0.9T Blaze replaces the previous Expression model, and undercuts it by R20 000, bringing the base price of the range down to R229 900.
However, it has lost a few nice-to-have features in the process with items like Renault’s MediaNav touchscreen infotainment system, rear park distance control and automatic climate control no longer on the standard features list.
Not that it’s much consolation but the Blaze does gain auto headlights and in all fairness it still packs more features than you’d expect at this level. These include 16-inch alloy wheels, manual air conditioning, cruise control, audio system with R&Go smartphone pairing via Bluetooth, steering wheel controls, and there’s the obligatory ABS brakes, ESC stability control as well as front and side airbags.
The Dynamique grade continues as before, and apart from offering a wider selection of engines, which we’ll get to shortly, the flagship adds the following items: 17-inch diamond-cut alloys, bi-tone paintwork, MediaNav touch-screen with satnav, automatic climate control, leather steering wheel and rear park distance control.
The engine range continues unchanged, giving buyers three options:
- 66kW, 135Nm, 0.9-litre, three-cylinder turbopetrol
- 88kW, 190Nm, 1.2-litre, four-cylinder turbopetrol
- 66kW, 220Nm, 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel
The only change the facelift brings is that the 1.2-litre turbopetrol is now available with a manual gearbox, in addition to the existing EDC dual-clutch transmission.
So what’s new on the design front?
As mentioned, the exterior styling changes are subtle, but the Captur does get new headlights along with a new front bumper incorporating large C-shaped LED daytime running lights, a redesigned upper grille with chromed edging, new skid plates built into the bumpers and a fresh lighting pattern in the taillights.
It’s the same subtle tweak story inside, where things are perked up with new satin chrome trimmings, a redesigned gear lever and some additional storage options.
As before, the Captur comes with a sliding rear seat that allows you to vary the level of boot space on offer, from 377 litres to 455 litres depending on the amount of rear legroom required.
PRICES
0.9T Blaze 66kW/135NmR229 9000.9T Dynamique 66kW/135NmR269 9001.2T Dynamique 88kW/190NmR294 9001.2T Dynamique EDC 88kW/190NmR309 9001.5 dCi Dynamique 66kW/220NmR294 900
ALTERNATIVES (R200 000 - R300 000)
Ford EcoSport 1.5 Ambiente82kW/138NmR252 900Ford EcoSport 1.0T Trend92kW/170NmR280 900Ford EcoSport 1.5 TDCi Trend74kW/205NmR283 900Fiat 500X 1.6 Pop81kW/152NmR279 900Fiat 500X 1.6 Pop Star81kW/152NmR299 900Haval H2 1.5T City105kW/202NmR244 900Haval H2 1.5T Luxury105kW/202NmR274 900Mazda CX-3 2.0 Active115kW/204NmR284 800Nissan Juke 1.2T Acenta85kW/190NmR296 900Peugeot 2008 1.6 HDi Active68kW/230NmR284 900Peugeot 2008 1.2T Active81kW/205NmR299 900Suzuki Vitara 1.6 GL+86kW/151NmR271 900