Renault Captur Vs Duster

Expected to feature additional equipment over the Duster, the Captur comes off as a relatively premium product that also retains the robust platform and powertrains of the latter! 

Renault India launched the Duster in 2012 and the compact SUV quickly gained a reputation for its robust construction, powerful yet frugal diesel engine and its exemplary ride and handling. However, the Renault Duster also earned flak for its basic interior and lack of features. Although Renault India has updated the Duster from time to time, it still isn’t the most feature loaded compact SUV that you can buy. With Hyundai gaining a substantial piece of the market share with the Creta, Renault has now decided to bring premium and feature-loaded Captur to India.

Before we compare the Renault Captur to the Hyundai Creta, let’s see how the new crossover stacks up against its sibling – the Duster. First off, we should mention that the India-spec Captur is not the same as the crossover sold in Europe with the same name. While the Euro-spec Captur is based on the Clio hatchback’s platform, the Captur for India will be based on the Duster’s ‘B0’ platform. The Duster’s ‘B0’ underpinnings have been heavily localised in developing markets like India and Brazil and should help Renault keep the price in check. 

The India-spec Captur is currently being sold in Brazil under the same name and in Russia as the Kaptur. The Captur based on the ‘B0’ platform borrows its styling and the cabin from the European Captur and looks comes off as a more relative product than the Duster. The fact that the Captur will be similarly specced to the Brazilian version should help us compare it to the Duster.

Dimensions* 

*Dimensions listed above are for the Brazil-spec model, India-spec model might vary slightly

Design 

Although the Duster and the Captur share the same platform, both SUVs are poles apart when it comes to appearances. While the Duster looks butch and muscular, the Captur has a more crossover vibe to it.

The Duster boasts voluminous haunches, the Captur, on the other hand, rides higher and comes off as a relatively flamboyant product with Renault’s latest design language and dual-tone paint scheme. 

Even the cabin of the Captur looks posh when compared to the Duster’s. It has got the digital+analog instrument cluster like the Fluence did and the infotainment system is placed much higher compared to the Duster. 

In Picture: Renault Captur 

In Picture: Renault Duster 

Features 

The Captur is here to fulfill the biggest loophole in the Duster’s packaging – lack of features.  

Common features 

• Climate control (Like the Duster, we expect rear AC vents to feature in the India-spec Captur as well)
• Renault MediaNav 2 7-inch infotainment system (we expect the top-end models to get the Renault R-Link 7-inch unit seen on the Euro-spec Captur which has additional support for Android Auto)
• Cruise control 
• Tail lamps with LED graphics
• Dual front airbags, electronic stability program (ESP), hill hold and ABS with EBD and brake assist  

What the Captur offers extra 

• Full-LED headlamps – Renault LED Pure Vision Headlamps. Lower variants are likely to get projector units.

• Large ‘C’ shaped LED daytime running lights 

• Multiple dual-tone paint options like the Russia- and Brazil-spec model
• 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels with 215/60 tyres (likely)
• Passive keyless entry with push button engine start-stop (gets a key shaped like a smart card similar to the discontinued Fluence)

• Analog+digital instrument cluster (steering wheel is identical to the Fluence) 
• The Brazil-spec Captur offers four airbags (dual front and front side) as standard. We expect the same to be offered in at least the top-spec trims 

Engine And Transmission 

In India, the Captur is expected to borrow the engines from the Duster – 1.5-litre petrol and diesel motors. In terms of the diesel powertrain, the Captur is likely to get the more powerful 110PS version (peak torque of 245Nm) of the engine rather than the 85PS version. The petrol motor is relatively new to the Duster range and produces 106PS of maximum power and142Nm of peak torque 

Though the Duster’s transmission options are expected to be carried forward (6-speed manual/AMT with 110PS diesel and 5-speed manual/CVT auto with petrol), we wish Renault would offer its 6-speed Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) automatic transmission with the diesel motor, similar to the Euro-spec Duster and Captur  

Prices 

The Renault Captur is expected to cost marginally higher than the Duster. 

Price range 

• Renault Duster price: Rs 8.29 - 13.45 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi) 
• Renault Captur price: Rs 10-15 lakh (expected)

At this price range, some variants of the Captur will overlap with the Duster’s. Although it might look like both models will cannibalise each other’s sales, it will at least keep prospective SUV customers in Renault showrooms instead of flocking to Hyundai or others.

The Captur is likely to be launched in the coming weeks. So, stay tuned to CarDekho for more information! 

Check out: Renault Captur: All You Need To Know

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