The test drive of the new Kaptur was a rare occasion when we were able to try the car in conditions as close as possible to those in which it will be used. There were three of us adults and a small child. The only things missing to complete the set were a dog and a couple of suitcases in the trunk. We drove in full weekend mode from Moscow to Mozhaisk, drove through the surrounding fields, forests and mud, and here is our joint verdict.
A man’s view
Renault has never been one of my favorite brands. Of course not – the French had interesting cars, from the most ancient to the ALPINE and hot versions of the Clio. But at some point, everything ended with this very ALPINE, and the company began to stamp out cars that were pretty ugly even by the standards of the not very interesting auto design of the 80s. I am still sure that it was some kind of conspiracy by which Citroen got elegance, Peugeot – sportiness and youth, Renault… damn, I don’t know what, but something got. Everything changed suddenly quite recently, when the French rolled out the “girl Duster” – the new Renault Kaptur. And it turned out that they haven’t forgotten how to make interesting cars.
Then came Arkana. It was already clear at the presentation – “this is a zzzz – for a reason”. An interesting appearance, an even more interesting price – what else is needed to make a poor car owner, exhausted by the eternal breakdowns of a used premium or the wretchedness of the domestic auto industry, open his wallet? A perfect hit. The impressions from the test drive reinforced these thoughts even more. It turned out that Arkana is not only cute, but also rides great on gullies. I tried very hard until I finally managed to hook it with the protection. It has a very soft ride on potholes. On a small ridge it is worse, but it swallowed large bumps at 30 km / h – just on the way, and on large ones it confidently went, amazing with suspension travel. It digested the mud in the forests near St. Petersburg quite decently even on highway tires. So much so that a premonition settled in my soul that having bought into this softness and capabilities, summer residents will “kill” the car. And then cry on forums about burnt engines and variators.
There were some downsides – on the highway the car clearly showed that its agility was limited to the range of 50-120, then it accelerated very slowly, and after 130 there was an unpleasant lightness in the steering wheel. Nevertheless, my impression then was: Sew a Toyota badge on it, paint it black and it will be a market killer and a sales hit in the Southern Federal District. True, the question arose: what about Kaptur? These cars were too close. So, today the question can be put differently – what about Arkana? After all, the new Kaptur in price, characteristics, set of options, impressions and design is close and is not at all embarrassed. But, let’s go in order.
Price
The difference between the basic and top versions is 200,000, which predetermines the choice in favor of the latter – what’s the point of saving by buying on credit and refusing the normal configuration? True, if we are talking about choosing an engine and drive, then for 4×4 and the same Mercedes engine you will have to pay another 2 hundred. By the way, in the top version, Arkana was offered for 1,499,000 rubles with Bose music and cruise control. And what is there? Like Arkana, technical progress works for the new Kaptur. Cheaper technologies like video cameras, sensors and diodes make it possible to stuff even the most budget mass market with yesterday’s premium features, for which you had to shell out huge amounts even by today’s standards.
Remember how much a bi-xenon kit and its installation cost? And parking sensors? And how hard did you work, sawing out a place for a 2DIN radio in the front panel to get a big screen? Yes, it has long been possible to kick marketers of all brands that it is time to rename the CHECK ENGINE lamp to CHANGE ENGINE. But the truth is that almost all new cars live out their warranty at full price, and with cheaper technologies, we got premium segment options in cars with a price tag of 12-15 thousand dollars. And without any “filing”. And for many, this is important. Interior There is only one question about the front seat – where is the back support? I really missed it. The back seat is too short, too flat and the backrest angle is too bad. It might be good for a child, but it won’t be very comfortable for an adult 180 cm tall.
Otherwise, everything is quite modern. With the overall ergonomics and aesthetics of the design, there is hard plastic everywhere, which makes you yearn for the soft panel and door trim in a 20-year-old Honda Civic, a large media system screen, lots of connectors for gadgets. Not rich and not cheap. Neat, but nothing more. A modern car in the truest sense of the word. Engine Under the hood of the new car, which we took to Mozhaisk, is a Mercedes-Renault TCe 150. The same one as in the Arkana.
The combination “Mercedes-Renault” echoes a new era. It’s a sign of the times. There are Mercedes-Renault engines, there are Mitsubishi-Hyundai engines that are installed in Chinese cars. Everything has become globalized, any technology can be bought and used for your own benefit. The times of great personalities and great engines are over.
For me, the era began about 15 years ago, when one winter day I stood for about 5 minutes behind the stern of one of the first Mercedes I saw with a Bluetec badge on board. A driver-personnel man was sitting in the car and waiting for the boss. The day was cold, and the driver was warming up without turning off the engine. I was also waiting for someone next to the car, and suddenly realized: the exhaust does not smell. Almost clean air comes out of the pipe.
Then the development of engines of any brand rolled in the same direction. Engines not only stopped smelling, but also somehow gave away their presence. And then they turned into “power plants”, merging with the transmission. And today the competition is no longer based on power or the number of cylinders. The war is between transmission settings. It is not for nothing that “chipping” is so fashionable today.
That is why there are cars with three-liter engines that do not go, and cars with one and a half liter engines that go. So in Kaptur, as it seemed to me, they “chipped” this very Renault-Mercedes engine well. That’s why you can’t hear it, almost can’t hear it, and you don’t really want to look at it, let alone admire it. You could bow down to the V8 or the straight-six. And discussing the merits of the engine of the power plant era is somehow funny. It’s the same as all the other 1.5-liter engines, but it’s tuned quite well. On the road Maybe it’s self-hypnosis, or maybe Renault engineers really did tinker with the engine and settings, but at least one of us thought the Kaptur was faster than the Arkana. Not much, but faster. It no longer scared us with sluggishness after 130 and accelerated quite decently on the “compartment” to 165 km/h. At 100-120 it was quite comfortable. Of course, this engine still doesn’t have any special dynamics during acceleration, but it seems that with the development of cameras, racing is a thing of the past. In the mud In fact, if you want to live happily ever after with the Kaptur, and not argue with the service technician at the warranty service, you need to drive it to the dacha in about the same way as a VW Beetle, that is, sneaking and periodically getting out of the car to check out the pothole. Although, the owners of “Kruzaks” do the same. At least those whose Kruzak is younger than 15 years old.
That’s about what I was thinking when the moment came when the little crossover had to be driven into the mud. A person who loves cars and knows how to fix them himself develops something like paternal feelings. It doesn’t matter whether it’s your own car or one from a press park – when the car scrapes its bottom and the components located below along the parapet between the ruts, something inside you contracts. Driving a car like the Kaptur into the mud is like forcing a child to drag a heavy sack. A normal father would never allow that.
Curiosity and the ability to repair cars suggest quite rational things in addition to the emotional desire not to ruin the car. Imagine the difference in the thickness of the drive shafts of the Lada 4X4 and Renault Kaptur? I don’t know the exact figures, but they are probably much thinner. Engineers would not give a car that spends 99% of its time on asphalt a safety margin. Well, maybe a small one, after all, it is a crossover. In addition, I thought, ground clearance – what kind of ground clearance can there be here? And then I was put to shame. Compare: Renault Kaptur – 204 mm, Jeep Cherokee KJ 2001 – 2007 216 mm. Impressive, isn’t it?
Of course, this is not an SUV. The clutch lock cannot be compared with a lockable mechanical transfer case. And I would not advise anyone to take the Kaptur into serious off-road conditions. It will end exactly as it always does with any unprepared car – in 2 hours you will “drive” 500 meters and turn back.
But you will definitely be able to get to the river bank along a dirt road with flooded ruts. And if you don’t, the passengers will push you out. The car is small. And you don’t have to worry about the oil pan. Even if there is a stone between the ruts – there is protection underneath.
What else can I say about the off-road capabilities of the Kaptur? I was pleased with the suspension, whose work I appreciated while sitting in the back seat, unable to stop the lady behind the wheel from driving 50 km / h on the dried mud. Girls are passionate, and hardly think that in such a race a good jump can end with a bitten tongue)) However, we were not shy, and the car, it seems, was not either.
A woman’s view
Differing from my companions not only in gender, but also by about twenty years, I saw the car from a completely different angle.
The new Kaptur is young and active. We are talking specifically about youth, and not about reckless and thoughtless youth. I see its owner as a man “plus or minus 30”, a lover of extreme sports and adventures. To throw a parachute in the trunk and go to the drop zone. Or suddenly, waking up in a bad mood, take and go explore Arkaim.
Or a woman, about the same age, with a grown-up child. Here she is going with him to a salt lake on the border with Kazakhstan, just to have an interesting weekend. And she is not at all worried that the road there is full of potholes and patches. The car is suitable for this. For all of this. For bad roads, long journeys, sudden decisions and just comfortable trips.
The suspension is quite soft, which smooths out the sensations of driving on bad roads, but not so much as to interfere with maneuverability in turns. By the way, the car enters a turn surprisingly well, you forget that you are still in a crossover, and not a passenger car. Unfortunately, the serpentine was not included in the test, we had to be content with a couple of bends of the Moscow region highway.
What surprised me was the really decent cross-country ability. Kaptur looks a bit muslin, especially in blue, so I was tormented by doubts before a decent section with a rut, liquid mud and clay. To my surprise, there were no difficulties. The car can easily overcome any country road or driveway to a rest area even after a decent rain. During the test, I managed to sit in all the seats in the cabin at once – the driver’s, front and rear passenger. The front is quite comfortable, the only inconvenience is little space for small things. Usually there is a pocket at the feet, near the gearbox, and the door handle itself is a compartment.
There is nothing like that here. Just one small compartment in the door and a cup holder. By the way, the armrest is also for one. Both the driver and passenger cannot use it at the same time. The rear seats are great for a child, but for a tall adult, the space is tight, especially if they sit comfortably in the front. The comfort of the passenger in the back automatically means oppression of those in the front. The ergonomics of the back seat are also a bit inconvenient. On the other hand, who do we carry in the back? Those who we don’t feel sorry for and children who can’t sit still or even in a seat.
Our car was equipped with a rear view camera, which is very convenient for those who have problems with reversing. I don’t have one, but even I appreciated the ability to prevent a collision with low posts, flower beds and small dogs.
My conclusion is that it’s a comfortable car for the young and active, for well-thought-out madness and special impressions. I immediately wanted to ride it, say, to Lake Baikal. I’m sure that Renault Kaptur and I could easily handle this trip, even just the two of us.
