Post by ChrisM on Feb 8, 2020 17:25:15 GMT
Went along to the local-ish dealer today having received an email invitation.
Initial impressions are TBH not that great; for one the gas struts supporting the bonnet have gone from the Mk 1 to leave you with a heavy panel to support whilst you battle with the thi metal strut (as someone who does check fluid levels etc fairly often, I really appreciate the struts on the current Captur); rear legroom does not seem to be improved over the Mk 1, and the boot also looks same size despite the claimed increase, with the car growing by about 100mm in length over the Mk 1. The interior also seems a bit narrow for the claimed growth too.
Some of the plastics are still cheap and "scratchy" on the doors and dash but the design has taken a major jump forwards, as has the layout of the entire interior. Even the smaller of the 2 sizes of touchscreen appears adequate, and the main heating controls are still controlled by rotary dials.
I was offered a test drive in the demo, which turned out to be the lower-powered 1.3 petrol auto in a good-looking colour scheme of mid blue with grey roof. Something of a revelation over the current Captur.... the ride is still a bit on the firm side and it crashes into large potholes, but refinement is greatly improved and the 130 bhp petrol is far more sprightly than my 90 dCi auto... the new model has paddles behind the steering wheel and no option to control the gears manually using the shift lever. However, manual operation reverts to auto after a few seconds. The steering is precise with reasonable feed-back by electrical PAS standards, and the brakes were powerful enough. The old manual handbrake has gone, replaced by the dreaded electronic item. This is supposed to release automatically when you pull away from rest, but it did so with a nasty jerk, far better top release it with the switch.
Overall, I was really impressed. Shame that there is no noticeable improvement in rear legroom or boot space over the Mark 1, otherwise I may have been tempted to trade the Kuga. However I don't know how it compares to any competition as it's ages since I've been in a Qashqai and I've not tried the current 3008, Kamiq, Karoq or any other small-ish SUV, but for someone with a Mk 1 Captur, I can see the lure of the new model.
As an aside, the salesperson told me that Renault are discontinuing the Grand Scenic in the UK from the end of March (the "ordinary" Scenic having been taken off sale in the UK a while ago) so there are no MPVs on sale here made by Renault.... Modus, Scenic and Espace are all dead in the UK.
Initial impressions are TBH not that great; for one the gas struts supporting the bonnet have gone from the Mk 1 to leave you with a heavy panel to support whilst you battle with the thi metal strut (as someone who does check fluid levels etc fairly often, I really appreciate the struts on the current Captur); rear legroom does not seem to be improved over the Mk 1, and the boot also looks same size despite the claimed increase, with the car growing by about 100mm in length over the Mk 1. The interior also seems a bit narrow for the claimed growth too.
Some of the plastics are still cheap and "scratchy" on the doors and dash but the design has taken a major jump forwards, as has the layout of the entire interior. Even the smaller of the 2 sizes of touchscreen appears adequate, and the main heating controls are still controlled by rotary dials.
I was offered a test drive in the demo, which turned out to be the lower-powered 1.3 petrol auto in a good-looking colour scheme of mid blue with grey roof. Something of a revelation over the current Captur.... the ride is still a bit on the firm side and it crashes into large potholes, but refinement is greatly improved and the 130 bhp petrol is far more sprightly than my 90 dCi auto... the new model has paddles behind the steering wheel and no option to control the gears manually using the shift lever. However, manual operation reverts to auto after a few seconds. The steering is precise with reasonable feed-back by electrical PAS standards, and the brakes were powerful enough. The old manual handbrake has gone, replaced by the dreaded electronic item. This is supposed to release automatically when you pull away from rest, but it did so with a nasty jerk, far better top release it with the switch.
Overall, I was really impressed. Shame that there is no noticeable improvement in rear legroom or boot space over the Mark 1, otherwise I may have been tempted to trade the Kuga. However I don't know how it compares to any competition as it's ages since I've been in a Qashqai and I've not tried the current 3008, Kamiq, Karoq or any other small-ish SUV, but for someone with a Mk 1 Captur, I can see the lure of the new model.
As an aside, the salesperson told me that Renault are discontinuing the Grand Scenic in the UK from the end of March (the "ordinary" Scenic having been taken off sale in the UK a while ago) so there are no MPVs on sale here made by Renault.... Modus, Scenic and Espace are all dead in the UK.
