SWEET OIL-SPOT

Renault’s tried and trusted 1,5-litre diesel is the engine the Captur’s been crying out for

EVERY so often, a car comes along that delights and frustrates in equal measure, and none more so than Renault’s Captur. With more than 4 000 examples of this stylish little crossover already plying our roads, there’s no doubt it’s been one of the marque’s most well-received models. But the powertrain combinations have perennially been hit-and-miss affairs; the pleasant manual ‘box is combined with the occasionally breathless three-pot turbopetrol, the punchier 1,2 is stifled by the divisive EDC transmission.

Now, with the addition of a turbodiesel manual model to the range, Renault appears to have finally hit that previously elusive engine/transmission sweet spot.

The carmaker has sensibly opted to apply its tried-andtested 1,5-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine – a unit that’s seen service in a wealth of models – to its compact crossover. Coupled with a five-speed manual ‘box, this unit’s modest 66 kw is shored up by a hearty 220 N.m at a low 1 750 r/min.

It’s a mechanically refined unit that is largely bereft of lag, smoothly ushering a satisfying swell of low-end torque into the meat of the rev range to make overtaking a more relaxed affair than in its peers. If I were to nit-pick, I’d say that the engine’s flexibility could just about justify an additional gear for relaxed motorway cruising.

Renault’s 3,6 L/100 km claimed fuel-consumption figure for this model is a touch lofty; but, even when largely ignoring the intricacies of frugal driving, the car returned a stillimpressive 4,5 L/100 km.

Dynamically, petrol and diesel are near indistinguishable, with the latter exhibiting a touch more nose-heaviness when driven with gusto on twistier sections of road. There’s still a slight choppiness to the ride, but those Clio-derived underpinnings make it a pleasantly engaging car to drive.

Coinciding with the diesel’s launch is the limited-edition Sunset styling package. These 100 diesel units are finished in black metallic paint with orange accents on such elements as the foglamp surrounds, roof, lower grille and rear nameplate holder, with a similar orange-on-black motif in the cabin.

In almost every respect, the diesel Captur has managed to capably atone for the powertrain-related shortcoming of its peers. With its additional degree of nippiness, usability and frugality – as well as a competitive asking price of R289 900 – the diesel is very much the pick of the Captur litter.