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Should You Consider Renault Captur Over Hyundai Verna, Honda City and Maruti Ciaz?

By : Agencies | Updated at : 09 Nov 2017 06:30 PM (IST)

The competitively priced Renault Captur is capable enough to take on not just the compact SUVs, but also C-segment sedans

The Renault Captur is here and boy was it worth the wait! With those looks and that attractive introductory price-bracket, it doesn’t just put all the compact SUVs on red alert, but also the C-segment sedans, mainly - the Honda City, Hyundai Verna and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. But has Renault tried to capture two segments with its Captur? Price-wise, the Captur does fall in the same space as the sedans. Should you really consider the bold new offering from the French carmaker over the more established sedans? Let’s look at it objectively, shall we?!

Performance

Car	Renault Captur	Honda City	Hyundai Verna	Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
Engine Options	1.5-litre Diesel / 1.5-litre Petrol	1.5-litre Diesel / 1.5-litre Petrol	1.6-litre Diesel / 1.6-litre Petrol	1.3-litre Diesel / 1.4-litre Petrol
Power/Torque	110PS/240Nm (Diesel) / 106PS/142Nm (Petrol)	100PS/200Nm (Diesel) / 119PS/145Nm (Petrol)	128PS/260Nm (Diesel) / 123PS/151Nm (Petrol)	90PS/200Nm (Diesel) / 92PS/130Nm (Petrol)
Transmission Options	6-Speed Manual	6-Speed Manual / 5-Speed Manual And CVT	6-Speed Manual / 6-Speed Automatic	5-Speed Manual / 4-Speed Automatic
Fuel Efficiency	13.87kmpl (Petrol) / 20.37kmpl (Diesel)	25.6kmpl (Diesel - SV, V) And 25.1kmpl (Diesel - VX, ZX) / 17.4kmpl (Petrol - MT) And 18kmpl (Petrol - CVT)	24.75kmpl (Diesel - MT) And 21.02kmpl (Diesel - AT) / 17.7kmpl (Petrol - MT) And 15.92kmpl (Petrol - AT)	28.09kmpl (Diesel) / 20.73kmpl (Petrol - MT) And 19.12kmpl (Petrol - AT)

All cars here are offered with petrol and diesel engines. As far as the diesel power and torque figures are concerned, the Captur pips the Maruti and the Honda but falls behind the Hyundai. When we compare the petrol motors, the Captur only narrowly manages to outshine the Maruti, as the Honda and Hyundai are considerably more powerful. The Captur also lacks an automatic transmission, making do with a manual gearbox. The Renault isn’t even as frugal as the sedans in the equation. Based on the above table alone, the Captur doesn’t seem to add up. But the story doesn’t end here.

Also Read: Renault Captur: Five Things We Like

Dimensions

Car	Renault Captur	Honda City	Hyundai Verna	Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
L x W x H (mm)	4,329 x 1,813 x 1,619	4,440 x 1,695 x 1,495	4,440 x 1,729 x 1,475	4,490 x 1,730 x 1,485
Unladen Ground Clearance (mm)	210	165	165	170
Fuel Tank (litres)	50	40	45	43
Boot Space (litres)	392	510	480	510

This is where the Renault Captur starts to fight back. Sure, it isn’t as long as the sedans but it is the widest and the tallest amongst all. What’s more, its 210mm ground clearance is more than even some full-sized SUVs! You may brush off the Captur’s 392 litres boot space as too less, but drop the passenger seat back and the luggage space expands up to a 1,352 litres. None of the sedans, with their three-box profiles can match that.

Also Read: Renault Captur: Five Things We Would’ve Liked

Features

Here’s the list of major features that are available on the Captur but not on its rivals:

17-inch alloy wheels
Floating indicators
All-round body cladding
Rear wiper with washer
Smart Card Access
Optional Dual Tone Body Paint
Impact sensing door unlock and speed sensing door lock as standard

Let’s look at the flip side of the story now. Mentioned below are the main features which are missing in the Captur but are available in at least one of the sedans:

Sunroof (Both the City and the Verna offer it)
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility (The Ciaz has only Apple CarPlay)
Ventilated seats (Hyundai Verna has it)
Hands-free boot operation (Hyundai Verna has it)
6 airbags (Both the City and the Verna offer them)
Auto Day/Night IRVM
Telescopic steering adjust (Both the City and the Verna offer it)

The Renault Captur misses out on some important features in its kitty. And the real issue is that most of them are rapidly becoming part of the norm. Sure, the Captur does offer some unique features over the sedans but they aren’t as impactful as the ones it misses out on. In the features section, the Captur falls short.

Price And Warranty

Car	Renault Captur	Honda City	Hyundai Verna	Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
Price - Petrol Variants (ex-Delhi)	Rs 9.99 - 11.87 Lakh	Rs 8.58 - 13.57 Lakh	Rs 7.99 - 12.49 Lakh	Rs 7.77 - 10.57 Lakh
Price - Diesel Variants (ex-Delhi)	Rs 11.4 - 14.06 Lakh	Rs 10.84 - 13.62 Lakh	Rs 9.43 - 12.88 Lakh	Rs 9.43 - 11.55 Lakh
Standard Warranty	2 years / 50,000 kms	3 years / unlimited kms	3 years / unlimited kms	2 years / 40,000 kms

(Note: Price for the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S has been included as well)

The Captur is available in seven different variants (10 if you count the dual-tone ones). While the count of petrol-fed ones stops at three, the diesel engine is the one which is also offered in the Platine variant. It is this, fully-loaded variant that gets those floating headlamps, 4 airbags, ESC, hill start assist and full LED headlamps. With all these goodies, it’s priced just a notch above the most expensive variant of the City, which is the most expensive amongst the sedans.

Also Read: Fuel Efficiency Comparison: Renault Captur Vs Rivals

If we look at the petrol engine option and then compare the prices of the fully-loaded models, the Captur does seem to have an edge over the City and the Verna. However, there is no Platine variant here. Hence it doesn’t get all those creature comforts as the diesel one does. Moreover, the City and Verna offer things like automatic transmission, more powerful and frugal engines, a sunroof and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Things get worse for the Captur as the less expensive Ciaz also offers the convenience of an automatic gearbox.

Should You Consider Renault Captur Over Hyundai Verna, Honda City and Maruti Ciaz?

All in all, the Captur does seem to fall short on a number of fronts when compared to the sedans here. Even its warranty period isn’t the best. At the end of the day, if you want a stylish SUV that is more about personality, versatility and exclusivity, the Captur will surely check those boxes. However, if you want to get the best value for your money, unshakable peace of mind and don’t mind joining the herd, any of the other three sedans would do.

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