When it comes to selecting your next car, do you choose beauty over brains? Style over smarts? Do opposites really attract?
- What’s their back story?
- What’s its core appeal?
- So, do you have any talents?
- Does beauty fade?
- Does geekiness evolve?
- What is it like to live with?
- Will it steal my heart?
- Am I going to be embarrassed in a social setting?
- Is this going to be an expensive exercise?
- Is it a keeper?
Spoilt for choice and yet stuck in our ways. Buying a new car could be your chance to expand your horizons. Or not.
There are so many cars to choose from today that all offer something different, and sometimes a bit the same. But a tale as old as time makes it simple to split the pack – the beauties and the geeks.
Some cars are pure style that love attention and just look the part with perfect proportions, sleek lines, gorgeous curves glistening paintwork.
In contrast, others offer something a little left-field. While they may look pretty decent, they specialise in something other than style, whether it’s smart tech, off-roading ability, clever safety features or advanced powertrains. They’re more of an acquired taste.
So what’s it going to be: the beauty or the geek? We’ve put two unlikely pairings head-to-head to see the merits in choosing the beauty that turns heads for its looks or the geek that gains attention for its capabilities or its superfan nature.
What’s their back story?
The Renault Captur hails from a French manufacturer but this particular model is built in Spain. There’s nothing we don’t like about that blended family.
The Honda Civic Type R on the other hand is of Japanese heritage and is built in the United Kingdom. Again, solid foundations right there.
The Honda Civic has worn the Type R badge since 1997 and continues to hone its performance credentials with every generation.
By those standards, the Renault Captur is a relative newcomer, first shown to the world in 2013. The second-generation Captur arrived Down Under in April and an updated Type R late last year, ahead of its replacement some time in 2022.
What’s its core appeal?
The Renault Captur oozes sophistication and with recent updates inside and out, it has more French swagger than you can throw a baguette at.
This compact city-savvy SUV is fit for style-conscious buyers who value looks over lap times and heated seats over handling prowess. The Captur is primed for city-based duties and winery-bound weekends.
And then there’s the Honda Civic Type R that is unashamedly brutal in its design and handling. The transition from road to racetrack is simple for the Type R, which holds lap records around the world.
You don’t like it? Fine. Honda knows its target market – visceral beasts – and they love it. Anything less than a balls-out, unapologetic design would fall on deaf ears.
So, do you have any talents?
The Honda is a giant-killer, punching well above its weight in the performance car world. It’s versatile too, but in a different way, transitioning from roundabout to racetrack with ease. Not sure how your car insurer will feel about that though.
The hardest part will be getting hold of one, with enthusiasts quickly snapping up local allocations of the updated model and the swansong limited-edition.
The Renault Captur’s talents are far less exciting but equally sought-after – its party trick is family-friendly versatility. *yawns*
Does beauty fade?
The French are well known for ageing gracefully – they have some super-gene that allows them to get better with age. And this too is true of the 2021 Renault Captur.
In its latest generation, the Captur’s character has matured and it’s now noticeably different to its predecessor. But with that constant evolution comes the risk of always needing to upgrade. Maybe it’s better to trust in good genes, resisting the temptation to keep up with the Joneses?
Does geekiness evolve?
Hold on! The apparent geekiness of the Honda Civic Type R should be protected at all costs. Hard lines, ill-proportioned add-ons and a steadfast dedication to standing out from the crowd.
These are the values that make the Type R an icon. Of course it has evolved over the years, but it’s never been one to conform to mainstream design or duties. Buyers respect the compromise.
What is it like to live with?
Day-to-day behind the wheel these two are worlds apart – as you’d expect. The Captur is plush, comfortable and ergonomically delightful. It’ll carry five passengers and all your gear with ease.
The Honda Civic Type R is raw, heart-racing impracticality at its finest. With just room for four occupants, the Type R is less family and more friend-zone. These here are basic life choices.
A garage that houses both of these vehicles would be a happy balance and an Instagrammer’s delight.
Will it steal my heart?
The Renault feels like a whimsical French fling that you may well stick with for some time – perhaps even long-term – while your wandering eye delivers vicarious satisfaction. The comfort, amenity and liveability of the Renault will please a lot of buyers on an everyday basis.
The Honda is your ride-or-die type of love. You’ll probably get a tattoo to prove it next time you go to Bali – Go Type R or Go Home. It stamps a time in your life when cars came first. It’s not for everyone.
Am I going to be embarrassed in a social setting?
Yes. And no. Perhaps think of it this way. Tell me you’re a stylish family guy who manscapes and sips Syrah without telling me “I drive a Renault Captur”.
Tell me you’re a hedonistic beast with growing back pain that fancies themselves as a race car driver without telling me “I drive a Honda Civic Type R”.
In their natural habitat, neither of these vehicles will make you question your choice.
Is this going to be an expensive exercise?
Give into to your Ricky Bobby ways and the Honda Civic Type R will set you back $54,990 (plus on-road costs). That’s around $20K over the asking price for the top-spec Renault Captur Intens (from $34,990), so those Sparco hightops may have to wait.
Both vehicles sip premium 95RON fuel but the Captur’s smaller capacity turbo-petrol engine is more efficient than the Honda’s (6.6 v 8.8L/100km) and the Type R’s 12-month/10,000km service intervals will see you at the dealer’s door more frequently.
The Captur also wins where the box-tick, more-is-more test is concerned, with a longer equipment list than the Honda – including blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, road sign recognition and satellite navigation all standard.
On the other hand, maybe 20-inch alloys, a body kit and rear diffuser are your idea of value?
Is it a keeper?
If you consider the space time continuum… Wait. What?
It’s a far more simple process to dissect the ramifications of a long-term hook-up with either of these two vehicles.
The Captur brings European style and family-friendly versatility in a universally accepted SUV body style. It’s a safe bet.
The Honda Civic Type R brings extreme thrills in a slightly compromised four-seat hatchback that few will truly understand. It’s polarising in the best possible way – you do you.
Keyword: Beauty and the Geek Comparison: Honda Civic Type R v Renault Captur