Photo: virtuel-car.blogspot.com
As Renault continues to grow as a company, they are being forced into new niches to attract customers. And even though their Captur crossover is doing quite well, there's still one thing it's missing: a flagship model with more performance.
A Captur RS is being considered at the moment, but officials aren't sure it would fit into the Renaultsport family. Putting a powerful engine into to car could uncover some of its bad handling characteristics and could increase its price to unreasonable levels.
But while the 200 hp engine of a Clio RS seems like a stretch of the imagination, the 1.2-liter turbo of its lesser cars isn't. The Captur already offers it with an "Efficient Double Clutch" gearbox in top spec, however the suspension isn't fine-tuned for handling and nothing has been done to the design.
With these changes, Renault could easily pull off a Captur GT model and maybe it's high time they went back to using manuals. Many people have said prefer the natural way of shifting gears in hot hatches like the Golf 7 GTI or the Ford Fiesta ST. We think Renault is definitely on the wrong track with its gearboxes.
As for the engine, the 1.2 TCe is a brand new one and has a lot of potential. However, with only 120 hp, it's unlikely to get the Captur moving in a convincing way. A 130 hp version exists and has been launched on the Megane.
Is there competition? Yes, starting with the Opel Mokka 1.4 Turbo, packing 140 hp in both FWD and AWD models. Peugeot on the other hand still has a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter VTi in the 2008 and plans for a 130 hp small turbo of its own. At these prices, buyers are also going to be tempted by the MINI Countryman's basic versions.
At the moment, this is only a small market, but Ford Europe executives say SUVs and crossovers will represent 20% of the market by 2020. How much of that will be the go-fast kind?
Rendering by Virtuel-Car
But while the 200 hp engine of a Clio RS seems like a stretch of the imagination, the 1.2-liter turbo of its lesser cars isn't. The Captur already offers it with an "Efficient Double Clutch" gearbox in top spec, however the suspension isn't fine-tuned for handling and nothing has been done to the design.
With these changes, Renault could easily pull off a Captur GT model and maybe it's high time they went back to using manuals. Many people have said prefer the natural way of shifting gears in hot hatches like the Golf 7 GTI or the Ford Fiesta ST. We think Renault is definitely on the wrong track with its gearboxes.
As for the engine, the 1.2 TCe is a brand new one and has a lot of potential. However, with only 120 hp, it's unlikely to get the Captur moving in a convincing way. A 130 hp version exists and has been launched on the Megane.
Is there competition? Yes, starting with the Opel Mokka 1.4 Turbo, packing 140 hp in both FWD and AWD models. Peugeot on the other hand still has a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter VTi in the 2008 and plans for a 130 hp small turbo of its own. At these prices, buyers are also going to be tempted by the MINI Countryman's basic versions.
At the moment, this is only a small market, but Ford Europe executives say SUVs and crossovers will represent 20% of the market by 2020. How much of that will be the go-fast kind?
Rendering by Virtuel-Car
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