Renault India has officially pulled the wraps off the all-new Captur SUV and we now have another strong contender in the highly competitive compact SUV segment. We have already driven the car and have even shared our first drive experience with you. All that is remaining now is the price announcement, which is slated to happen on November 6. Despite being largely based on the Duster, the Renault Captur brings in a lot of freshness to the compact SUV space along with a host of smart and comfort features. But will that be enough to compete with rivals like the Hyundai Creta and the very popular Jeep Compass? Well, we put everything down on paper to find an answer to that exact question. Read: Renault Captur Launched in India, starting at Rs. 9.99 lakh
Also Read: Renault Captur - All You Need To Know
The Renault Captur is based on the Duster but comes with a whole new design and styling
Firstly, we think the Jeep Compass is clearly the best looking SUV of the lot. The proper SUV proportions, signature Jeep styling with the 7-slot grille, and a bold stance, truly makes the Jeep Compass stand out. In comparison, the Hyundai Creta comes with a more aggressive stance with its beefy design, bold character lines and heavy usage of chrome at the front. The Renault Captur, at the same time, looks more like a crossover with SUV styling. The upper half with the arched A-pillar and the sloping roofline gives the Captur the look of a premium hatch, while the lower half with the flared wheel arches, underbody cladding and the bold front end come as a part of its SUV DNA. Also while the top end model of the Compass and Creta get projector headlamps with LED daytime running lamps, the top-end Captur Platine gets all-LED headlamps along with the LED DRLs. All three models get the dual tone exterior colour option, while a Captur comes with customisation package as well.
Also Read: Renault Captur SUV Review
The Jeep Compass looks like a baby Grand Cherokee with signature Jeep styling
In terms of dimensions, the Jeep Compass is the biggest one among all three in length (4395mm), width (1818 mm), and height (1640 mm). It is closely followed by the Renault Captur that comes with a total length of 4329 mm, the width of 1813 mm, and a height of 1619 mm. The Hyundai Creta might be taller than the Captur at 1630 mm but it is still marginally smaller in length and width at - 4270 mm and 1780 mm respectively. The Renault Captur comes with the longest wheelbase at 2673 mm, followed by the compass at 2636 mm, and finally the Creta at 2590 mm. As for the ground clearance, the Renault Captur again takes the lead at 210 mm, followed by the Jeep Compass at 205 mm and finally we have the Creta with the shortest ground clearance of 190 mm.
The Hyundai Creta looks aggressive and is marginally small than the other two
Both in terms of interior and features all three models come with a premium cabin that loaded with a host of smart and comfort features. Starting with the Jeep Compass, most of the features offered with the SUV are pretty much standard across the variant range. The cabin comes with a nice black and white dual tone treatment with a good quality fit and finish. Touchscreen infotainment system is offered in all the variants, which the base variant gets a 5-inch display, the top-end models get the 7-inch with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Compass gets 4 to 8 speakers depending on which variant you choose along with inbuilt compass, voice command, Bluetooth and AUX-IN connectivity. Other features include - passive keyless entry and engine start/stop button, dual-zone climate control, height adjustable driver seat, one-touch up/down front power windows, full-length centre console with sliding armrest and rear AC vents among others.
The cabin of the Jeep Compass is stylish and well-equipped
The Hyundai Creta, at the same time, offers most of its premium features only with the higher variants, while the lower spec model misses out a lot. The Creta also comes with a dual tone black and beige cabin with either fabric seat or leather upholstery. Leather treatment for the steering wheel, gear knob, and front centre armrest is only available in the top-of-the-line SX (O) variant, but that SX+ AT and the dual tone models get the leather-wrapped steering as well. Coming to convenience features, the Creta comes with rear AC vents, front armrest with storage, electric tailgate release, and power windows as standard across the variant range. Other features include keyless entry and push start/stop button, manual or fully automatic air conditioning, rear armrest with cup holders, a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Mirro Link, 1 GB internal memory with 4 speakers and 2 tweeters among more.
Hyundai Creta comes with a well laid-out cabin with several smart features
As for the Renault Captur's cabin, Renault is yet to announce the variants but the top spec model - Captur Platine, which we drove, came packed a host of features. You'll see that there is a lot of parts sharing with the Duster, especially the touchscreen infotainment system, which sadly it doesn't get Apple CarPlay nor Android Auto, but navigation is on offer. The interior looks premium with nice two-tone leather upholstery with the quilted pattern, a well laid-out dashboard with a piano black base for the infotainment system with gold surrounds, ambient lighting and intuitive instrument cluster and more. There is engine start-stop button, keyless entry, automatic climate control, steering mounted controls and much more.
Renault Captur cabin is minimal and looks fresh
On the safety front, the feature list for all three models is largely the same with offerings like - electronic parking brakes, ABS with EBD, driver and passenger airbags, traction control, electronic stability control (ESC), electronic roll mitigation, rear defogger, and double crank prevention system. Other features include hill start assist and all-season tyres. The top-end model gets 6 airbags. The Hyundai Creta also offers dual airbags as standard across the variant range and 6 airbags in the top-end model. ABS with EBD is also standard but other safety features include - electronic stability control, hill start assist and vehicle stability management along with rear parking sensors with the rear camera as well along with rear defogger and more. Even the Renault Captur gets safety features like dual airbags, ABS with EBD ISOFIX child seat mounts as standard, while other safety features details will be revealed later.
The Renault Captur will share its engine options with the Duster
The Renault Captur gets the same engine options as the Duster - 1.5-litre petrol and the 1.5-litre diesel. The petrol version in the Duster makes about 105 bhp and 142 Nm of peak torque while the diesel unit makes 108 bhp and 240 Nm of peak torque. The petrol motor will come mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox while the diesel model gets a 6-speed manual. Automatic option will come later.
The Jeep Compass is the most powerful among all three models
Under the hood, the Jeep Compass offers both petrol and diesel engine options - a 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol and a 2-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel motor. In terms of power, the petrol engine makes over 160 bhp and develops 260 Nm of peak torque, while the oil burner churns out over 170 bhp and 350 Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties are handled by a 6-speed manual unit and an optional 7-speed automatic gearbox.
The Hyundai Creta gets two diesel engine and one petrol
The Hyundai Creta is available with a choice of 3 engine options, namely, 1.4-litre CRDi diesel that makes 89 bhp and 200 Nm of peak torque, the 1.6-litre CRDi diesel that develops 126 bhp and 260 Nm of torque and the 1.6-litre VTVT petrol engine that makes 121 bhp and develops 155 Nm. The 1.4-litre diesel only gets a 6-speed manual gearbox, while the 1.6-litre diesel and the 1.6-litre petrol models can be bought either with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Conclusion
In terms of appearance, both the Jeep Compass and the Hyundai Creta have the look of an SUV, while the Captur looks more like a crossover. The Jeep Compass is also the only one that gets 4x4, while the other two, as of now, only get FWD. Even in terms of features and styling the Renault Captur is at par with the Compass, while the Creta, though still comes with a lot of features, has become old now and a facelift will be a welcome addition. The Jeep Compass being priced at Rs. 15.16 lakh to Rs. 21.40 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and the Hyundai Creta priced from Rs. 9.25 lakh to Rs. 14.55 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). So it all boils down to how the Renault Captur is priced, which we believe will fit in nicely between these two models.
