Renault Captur review

You’ll find your head closer to the roof than in a Skoda Kamiq or Ford Puma, due to the Captur’s high-mounted seats and its swooping roofline. Head room is okay for a six-footer, but the optional sunroof exacerbates this problem. Interior width is generous, though, so at least you won’t rub shoulders with your passenger .

Storage isn’t lacking; there’s a big tray in front of the gearlever and another one below when an automatic gearbox is fitted. We wish the cubby under the central armrest was bigger, though.

Even with its sliding rear bench pushed all the way back, space is adequate rather than amazing. A six-footer will find their head rather close to the ceiling, and knee room will be tight if there’s someone of the same height sitting in front of them. Not helping matters are side panels that curve in noticeably towards the roof, making for a claustrophobic feel even if you’re short. 

Try to fit three in the back and, while the middle passenger will appreciate how little space is robbed by the floor hump between their feet (some rivals have more obstructive humps), they’ll probably also wish you’d bought a bigger car. The Skoda Kamiq is the king of rear space in this class.

As is the case with the Volkswagen T-Cross, you can slide the Captur’s rear bench back and forth to prioritise boot space or rear leg room. The base slides as one piece and the seatback has a conventional 60/40 split, so you can carry long loads while still providing accommodation for one or two rear passengers. However, there’s no sign of a height adjustable passenger seat, even as an option.

Renault claims class-leading boot space for the Captur, but there’s a caveat. For the boot to be at its most voluminous, you’ll have to slide the rear bench all the way forwards, at the expense of rear leg room.

With the bench moved all the way back to maximise rear leg room, boot space is 422 litres. That’s more than you get in most family hatchbacks, such as the Volkswagen Golf, but less than is provided by the cavernous Kamiq and Puma. Even so, we squeezed six carry-on cases into the Captur without too much difficulty.

To further boost versatility, all Capturs have a variable-height boot floor. When set to its highest position, the floor is virtually level with the boot opening to make sliding heavy items in and out easier. Drop the floor and you’ll reveal a big lip but plenty of extra depth – ideal for taking that bulky impulse buy home from the garden centre.