[torquespeak]

Hi all,

I'm Ed - deputy content editor at whatcar.com, and the person running our Renault Captur 1.5 dCi on long-term test (we've had it since June 2013 - read the updates here).

I've posted before in the updates/issues threads, but I'm posting here now as I thought some of you might fancy applying for our exclusive preview of the 2014 Nissan Juke.

It's one of the Captur's most popular rivals, so we'd be very interested to hear how you compare the two cars.

If you're interested in joining What Car? for the afternoon, the event is on May 12in Teddington. We only have a limited number of spaces, so you can register your interest here.

If you want to get in touch with me about our Captur (or any other car-related subjects), you'll find my email address on the website or in the What Car? magazine.

Cheers,

Ed

 

[Thewhiteball]

The Juke is dog ugly, thats about it from me.

 

[Perusal]

We tried the Juke both in diesel and petrol forms before choosing the Captur. My wife felt the diesel suffered too much NVH and the petrol lacked torque ie no pulling power. Of course that may change with the new 1.2 DIG-T turbo engine. The boot was also too small, another issue resolved with the new model.

However when she sat in the Captur after the Juke she felt it was altogether more comfortable and with better visibility and that's something that I don't think will change. She also takes the car into some, shall we say, less desirable areas in the course of her work and felt the Captur's somewhat more anonymous looks might help it stand out less, which is also a reason we went for a single colour. Edited by: Perusal

 

[Vbl]

The Juke is dog ugly, thats about it from me.

I think dogs are beautiful....

 

[IvorETower]

Indeed, the Juke is "an acquired taste" IMHO (a polite way of saying ugly).

It certainly looks much smaller than the Captur from outside; I reckoned that the Qashqai was a Captur alternative although it was ruled out for me by the total lack of a spare wheel/tyre, the local dealer told me that you could not even get a space-saver as an option, it had to be the can of sealant and compressor. Similarly to Renault, he was also talking about no, or minimal discount on a private sale.

I also looked at the newish Suzuki S-cross, but the dealer told me that they don't offer a diesel auto, plus anything not in stock could take, like the Captur, up to 5 months to arrive..... and it's built in Hungary not Japan, so you can't attribute 6 weeks to a long sea voyage !

The Peugeot 2008 ...... total disinterest from the dealer, nobody came up to speak to me although I must have spent 15 minutes sitting in the car in the showroom, trying out front and rear sets etc. It has a not-very-high roofline and massively high sills, making getting in and out very difficult, especially for anyone with restricted leg movement or who gets pain in leg/lower back muscles. The steering wheel is stupidly small and has a flattened-off bottom; this is not an F1 car, it's a family SUV !

What's wrong with the car makers at the moment? Why are private motorists having to wait 5 months for a new car?

 

[hicky]

went for the captur( one) liked the idea of being able to raise or lower the drivers seat.something I could not do on my focus .unless I went for the top of the range model.(two) fancied something different for a change looked at the ford ecosport and got put of by people in the know.built in brazil and not a lot of speck to what I had on the focus.(three) now I step into the captur and step out rather than fall into the focus and pull myself out.poor old fart I know but it comes to all of us.

 

[GORDONR]

bought it after seeing it in the showroom and having a test drive, didn;t have any specific renault in mind and hadn't even saw one on the road but was really taken by the way it looked and drove
also got a good trade in on my existing car so the deal was done

 

[Ythsie]

I bought it by chance really... I had budgeted for a 'one off' new car for retirement...and had done a lot of research on the Skoda range...Yeti in particular...which I famcied..
My partner is the driver and a small lady..so although the Yeti was a good size, the diesel 4x4 version we wanted in a good spec, was working out expensive...so we looked at the Kia Sportage and Hyundai but both of those were larger and in our price range had larger petrol engines only and were a lot more expensive in auto form..meaning higher costs..
Also considered some of the saloons available from VW, Kia, Skoda...but from my point of view, they were more difficult to enter and exit being tall, large and with a very bad back.
Test drove the different Nissans on offer including the Juke, which was too narrow in the cabin...had a small boot...and to get any fun out of it you needed the turbo version that seemed to swallow a lot of fuel! ...so that came off the list...The Quashqai was very good but long in the tooth...and I didn't know it was coming up for replacement...but I'm sure would be a thirsty contender..
By pure chance, I was reading my weekly motoring magazine here in Poland and saw the announcement of the launch of the Captur...I did my research...made a booking for a test drive...and my partner was impressed with its size and performance in 0.9 manual form..
I did not mention that whatever car we chose had to be an automatic..my partner's forst automatic, and they ARE NOT POPULAR yet in Poland with very few demonstrators..
I was impressed with the salrsman's knowledge of his 'new Captur' and the non pushy way he approached us..
He told us to get in touch if we were interested..which we did...we received his 'best' offer which I tried to beat across the whole country..and couldn't.
It impressed me that he gave us an unbeatable offer to start off with and we ordered a 120 auto...after reading that the auto was GREAT in a motoring nagazine .. and withoit road testing it at all!!
So far, six months in, The car has been excellent and my worries about Renault reliability have taken a back seat.
So there you have it...a very happy owner who appreciates low running costs, comfort, uniqueness etc..
If anything lets it down a teeny bit...it's the new technology!!
By the way we never got round to testing the Pug 2008...because my partner"fancied a change of make" although her Pug 207SW. had been 100% reliable in five years of ownership!! All I can say is that a woman"s point of view can seem totally illogical at times!! Saying that, you can"t say the Pug is attractive to look at!!


Edited by: Ythsie

 

[awq]

Teddington ! Wonder if first class rail fare is provided.
Long way past the north / south divide.

 

[Ythsie]

Awq....Aye!!

 

[HTP99]

Teddington is not far from where I live and work, however Monday isn't good.


As for the Juke; well I love the styling however I only got to drive one on the Captur launch last year, to say I was disappointed would be an understatement, this was also the first time that I actually had a proper look and poke around of one.



The ride is hard and jittery,space inside is attrocious and very claustrophobic (sp?) especially with the high transmission tunnel, rear legroom is appalling and the boot is tiny.



The quality of the plastics and trim inside, whilst not awful, is definately below the norm now and the car has a general parts bin feel about it, similar to the previous shape Qasqui (sp?).



However having said all that the car has been out for three years now and things move on.



Still love the way it looks though.

 

[awq]

Never driven one. It's just the look that puts me off - think they are as ugly as sin. Everyone has their own personal preferences, but I think the designers were having a laugh when they thought this one up !!

 

[meterman_56]

Had a 5 year old Peugeot 308 sport 1.6 120 bhp..a realy nice car..drove well quite fast and lots of power. As I'd started to pay out replacing different bits and pieces my wife decided I should look for a new car which I reluctantly agreed. My brother in law had been going on about this captur he'd just ordered..I'd never even heard of one never mind seen one so I started researching it and was liking what was on offer so decided to book a test drive. Id never fancied diesel so whent for the petrol engine..wasn't sure about the reports I was seeing about it being a 3 cylinder 900cc engine which was underpowered. Was very impressed after test drive..loved the look of the car and it drove and felt really good...took the plunge and ordered it. Got a good part ex for my car also. Bottom line..I love it..Went to the Lake District last weekend staying in an isolated cottage high up in the fells accessed by a windy dirt track road..Captur handled brilliantly those extra few inches of clearance really making a difference. Driving home weather was atrocious driving rain and mist..worst conditions for motorway driving..but again felt safe and comfortable in Captur..took it all in its stride..needn't have worried about about lack of power..overtaking was a breeze..in fact after a while you forget about it having a small engine..honest. The cruise control was a joy to use..a really good system.
In my humble opinion..if you're worried about getting the Captur..take a test drive ...you'll love it.
meterman_56

 

[Sutty's blue captur]

Been looking for a new car for a while, urgency increased when gearbox on my suzuki started to fail. Liked suzuki reliability, but boring models on offer. Needed lots of carrying space, reliability, easy to get in out for elderly passengers, good mileage, up to date technology, good shape, colour choice.
Budget eliminated all but the main brands, considered a Juke, design was chunky which I liked, but boot space was rubbish, the hatch was too small to get my things in or out. Quashquai was like a tank. Had a Citroen before, which blew up an engine, hate ford customer service, vauxhall were too common. VW boring styles and even more boring colours, Mazda garage is so small that I find it hard to trust them. Honda jazz was a possibility, good carrying capacity and good reputation, but local dealer was annoying when my partner looked for a new car. Toyota nice cars, but too expensive and reliability issues.
My friends used to laugh at my skoda , so didn't consider them or any of the budget makes.
Saw the Captur add on TV and that was me hooked! Looked into it - sexy shape, good ride height (liked that in my Suzy) lots of boot space, full of new technology, high mileage, seen a lot of old renaults around, so thought they must last well. Took a test drive and thought Wow!
Might have bought the Suzuki S Cross, but not aware of them before I'd signed up for this.

 

[lor]

Me and 'The Wife' looked at several options before going with the Captur. Those options were:

- Peugeot 2008
- Peugeot 3008
- Nissan Juke
- Nissan Note

Peugeot 2008/3008: The Peugeot dealership I went to gave me a very uncompetitive lease deal on the 2008 which prompted me to ignore it straight away. It's slightly unfortunate as I did like the interior and thought the build quality inside was nice. However at least try and make it financially competitive to a potential buyer.

The 3008 I found to have a very nice cabin space, lots of storage space and good visibility all round. However, the car felt very uninspired in exterior looks and simply didn't lure me in.

Nissan Note: It had the same feel as the 3008 in the exterior department and reminded me more of a glamorous box on wheels (reference towards black wheels and other accessories you can get to pimp your ride).

Nissan Juke: I've had the luxury of driving my mothers Juke, I enjoyed it a lot and even thought the styling was on the positive side (It is unique!). However, the poor storage left me with no other choice but to ignore it. With my first whippersnapper coming, I want my wife to feel comfortable and to have certain luxuries like storage space.

Renault Captur: This was our initial choice after seeing one, however I wanted a plan B/C/D as I dislike putting all my eggs into once basket. I took the Petrol TCe 90 out on a demo drive and was hooked straight away. I found it quirky.

The Renault Captur for me has the looks, the storage space, the price, the running costs and a dealer willing to look after me. While the current lead times on deliveries are a sore point to some, I'm actually prepared to wait.

 

[sasajak]

Looked at the Honda Jazz - seemed dated and expensive for what it offered and the engine was pathetic (very under powered) and uneconomical - I find the 0.9 tce much better than the test run I had with the honda. Juke - loved the quirky look but seemed like a fashion accessory rather than a useful car. Note - mum and dad have one so old persons car and pathetic interior. Vauxhall meriva - no style didn't even get a test drive! Did also look at a seat leon (after having two seat ibiza) lovely car just too expensive for us when it's just a "normal" car and the toledo despite the big boot was just awful.

Captur is just perfect for us.

 

[meterman_56]

Nisan Duke reminds me of a whedlbarrow...
meterman_56

 

[lor]

Looked at the Honda Jazz - seemed dated and expensive for what it offered and the engine was pathetic (very under powered) and uneconomical - I find the 0.9 tce much better than the test run I had with the honda. Juke - loved the quirky look but seemed like a fashion accessory rather than a useful car. Note - mum and dad have one so old persons car and pathetic interior. Vauxhall meriva - no style didn't even get a test drive! Did also look at a seat leon (after having two seat ibiza) lovely car just too expensive for us when it's just a "normal" car and the toledo despite the big boot was just awful.

Captur is just perfect for us.

I think Honda are going downhill a little, the cars seem to be a little 'meh' to me. I honestly have this perception, as a young chap, that Honda seem to be aiming their cars are the older generation. In the new line up, I cannot honestly think of a single Honda car I'd own or actually screams "Drive me!".

 

[johnco]

We went with the intention of looking at the Clio. When we went into the showroom there was a Captur right there in centre stage looking great. After sitting in both the Clio and Captur and having a test drive in the Captur we were hooked...Captur it was. As the salesman put it, it's like a Clio on steroids

 

[IvorETower]

The Honda Jazz Shuttle looks good - recently came across it, but it's not sold in the UK.

Back in the 1980's and 1990's I had a Honda Civic Shuttle; best car I have owned but Honda discontinued it and have never launched a replacement