Très chic

With a simplified range, and more je ne sais quoi, this small French crossover takes the fight to a stacked division

- Kyle Kock

Price: R499 999 Engine: 1,3-litre, four-cylinder, turbopetrol Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic Power: 113 kW@ 6 000 r/min Torque: 270 Nm@ 1 700 r/min 0–100 km/h: 9,6 seconds* Top speed: 193 km/h Fuel consumption: 6,6 L/100 km* CO2 emissions: 149 g/km* Rivals: Citroën C3 Aircross, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-3, Haval Jolion, Toyota Corolla Cross, Volkswagen T-Cross

+ Impressive mid-range acceleration, two models for easy choice
- Short standard service plan

After initially launching the Captur locally in 2015, Renault South Africa quickly brought the updated version out in 2017. Although the second generation has been available abroad since 2019, it's only just arrived in South Africa this year. The Mzansi arm of La Regie has kept the range short and sweet with just two models: an entry-level Zen, and range-topping Intens.

With the assembled models at launch all in the range-topping Intens specification, I could not help but voice a little displeasure. I'm of the opinion that in order to get a more realistic idea of the Captur's true prowess in this hotly contested segment, a better sample would have been the more affordable Zen model, which is R50 000 cheaper. That's nothing to scoff at in terms of monthly repayments, but for the extra outlay there are a few niceties that validate the asking price.