From Baguette to Bullet: Renault Gives Captur and Symbioz a Jolt of Hybrid Swagger

Once upon a traffic jam, the Renault Captur was little more than a polite shrug on wheels. It existed. It drove. It sipped fuel like a monk sips wine – modestly, reverently, and with absolutely no urgency. And the Symbioz? That was Renault trying to be posh without actually knowing how. Think escargot served in a paper cup.

But now... oh, now they've been given the treatment. Renault has stuffed a second-generation hybrid system — gloriously named E-Tech 160 — under the bonnets of both Captur and Symbioz. Gone is the asthmatic 1.6-litre four-cylinder that wheezed like an accordion at a funeral. In its place, a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. It may still have less charisma than a freshly pressed EU commissioner, but crucially, it’s got more low-end grunt — the kind you need when you want to overtake a dawdling hatchback just before the McDonald’s drive-thru window.

Let’s do the maths. The engine on its own delivers 109 horsepower and 172 Nm of torque — a noticeable bump. But this is a hybrid, darling, and in 2025, no engine gets to play solo. Add to that a 20-horsepower starter-generator and a proper electric motor good for another 49 horses and 205 Nm. Altogether, you get a grand total of 158 hp — which is 15 more than before and just enough to make your morning school run feel almost like a time trial.

Captur now does 0–100 km/h in 8.9 seconds — fast enough to impress your neighbour's teenage son, slow enough not to terrify his grandmother. The Symbioz, being a bit bulkier and bourgeois, hits the same mark in 9.1 seconds. That’s enough pace to drop the kids at school, raid Lidl, and get back before your phone throws a low-battery tantrum.

Fuel economy? A saintly 4.3 litres per 100 km. That’s low enough to make Greta Thunberg crack a smile and high-five a panda.

Prices start at €28,250 for the Captur and €33,100 for the Symbioz. Not cheap, no. But Renault claims they've shifted over 750,000 E-Tech hybrids since 2020. So yes, someone is buying these. And now that they’re a bit quicker, a bit smarter, and — dare we say — slightly sexy, more people just might.

Renault hasn’t reinvented the wheel, but they’ve certainly made it spin with a bit more je ne sais quoi. Would you want one? Maybe. Would you hate yourself for not test-driving it first? Almost certainly.