Geneva show: Renault gives Captur mid-life makeover

RENAULT has refreshed its cute Captur crossover in time for next week’s Geneva motor show, adding just a light dusting of cosmetic updates headlined by new LED exterior lighting, the availability of a panoramic glass roof and fresh colour schemes.

A mystery new Captur variant is also promised to emerge from the silk sheets during the official reveal in the Swiss capital on March 7.

The Captur has gained additional personalisation potential as part of this facelift, with 30 possible colour combinations and six interior trim options.

But Renault is keeping its powder dry on what the new cabin will look like until the big day at Geneva, simply indicating it has been “redesigned for enhanced quality”.

A reflection of the cabin material and build quality improvements applied in mid-2016 to the Clio light hatch is expected, plus the potential addition of Renault’s latest R-Link multimedia touchscreen system.

Spotting the Captur’s exterior styling changes requires a side-by-side comparison, with the most obvious being the C-shaped illuminated strips in the lower bumper, above which are all-new full-LED headlights.

The slatted grille has been replaced with a grid-like design featuring upper trim strips either side of the oversized Renault badge, giving the Captur a more upmarket look and a stronger family resemblance with its larger Kadjar and Koleos SUV siblings.

Providing both more bling and a faux-rugged look are silver mock bash-plates front and rear, while the new tail-light clusters incorporate graphics that reference the front-end’s C-shaped illumination signature.

Atcama Orange and Ocean Blue have been added to the Captur customisation palette, along with Platinum Gray for the contrasting roof.

The new full-length fixed glass roof exclusive to up-spec variants that have been optioned with a two-tone colour scheme and four new alloy wheel designs have been created in 16- and 17-inch sizes.

Further colour contrasts can be applied to the wheel bolts and door panel strips, which can be had in Ivory, Ocean Blue, Cappuccino, Red and Atacama Orange, while interior combinations now include Ivory, Ocean Blue, Caramel, Red, Satin Chrome and Patina Chrome.

Renault makes no mention of drivetrain updates, but the refreshed Clio on which it is based also looks decidedly familiar under the bonnet in updated form – save for the addition of a new 1.5-litre turbo-diesel that is unlikely to be seen in Australia.

Current Australian-market Capturs are powered by either a manual-only 0.9-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine or 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol with automatic transmission.

The Captur may be the best-selling small SUV in Europe with 215,670 sold last year, but in Australia just eight examples left showrooms in January compared with 59 the same time last year, following a 3.2 per cent sales slide across 2016 with a total of 1563 finding homes – a figure regularly eclipsed in one month by the Mitsubishi ASX and Mazda CX-3.

Renault Australia has confirmed that the facelifted Captur will arrive locally later in the year, but specific timing will be dependent on availability for the Australian market.