Both Volkswagen and Renault are manufacturers which do really well in Europe, and they're also fishing in each others pond.
But still, there are very big characteristic differences. Volkswagen more or less follows trends, whilst Renault creates trends.
Usually, Renault is one of the first if not the first to invent a segment. For example, the MPV. Or even with the Captur: the compact SUV.
Sure, the Captur wasn't actually the first compact SUV, but it was one of the cars that made the segment incredibly successful.
Since it was introduced in 2013, Renault has been able to shift at least 8.000 Captur's every year.
In the meantime, Volkswagen has waited so long before introducing their T-Cross, that they now have to compete with the second generation Captur.
And let's be honest here, the Captur is very recognizable as a Captur, but it looks a lot better than it used to.
That's mostly because of the measurements, because it's wider and longer, but it's also because of the details. Take these LED-headlights...
and LED-rear lights.
On the outside, there have been a lot of changes, but the real revolution has taken place on the inside.
Just like the Clio of course, because the dashboard is very similar to that. And that's good news, because it looks a lot better than before.
It actually looks a lot better than most of the cars in this class. This particular car is equipped with a very luxurious trim though,
so we've got the big vertical screen, mood lighting, very nice upholstery... Stuff you won't find on any basal Captur.
However, even without that trim level, the material use is good, it has a very nice styling, the quality is very good...
The ergonomics are thought through as well. Take this bridge for example. It looks good and it's a typical detail on the Clio and Captur,
but it also means you've got some storage here and here. Also, you still have the tray in the dashboard. Lots of space to put stuff.
I don't have a lot to complain about the multimedia-system either. It's a real improvement compared to its predecessor.
It's quick, it looks modern and it has all kinds of handy shortcuts which let you go back to the previous page or a much-used page.
It's also filled with fun gimmicks. In the instrument cluster for example, you can choose what car to project. So if you use your indicators,
the light flicker on the little car in your dash. Still fun. The digital instrument cluster is mostly digital in this particular car,
not entirely though. You can get a fully digital instrument cluster however, which lets you project the satnav in fullscreen.
Another nice detail is this fancy gear lever. Or rather, it's more of a fancy handle now, which controls the EDC-automatic gearbox.
That's a double-clutch 7=speed automatic, and if you select that you'll automatically get a 4-cylinder engine. No basic 3-cylinder for you.
That means it produces at least 131 horsepower, and that's the engine we're driving today. More than enough for the Captur of course,
but it's a very comfortable drivetrain as a whole as well. What I could say about it is that it doesn't always react linear.
Sometimes when you put your foot down, nothing happens only to kick in very suddenly afterwards. However, that's only under certain circumstances,
and as a whole, it's a very good engine. It's a feisty engine at that, 131 horsepower really is more than enough for this car. You can even...
get a more powerful version, but for the Netherlands that doesn't make sense. The gearbox is pretty smooth as well. It's not the quickest,
but it's so smooth that you almost don't feel the gear changes. Besides all that, the things that apply to the Clio apply here as well.
Renault were able to translate the dynamic edge from the Clio to the Captur. Sure, this is taller and you'll feel that,
but the steering is very sharp. The moment you move your steering wheel, it moves. The reactions are very direct and it remains stable in the corners.
That does compromise the comfort a little, because if you want a tall car to be direct, you have to tighten up the suspension.
It's not annoying or anything luckily, because it's not hard as wood or anything.
The new Captur does carry a lot of weight on its shoulders however, because next to successing the Captur itself, it's also the successor...
to the Clio Estate. That's right, the current Clio won't feature a new Estate. And when it comes to luggage space, the Captur is a little short.
This only fits 377 litres, whilst the Clio Estate fitted 443 litres. Luckily, it has a very practical design.
Of course, as if it was obligatory, you have a double floor which is adjustable in height. Also, you can move the rear seat about. Even from...
the boot, you can move it. Up to 16 centimetres, so it offers some extra litres. If you fold everything down, it'll hold 1.235 litres.
Fun fact: that's still less than in the Clio Estate.
If you want to be on the back seat as an adult, it's not a bad idea to move the seat back. But if you do, it's not bad back here. The legroom is...
pretty decent, but the headroom isn't. It's just alright, so if you're taller, the headroom will be more of a problem than the legroom.
The T-Cross however is known as an incredibly spacious car and I do have to admit the seating is better than in the Captur.
Especially when it comes to headroom and legroom. Much more freedom of movement. Also, you can move the seat across 14 centimetres.
Again, you won't be able to sit here anymore.
The blurb says the boot can fit 455 litres, which would be a lot more than in the Captur. However, they don't tell you it's with the seat moved forward.
If you move the seat backwards, it only fits 385 litres. Still, that's more than in the Captur. Not an incredibly big difference.
The same goes for if you fold down the seats. The T-Cross then holds slightly more, again without a lot of differences.
There's a double floor in here as well, even though it's more of an adjustable single floor, because beneath here is the spare wheel compartment.
Anyway, adjustable floor: check.
The fact you look immediately into the spare wheel compartment underneath the floor isn't the only finishing flaw here.
If we look at the interior, it stands out they've used a lot of hard plastics. And I'm not just talking about stuff behind me, because the...
entire dashboard consists of hard plastics. Just like the T-Roc. And that's strange, because the Polo does have a nice and soft dashboard.
But this higher and more expensive T-Cross doesn't. Sure, some of you might think it doesn't matter a lot because a dashboard isn't...
made to touch. But you can also see it when you're driving along, it's not what we're expecting from a car of this class.
It just doesn't look as good as the dashboard in the Captur. The design is typically Volkswagen, so it's tight and timeless.
The finishing is good if we look at gaps and cracks, because everything fits seemlessly. Just like the controls are incredibly clear,
nothing to complain about there. I wouldn't call it sparkly though, and it just looks a lot less premium than in the Captur.
The infotainment system is typically Volkswagen as well, so it's very quick. Even quicker than in the Captur.
It's very logical, even though there are some things you have to find at first. Volkswagen-drivers will know where to find them though.
If you're not a Volkswagen-driver, you'll have to look a little better. As a whole, it's very logical. It's very configurable as well.
That mostly goes for the digital instrument cluster, which isn't standard but it's on here. You can choose what you want on your left,
on your right, in the middle... If you want a full-screen satnav, if you don't. You can do almost everything, which is a very nice addition.
The seating position is very good as well, mostly because you can choose to lower it if you want to. A big difference with the Captur is the gear...
lever. In the Captur you have the fancy shift-by-wire-island, but this has a regular gear lever. It almost looks like a manual,
only with P, R and D on it. And it's connected to a 7-speed DSG-gearbox which in turn is connected to a 1.0-litre TSI. If you go for the DSG,
you can choose the base engine. That means you always have 115 horsepower, because this engine only comes in two flavours.
The combination does what it needs to do neatly, however the gearbox changes up too quickly.
That's a thing in VW's with a DSG and this engine. So when you're just driving about town, it's a quite a noisy car.
It just doesn't rev a lot. Surely, that'll be good for the fuel consumption. Shifting itself goes very smoothly and the engine works properly.
It's slightly down on power compared to the Captur, but you won't notice that. If we look at the numbers, the differences are minimal.
When it comes to steering, the T-Cross is more distant than the Captur. The Captur steers directly when you move the steering wheel,
whilst there seems to be more distance between the steering wheel and the front wheels than in the Polo. Literally.
That's just a tad more agile, whilst there seems to be a delay in here. It's not as dynamic, but it's mostly comfortable. Exactly what the target...
audience is looking for in this car.
You might've noticed the R-Line equipped T-Cross doesn't have climate control, but that's a problem of this particular car, because it is available.
If these cars have similar equipment aboard, both are around €30.000. The price won't be decisive in this comparison, so let's tally it up.
The T-Cross wins it when it comes to interior space and comfort, but the Renault looks better, is more modern and drives better.
For this video, the Renault wins it, but for the magazine we'll put a Citroën C3 Aircross next to it. Exciting stuff...