Renault Captur Esprit Alpine Review: The return of the Sporty Renault?
- Dylan Naidoo
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
By: Dylan Naidoo
Renault as a brand has been doing brilliantly in South Africa. By restructuring their strategy and offering vehicles in various different price brackets, Renault has effectively done something similar to Suzuki, and yes, that is why you see Renaults all over here in Durban. However, I feel even in this strategy, I do still miss the sporty flair their previous models used to have. Whilst discontinued here in South Africa, I do fondly remember the Clio and Megane mostly for their sporty variants, marking Renault’s legacy as making affordable sporty hatchbacks that can absolutely compete with the VW Polo and Golf. However, Renault seems to be bringing back that sporty flair to their cars, especially with the all-new Renault Captur Esprit Alpine, our review unit which is the highest trim model of the Renault Captur. Grant, CEO of KZN Top Business and I, went for a drive in this spectacular machine.
Engineering and Technologies
The Renault Captur Esprit Alpine features a four cylinder, 1.3L turbocharged engine producing a respectable 113kW of power and 270Nm of torque. When Grant first drove this car, he was very impressed by just how much power this car has, and I definitely saw where he was coming from. The surprisingly strong engine is paired to a 7-Speed automatic gearbox, making for a rather pleasant drive where the engine was quiet in most scenarios, but put your foot down and kick it into sport mode to truly feel that turbocharged engine. We also found the ride quality to be great, considering the car’s size, it managed to easily glide over Durban’s signature bumpy roads.
At the centre console of the Captur you will find the 10.4-inch OpenR Link vertical touchscreen, as opposed to a vertical touchscreen, which I feel is quite unique. The infotainment screen includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You get two usb-c charge ports in the front and two for the rear seats. We do have some nice options for climate control, with the Alpine trim getting the automatic climate control and heated front seats. We also got some great comfort features such as parking sensors and a reverse camera. In terms of safety, the Renault Captur scores an impressive 4-star Euro NCap rating, so you can truly drive with confidence.
Design
Understanding the design direction of this car means understanding the brand Alpine. Alpine is a sporty French Automaker and subsidiary of Renault. The company is known for their A110, a sleek little sports car that won the 1973 World Rally Championship (See more info here).
Today, the company makes a modern version of the A110 as well as two EVs sold in selected countries, sadly not South Africa. However, Alpine influence is quite visible in the new Captur, with its “satin shale grey F1® blade”, a nod to their F1® team. We also got blue stitching around the seats, with a proudly displayed French flag woven into the stitching of the steering wheel. On top of the good-looking interior, the feel is also great. Of course, considering the love clearly put into this, build quality is excellent, and the blue detailing in honour of Alpine is stitched beautifully on the door panels. Seats are very comfortable and feel quite premium. Legroom and headroom is also very good, easily seating tall occupants. Boot space is also quite decent, with a max 616L with the rear seats pushed forward.
My opinion? I think the car looks gorgeous. You get that quirky French flair that I feel has been absent from Renaults for a while, and all-round I love the design direction Renault was going with it.
Price and Overall Thoughts
The price of the Renault Captur Esprit Alpine starts at R 614 999, and you can get the standard Captur starting at R 515 999. However, you are paying for something that goes beyond just a normal car cruising on the road. Special edition cars like this are highly sought after, especially special editions that are tied to motorsports or racing pedigree. As such, I believe there are enthusiasts out there that would appreciate the Renault Captur Esprit Alpine for what it represents.
