The Renault Captur is here and boy was it worth the wait! With those looks and the attractive introductory price-bracket, it doesn’t just put all the compact SUVs on red alert, but also the C-segment sedans, mainly - the Honda City, Hyundai Verna and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. Price-wise, the Captur does fall in the same space as the sedans. But has Renault tried to capture two segments with its Captur? Should you really consider the newest offering from the French carmaker over the more established sedans? Let’s look at it objectively, shall we?!
Performance
All the cars in this spec comparison are offered with petrol and diesel engines. As far as the diesel power and torque figures are concerned, the Captur pips the Maruti and the Honda but falls behind the Hyundai. When we compare the petrol motors, the Captur only manages to outshine the Maruti, as the Honda and Hyundai are considerably more powerful. The Captur also lacks an automatic transmission, making do with a manual gearbox. The Captur isn’t even as frugal as the sedans in the equation. Based on the above table alone, the Captur doesn’t seem to add up. But the story doesn’t end here.
This is where the Renault Captur starts to fight back. Sure, it isn’t as long as the sedans but it is the widest and the tallest among all. What’s more, its 210mm ground clearance is more than even some full-sized SUVs! You may brush off the Captur’s 392 litres boot space as too less, but drop the passenger seat back and the luggage space expands up to a 1,352 litres. None of the sedans, with their three-box profiles can match that.
Features
Here’s the list of major features that are available on the Captur but not on its rivals:
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Floating indicators
- All-round body cladding
- Rear wiper with washer
- Smart Card Access
- Optional Dual Tone Body Paint
- Impact sensing door unlock and speed sensing door lock as standard
Let’s look at the flip side of the story now. Mentioned below are the main features which are missing in the Captur but are available in at least one of the sedans:
- Sunroof (Both the City and the Verna offer it)
- Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility (The Ciaz has only Apple CarPlay)
- Ventilated seats (Hyundai Verna has it)
- Hands-free boot operation (Hyundai Verna has it)
- 6 airbags (Both the City and the Verna offer them)
- Auto Day/Night IRVM
- Telescopic steering adjust (Both the City and the Verna offer it)
The Renault Captur misses out on some important features in its kitty, most of which are rapidly becoming part of the norm. Sure, the Captur does offer some unique features over the sedans but they aren’t as impactful as the ones it misses out on. Hence, the Captur falls short in the features battle compared to the sedans.
Price And Warranty
(Note: Price for the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S has been included as well)
The Captur is available in seven different variants (10 if you count the dual-tone ones). Of these only three are petrol variants, while the rest are diesels, including the Platine variant which is offered only with the diesel-spec. It is this fully-loaded variant that gets those floating headlamps, 4 airbags, ESC, hill start assist and full LED headlamps. However, the Platine dual-tone variant is also the most expensive compared to the sedans.
If we look at the petrol engine option and the compare the prices of the fully-loaded models, the Captur does seem to have an edge over the City and the Verna. However, there is no Platine variant here. Hence it doesn’t get all those creature comforts as the diesel one does. Moreover, the City and Verna offer things like automatic transmission, more powerful and frugal engines, a sunroof and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Even the less expensive Ciaz offers the convenience of an automatic gearbox.
Note: Renault has announced plans of introducing an automatic variant of the Captur sometime in future.
All in all, the Captur does seem to fall short on a number of fronts when compared to the sedans. Even its warranty period isn’t the best. At the end of the day, if you want a car that is more about personality, versatility and exclusivity, the Captur will surely check those boxes. However, if you want to get the best value for your money, unshakable peace of mind and don’t mind joining the herd, any of the other three sedans would do.
Source: cardekho.com
