Renault Captur 2015 News

How can the same car score five stars for crash safety in Europe and only four stars in Australia?

If you're struggling to understand the latest round of ANCAP testing, you're not the only crash test dummy.

Australia's crash test authority ANCAP delivered another own goal this week, making it even more confusing for buyers wanting to know a car's true safety score.

Renault's enrty into the booming baby SUV segment has arrived in Australia, promising an impressive list of standard equipment along with customisable styling.Standard features across the Captur range include a reverse camera with rear parking sensors, satnav, auto wipers and headlights, keyless entry and two-tone alloy wheels, while a unique two-tone body colour can be optioned on all models. Priced from $22,990, the entry-level Captur Expression is powered by a 0.9-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine which serves up 66kW/135Nm, connected to a five-speed manual transmission. Buyers wanting an automatic will need to step up to the $25,990 88kW/190Nm 1.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder version which is equipped with a six-speed dual-clutch auto.Combined fuel consumption for the Clio-based SUV in manual guise is 4.9L/100km, while the auto-equipped four-cylinder models use 5.4L/100km combined. The $27,990 range-topping Captur Dynamique gets the same hardware as the mid-spec four-cylinder auto Expression, but adds chrome interior highlights, removable and washable seat covers, bigger 17-inch machine-finished alloys and comes standard with contrasting roof and door mirrors. The versatile interior of the Captur SUV also has a sliding rear bench seat which allows for an impressive seats-up cargo volume of up to 455 litres.

Are you tired of getting stuck behind an SUV? If you can’t see through them, you may want to join them.Australia is going to be crawling with a new type of SUV from next year: city-sized soft-roaders. Or as we like to call them, faux-wheel drives.They have the same tall driving position as a full-size SUV (to better navigate the traffic rather than the great outdoors) and yet have the economy of a small car because often they don’t even have all-wheel drive. Handily, they also fit in the same size parking space as a Toyota Corolla.The Suzuki SX4 (now known as the S-Cross) in many ways pioneered this segment; Holden and Nissan followed with pocket-sized high-riding hatchbacks with unusual designs.But Mazda’s CX-3 is the first one that appears to look just right. Due in March, it will soon be joined by the Honda HR-V, Fiat 500X, Jeep Renegade, Renault Captur and the reborn Suzuki Vitara (a sign of the times, now with car-like underpinnings rather than a 4WD chassis).Most of these vehicles will be priced between $20,000 and $30,000, the heart of the new-car market — and put SUVs in the driveways of those who want one but, until now, couldn’t afford it.If you thought it was already difficult to choose a new car in the world’s most competitive market, it’s about to get even tougher.

Australian drivers are about to become real-life crash-test dummies, because from next year it will be easier for less safe cars to earn a five-star safety rating.The peak body that proudly closed a number of loopholes for crash rating requirements two years ago is about to reopen them so they are more closely aligned with European results, which are less stringent in two key areas. The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) currently requires five-star cars to provide airbag protection for back seat passengers, and to score a minimum 12.5 points out of 16 in a head-on crash test, which measures a car’s ability to protect front seat passengers. However, from next year, Australia will accept EuroNCAP results even though they do not require five-star cars to provide airbag protection for back seat passengers. The European crash test body is also happy to elevate a car to five stars even if it scores less than 12.5 out of 16 in the critical frontal crash test. RELATED: Chinese ute safety slammed againMORE: Indian ute scores two stars ahead of upgradeVIDEO: Why side airbags are life savers“Any move to water down safety standards is a raw deal for the consumer,” said Tom Godfrey, the spokesman for Australia’s peak consumer body Choice. “Any move to compromise these ratings in a bid to align with apparently weaker international criteria would not be a good thing for consumers.” Choice said ANCAP had done good work in the past at improving vehicle safety, but adopting Europe’s weaker testing measures was a step backwards. “Choice believes Australia should maintain the highest standards possible when it comes to car safety,” said Mr Godfrey.Frontal crashes are more common but side impacts are more deadly, which is why ANCAP initially made side airbags mandatory for five-star cars. ANCAP is making the changes so its results become more closely aligned with EuroNCAP, to cut confusion among buyers, even though ANCAP preceded its European counterpart when it was established in 1993. The changes mean cars that would not qualify for a five-star rating in Australia today will get a five-star rating under the new rules. For example, the Renault Captur SUV, if it were launched in Australia this year as planned, would earn a four-star rating under the current guidelines because it lacks rear airbags.But because Renault has delayed the launch until 2015 — when the relaxed rules are introduced — it will get a five-star rating. Renault Australia spokeswoman Emily Fadeyev insists the late arrival is due to “global demand and shipping delays” and not to take advantage of the rule change. EuroNCAP is not due to make rear airbags mandatory for five-star ratings until 2016, and currently has no plans to reinstate the minimum requirement of a 12.5 score out of 16 in the frontal crash test. ANCAP chief executive officer Nicholas Clarke told News Corp Australia: “Rear airbags are important, there’s no doubt about that. But Europe will require them (for five star ratings) in due course. There might be room for a little bit of confusion but we will respond to consumers as they arise. It’s really those that have a very active interest in safety that would pursue issues of rear airbags over no rear airbags.”ANCAP is an independent body funded by the Federal Government, the roads and traffic authorities in each state and territory and some insurance companies. It has no power to stop a car from going on sale; instead it tests cars independently and then publishes the results in a star-rating system so consumers can distinguish the safety of new cars. ANCAP was the first body of its type in the world to insist cars must have airbag protection for back seat passengers if they are to be awarded five stars. ANCAP was also the first to mandate electronic stability control, which can prevent a skid in a corner and is viewed as the next big lifesaver after the seatbelt. The rules requiring rear airbags were initially made by ANCAP after a number of cars, including the 2008 Ford Falcon, scored a five-star rating even though they were not fitted with rear airbags. ANCAP changed the rules in 2013 to close the loophole and raise safety standards for family cars.However after just two years, following pressure from some car makers who sell some models without rear airbag protection, ANCAP has announced it will relax this rule and align its testing criteria with its European counterparts. 

The first carmaker to throw its weight behind independent safety testing in Australia is now questioning the value of ANCAP star ratings. Renault, which has been a long-term five-star maker, now says the Australasian New-Car Assessment Program is going down a blind alley by pursuing a unique local agenda at a time when Australian cars are less and less popular with consumers.Its attack turns on ANCAP's decision to downgrade its upcoming Captur SUV to a four-star ranking, after a five-star result in Europe, because it will not be fitted with rear airbags. “They are pushing themselves off to obscurity,” the managing director of Renault Australia, Justin Hocevar, tells Carsguide.“I think ANCAP is at risk of misleading Australians. It is encouraging Australians to buy a car that could be of a lower safety standard, yet have a higher airbag count. That's the shame.” Hocevar says he has asked ANCAP for answers to a range of questions but is yet to get a satisfactory reply.“We're asking them to please come and justify, with data from Australia, why they have a right to second-guess EuroNCAP. With fewer and fewer locally-made cars, what are they testing? And why would they differ?“EuroNCAP crash tests far more vehicles every year than ANCAP. And it's one that is moving forward. Not one putting out papers and then deviating from the rest of the world.“They have essentially refused to answer any of our enquiries. They seem to prefer a public debate through the press, instead of responding with data-driven answers.”Renault has already achieved matching five-star ratings from EuroNCAP and ANCAP for its baby Clio, which does not have rear airbags, but that car was introduced before the 2014 start date for a new ANCAP requirement for five-star cars.It's part of a safety roadmap that tightens the requirements and demands extra safety equipment for a five-star score in coming years. “It does call into question what vehicles will be rated in the future. They have already given five stars to a number of vehicles that do not have rear airbags.”Hocevar says he intends to promote the Captur as a five-star vehicle, regardless of the ANCAP score. “As far as we're concerned, we're going to communicate that the car is a five-star car and that it's a EuroNCAP rating.“From our point of view, the message is clear. We don't want to mislead anyone. They (ANCAP) may take a view that the vehicle is downgraded, but we will communicate that it's with the most relevant testing authority.”Hocevar also intends to confirm to shoppers that the Captur, like the Clio, was designed without rear airbags because they are not needed to achieve five-stars. “We have not de-contented the Captur. It was designed and built with a number of airbags and it achieved the highest possible safety rating.“A car with less-robust design and construction could have a bunch of airbags and not get five stars. That's where customers are potentially being misled.” Hocevar admits that he could avoid an ANCAP confrontation by advancing the Captur's Australian on-sale date into the back end of 2013, but he does not intend to be that mischievous.“Yes, I could just stick one on a plane, bring it out and then tell them it's been launched,” Hoceva laughs. “But I'm not going to put the launch of the vehicle ahead of schedule just to get a better ANCAP score, when I think it's so misguided.”This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover 

The baby SUV is set to be docked a star by NCAP in Australia because it is not fitted with rear airbags, even though it has just received the top five-star ranking from European NCAP without them.It will also take the hit because it must pass a roof-crush test, although that is in the plan for ANCAP testing in 2014.The head of ANCAP, Nicholas Clarke, says he is stunned that Renault is not demanding cars for Australia with rear airbags because the Captur follows the Clio which is also airbag-free in the rear."It beggars belief that they could not get it up. If they are going to sell the car here then that is what we require," he tells Carsguide."It strikes me as a bit odd that this has blown up. I understand that Renault is not happy about it."But he is adamant."The Captur result will be capped at four stars. It's required to have rear curtain airbags, or rear head protection technology. The other thing for the Captur is that from 2014 we require a roof crush result. That's mandatory for five stars from January."He admits the Captur could clear the roof hurdle, and ANCAP is intending to check that locally by buying a car to test, but says all carmakers including Renault have had plenty of warning about the rear-airbag requirement for a local five-star ranking."In our forward plan, which we developed from about 2009 and then published at the beginning of 2011, it was made clear at that time that from 2014 we would require head protecting technology in the rear and the roof.""This was negotiated with industry through the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, which Renault is a member of. It shouldn't be news to anybody."Clarke also says Renault has a long history with five-star cars and rear airbags, and questions the decision not to fit them in the Clio and Captur."There are lots of small cars with full-length rear airbags. So it's not impossible to fit them. I think, also, that Renault have had curtain airbags in the rear for a number of years."Despite the push-back from NCAP in Australia, the result for European NCAP is the fifteenth five star result for Renault and backs the recent result for the Clio on which the Captur is based.

This stunning admission, by Captur project chief Christophe Pejout, comes as he also admits the French company is targeting its safety development work

A new SUV battlefield is about to open in Australia as Renault confirms local sales of its swish new Captur crossover.The Captur is smaller than the current compact contenders - including the Honda CR-V, Hyundai ix35, Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4 - and the French brand believes it will also be a hit with younger shoppers.It is aiming for a sub-$20,000 starting price. Its most-likely rival is the Subaru XV, although Nissan is also coming soon with its funky Juke. The Captur is not a totally-done-deal yet, but everything points to sales early next year as the car is previewed in production form at the Geneva motor show."The first half of 2014 is when it's looking likely for Australia," the managing director of Renault Australia, Justin Hocevar, reveals to Carsguide. "Our business plan for Australia is looking very positive. We've still got a few hurdles to clear, but I don't think any are insurmountable. I had some very positive meetings last week in Paris."The Captur has been converted almost directly from an edgy concept car designed by its new styling chief, one-time Mazda man Laurens van den Acker. Its name has also been brought along for showrooms.Renault believes it's a city-focussed crossover and it definitely hits the same keys as the successful Range Rover Evoque, although the French brand is being more practical with a sliding rear bench seat, a multi-position boot floor, an 11-litre drawer-style glovebox and a range of infotainment systems including the R-Link approach to connectivity.It even weights the same as the latest Clio 3 to boost its efficiency. "As the brand's first urban crossover, Captur combined all the advantages of the MPV, SUV and family hatchback," says van den Acker.The Captur is based on the latest Clio compact so it's only 4.1 metres long and 1.7 metres wide, but it rolls on either 16 or 17-inch alloys and has jacked up suspension for the getaway look. Renault describes the cabin space as "generous".Keyless entry and hill-start assist are standard across the range, but Renault Australia is yet to confirm equipment including zip-off seat covers, a rear camera or the R-Link system.The mechanical focus at Geneva is on the EDC dual-clutch gearbox and turbo petrol 90 engine which gives 4.9 litres/100km, but there are two petrol and two diesel engines for the Captur. Hocevar is confident the Captur will open a new SUB category, based on its size and price."There's not a lot there in that size, especially in Australia. It's a light-class crossover, smaller than a Nissan Dualis and more like a Nissan Juke or Opel Mokka," he says."We haven't touched on the price yet. But, based on what's in the market, it's highly likely that the entry model will be in the very high teens or early $20,000s."This reporter is on Twitter @paulwardgover