Renault charges ahead
ability to plug itself into the mains, regenerating charge when the car slows and giving itself the possibility of tackling an urban crawl in 100 per cent electric mode.
The Captur E-TECH will cost from £30,495 and combines the same 138bhp 1.6 litre petrol engine as the other two but with a larger battery shared with the new Megane E-TECH, giving them both the possibility of 30 miles pure electric range and the ability to charge from a wallbox in about three hours.
That makes the plug-in Captur and Megane two potentially potent performers in the company car market, with just 10 per cent BIK. All three new models have a five-year or 100,000-mile warranty and eight years for their batteries. Renault says experience with existing models shows battery life holding up extremely well. And Renault’s techie expert will also give potential owners a sage piece of advice – ‘get into top-up mentality’. Never have truer words of advice been uttered in a motoring context. The modestly hybrid Clio can’t be topped up but still showed an excellent 62.0mpg after its test drive and usefully close to the claimed 64.2mpg. Add in a 98g/ km tailpipe figure and 22 per cent BIK and it makes a case for itself. Then we turn to the plug-in Captur. The test car had been drained of its battery reserve by a previous driver and not had time for a recharge, which meant we relied solely on petrol power for our drive.
The result: an unimpressive 46.5mpg on the Captur’s smartly digital dashboard. Yes, the battery found a bit of charge as the car braked but this was pretty well a petrol car lugging around a heavy battery for the journey.
Plugged in and topped up would have made a world of difference – as jumping in the new Megane Sport Tourer was to demonstrate.
In fact the whole of the 25-mile trip could have been made on battery power alone if the driver hadn’t pushed the pedal right to the floor with enough vigour to summon the hybrid system’s maximum attack – which will push this big car to 62mpg in 9.8 seconds.
The few hundred yards with petrol assist meant the Megane actually drank a tiny amount of carbonated fuel, but the dash still showed a remarkable 806.6mpg at the end.
So, if your journey to work is 30 miles or less and you can top up the battery before you go and while you’re sitting at your desk, there’s no need to trouble the petrol engine at all. Which means very inexpensive commuting (after you’ve figured in the car’s elevated price over a non-hybrid equivalent, of course).
Renault has to quote an official economy figure of 217mpg but what you get will absolutely depend on your ability to top up the battery as often as possible. You may need your calculator to determine if this is the car for you. If it is, the new Megane Sport Tourer will appeal for more than its pure economy. For starters, there’s the space available for people and luggage (447 litres in the boot), and a ride that stays calm on the worst of Britain’s roads.
There are two versions on offer from November, the £30,685 Iconic and £32,685 R.S. Line.