Everything or nothing. For a long time, that was Renault’s motto when it came to electric driving. If you wanted a car with a plug, the seller walked with great strides to the Renault Zoe. That simple approach actually worked quite well and the Zoe became a sales success. The idea of simplifying the switch to electric driving by offering customers a plug-in hybrid was initially answered at the head office with disapproving French murmurs. The fact that it is happening now has to do with the increasingly strict emission standards. A hybrid car is successful, especially if you can charge it yourself.
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As a buyer you also benefit from the revival of the plug-in hybrid, because you always get a car with lots of horsepower, an automatic transmission and low fuel consumption. Exactly how economical depends on your charging discipline. In addition, we have yet to encounter the first plug-in hybrid without air conditioning or electric windows. Plug-in hybrids are often luxurious. But just like fully electric cars, they are quite expensive to purchase. The Captur E-Tech Plug-in Hybrid 160 costs a whopping 33,290 euros. It is the most expensive motorization that Renault offers for the compact SUV.
Renault Captur E-Tech has a power of 160 hp
Renault calls its hybrid powertrain ‘E-Tech’ and uses it for the Clio, the Captur and the facelifted Mégane. Apart from the smaller battery in the Clio (which you cannot recharge yourself), the technology works on the same principle in all three cars. A 1.6-liter four-cylinder petrol engine (without turbo) is supported by two electric motors. The most powerful is connected to the automatic transmission, and the other is a starter generator. In the case of the Captur and the Megane, there is a 9.8 kWh battery pack under the rear seat. Good for an electric range of 46 to 65 kilometers. For the largest range you have to stay in the built-up area. On the highway you can drive fully electric at up to 135 km / h. The great thing about the electric driving program is that the drivetrain does not immediately drum up the combustion engine with every toe cramp. In other words, it is easy to drive on electricity a lot.
The plug-Captur has a combined power of 160 hp, which for an SUV in the B-segment sounds quite burly. Its top speed of 173 km / h, on the other hand, is quite modest. Just like a hundred sprint of 10.1 seconds. In comparison: the 300 kilos (!) Lighter The earnings TCE 155 with a 155 hp turbo engine and an automatic transmission with double clutch, it takes 8.6 seconds to 100 km / h. And continues up to 202 km / h.
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Yet the Captur E-Tech feels quite smooth and that is because it starts and accelerates electrically. So you are the first to leave the traffic light and as soon as the momentum is there, the silent and refined petrol engine joins the group. The result is a very relaxed and comfortable driving experience. The drivetrain also feels smoother than that of the Clio E-Tech that we tested last month. The shift moments are barely noticeable and the Captur E-Tech has 20 extra horsepower and an eight times larger battery pack to ‘play’ with. Only the soft suspension, because of the black battery pack, does not know what to do with high thresholds. The body swings up and down so powerfully that from now on you know how yogurt feels when you shake the pack.
You can have a 3.7 kW charging station installed at home to charge the battery. This will finish the job in 3:20 hours. Or you use the supplied charging cable for the standard socket (2.3 kW) and try that for a while. Then you have to be patient for 4:30 hours.
How do you earn back the Renault Captur plug-in hybrid?
The Captur E-Tech Plug-in Hybrid 160 is the ideal learning experience for a fully electric car: it shows how nice it is to drive on electricity and how much (or how little) hassle it is to charge regularly. The plug-in hybrid is not exempt from motor vehicle tax like a Renault Zoe, but thanks to the potentially low consumption, it does fall in the half rate. That amounts to approximately 114 euros per quarter. Moreover, the electricity from your own socket is cheaper than the gasoline from the pump.
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This way you save a few tens every month. Probably not enough to recoup the high purchase price of 33,290 euros. Or you should compare it with the aforementioned The earnings TCE 155 with automatic transmission from 31,090 euros and not with the cheapest Intens version (100 hp with manual gearbox: 24,990 euros). Whatever Intens you buy, in all cases you get luxury items such as 17-inch light alloy, a navigation system and automatic climate control. With an Intense, the digital instrumentation is normally 7 inches in size, but in every Captur E-Tech you have a 10-inch screen in front of you. That is a bonus.
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Conclusion
Many Dutch households have a folder of the Captur on the kitchen table. In particular, the pages about the E-Tech Plug-in Hybrid have been intensively studied. It is luxuriously designed and drives economically and comfortably. The fully electric Renault Zoe is still a step too far, but a Captur that you only charge when it comes out sounds perfect. Fortunately, its high weight has no unpleasant consequences for road tax. But then the price: more than 33 grand. You hoped to be five thousand euros cheaper …
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