It’s extremely difficult to make a compact crossover seem interesting, but with the plug-in hybrid Captur Renault is giving it a very good go. See, not only is it the first of these things to be available with the fuel-saving plug-in hybrid setup, said setup is also derived from actual Formula One technology. Uh huh.
Which particular bit of the system came Renault F1 is quite difficult to establish, but the racing team appears to have been involved in developing the ‘dog clutch’ gearbox – which is, in fact, clutchless – and in consulting on overall power management to help reduce power loss throughout the system. According to Renault, that equates to “more thrust for longer periods”.
The plug-in system works by combining two electric motors and a 9.8kWh battery pack to a 1.6-litre petrol engine. The main electric motor provides zero emissions drive, while a secondary smaller motor acts largely as a boost for the petrol motor. They can all work in tandem, too.
The result is a 28-mile range in electric only mode at speeds up to 83mph, or up to 40 when the car is consigned to town speeds, and Renault is at pains to point out that the car will retain full acceleration capability even when the battery is too flat to go it alone, and that the car will always start in EV mode.
If true this is something of a breakthrough because plug-in hybrids tend to relegate their battery pack to a brick once it’s empty, and until the car is plugged in again. This situation has a catastrophic effect on fuel consumption when plug-in hybrids are driven long distances on a single journey.
Total system output for the E-Tech plug-in is 160bhp, yet Renault claims a 188mpg fuel consumption figure and 34g/km CO2.
And the cost for this: £30,495. Ouch. As with all plug-in hybrids, therefore, it makes less sense as a private purchase (the Captur range begins at £17,595) and is really a tax-friendly company car choice. It’s worth noting also that the boot capacity drops significantly as compared to a standard Captur: 379 litres, down from 526 owing to a battery pack being in there. Hybrid aside, the Captur’s boot is 81 litres bugger than before.
The new Captur range is on sale now with first deliveries expected in June. As standard the car comes with climate control, seven-inch touchscreen infotainment including Apple and Android compatibility, electric windows and a suite of safety systems – lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, cruise control, that sort of thing.
If you want a set of alloys you’ll have to go up to a mid-range Iconic model, priced from £19,095. With that you’ll get 17-inch rims, navigation, two-tone paint and front fog lamps. That’s probably the one to go for.
Four engines are available, plug-in aside, starting with a 99bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine mated to a five-speed gearbox. It returns 47.1mpg according to Renault. A 1.3-litre four-cylinder unit completes the petrol lineup, coming with either 129bhp or 153bhp, and you can have either of those with a seven-speed DSG. Economy is in the mid-40s for both.
Diesel power is handled by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder block with two outputs: 95bhp or 115bhp. A six-speed manual is standard issue and economy is rated at 58.9mpg with 108g/km CO2, regardless of power.
Keyword: Groundbreaking Renault Capture E-Tech plug-in hybrid, yours for £30,000