How capable is the Renault Captur off the road? This video will tell you

Renault sells the Captur as a premium SUV that competes with the Hyundai Creta and the Mahindra XUV500. Based on the Duster’s B-Zero platform, the Captur shares its mechanicals with the Duster but not the all-wheel drive layout. What this means is that the Captur is a front wheel driven SUV that can handle mild off-road jaunts, but nothing really hard core. Renault has shared a video that shows a bunch of Captur SUVs being driven across rough, off-road patches. The SUV does seem to handle the off-roading bits quite well, thanks to its pliant suspension set-up and high ground clearance of 210 mm, a segment-leading number.

The Captur sold in India starts from Rs. 10 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. The SUV is offered with both petrol and diesel engines, that it shares with the Duster. The petrol engine is a 1.6-litre 4 cylinder, naturally aspirated unit with 104 Bhp-140 Nm. It is paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The diesel engine is the 1.5 litre-4 cylinder K9K turbocharged unit with 108 Bhp-248 Nm. A 6-speed manual gearbox is standard. While Renault offers a CVT automatic gearbox with the same petrol engine and a 6-speed AMT option with the diesel engine on the Duster, both options are missing on the Captur as of now. In the coming months though, the Captur may come with automatic gearbox options.

Enthusiasts may want Renault to add an all-wheel drive option on the Captur, a feature that will elevate the SUV’s off-roading potential by many notches. A similar option is already available on the Duster Diesel 110 PS, greatly enhancing the vehicle’s off-road behaviour. In fact, the all-wheel drive layout offers features unavailable on the front wheel driven variants, such as traction control, ESP and lower gearing. The AWD version of the Duster also benefits from independent rear suspension, another vital feature that could make the Captur even more comfortable. So, Renault, what are you waiting for?