"The engine is a 1.6-litre four-cylinder, which Renault sells in Latin American markets. It’s clearly cheap, since more sophisticated (and expensive) applications of this hybrid drivetrain have a 1.2-litre turbo three-cylinder engine. As it does in the Clio, this 1.6 engine is noisy, with loads of induction roar. It is harsh when pushed and has a rackety over-run, especially if the hybrid software has selected a lower gear for more retardation braking.
Renault up hill
It's easy to drain the 1.2kWh battery on hilly surfaces.
This singular gear-based hybrid system is quick to react around town and easy to drive. Using both the battery and engine, acceleration from the standstill is brisk and it’s no hardship keeping up in fast-moving traffic. You occasionally hear a gear change, but it’s a mechanical confirmation of things working, rather than an annoyance.
Where it doesn’t do so well is on hilly terrain, where it’s easy to drain the 1.2kWh battery and find the engine struggling down the gearbox while grumpily protesting.
An E-Save mode holds 20 per cent of the battery charge for just such eventualities. It’s a bit of a faff to use, but it succeeds in avoiding that struggling-up-a-mountain response from the drivetrain.
The brakes are good, although there could be a bit more response at the top of the pedal.
The Telegraph verdict
“I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes….”
So sang Reg Presley of The Troggs in ‘Love Is All Around’. You can enjoy the same sensation in the hybrid Captur if you push the engine up a hill or through a series of bends.
There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with that, of course, but in comparison with smoother combustion units or even an electric drivetrain this modest crossover feels quite old-fashioned.
That said, 60mpg-plus is not to be sneezed at. Add in keen pricing, an attractive modern look, plus safe if not class-leading ride and handling, there’s no reason why this new Captur won’t capture more hearts."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/renault/renault-captur-noisy-engine-family-car/