In the second phase of its new design lifecycle the Renault Captur is all about ‘discovering the world’ after that wildly passionate, visceral embodiment of ‘falling in love’, the DeZir.
On a macro scale its format fits the remit perfectly; a compact crossover with the sort of outdoorsy stance that would look perfectly at home half-way up a mountain in a nauseatingly-posed publicity shot.
Of course that’s the danger with such a vehicle: it’s easy to slip into ‘lifestyle’ clichés, with mountain bikes and snowboards attached to every possible orifice. But the Captur deftly sidesteps such sickliness, particularly in its interior design, led by Magali Gouraud-Borgers, with Kana Watanabe responsible for colour and trim.
The use of fluorescent bungee cord to support the passenger side IP as well as form the front seat centres and the inspired rear load bay/seat-base/shag-pad perfectly encapsulates my interpretation of the project: organised complexity.
The same theme runs through Julio Lozano’s exterior – the repeated boomerang graphic that lays scale-like on its fenders, flicks into the window line, through the rocker panel, inside the lamp cans – doesn’t appear in any way forced or fussy. In the same way the bungee cord simply takes up its natural form under tension, so too do the myriad of feature lines, aping the adjustment systems found on shoes and bags. They also provide structure to the voluminous but wonderfully controlled bodyside surfacing.
Of course the interior material choice is directly inspired by outdoor sports equipment and the Captur is one beautifully-executed rucksack we’d love to throw on our backs and head off to explore the world.
Owen Ready
