@expressmotoring Iconic will Captur your heart

IF you own a Renault Captur and are thinking of trading it in for a new model there’s some good news. If you got on well with the old one then you’re going to love the new one that we’re testing today. Renault launched the Captur in 2012 and has since sold 1.5 million of them around the world. That car was a groundbreaker because seven years ago nobody had had the idea of making a compact crossover, or what the car industry refers to as a B-SUV.

Today the Captur has more than 20 rivals including the very successful T-Cross from Volkswagen.The new car had better be good then.

With no challengers back in 2012 Renault didn’t have to try too hard, so based the Captur on the same platform that had been used on the Modus (the same car as a Nissan Note) and which even then was quite dated. For the latest Captur, Renault has started from scratch with a new structure called the CMF-B platform which is also used for the new Clio.

For now the Captur comes with a choice of petrol and diesel engines but early next year a plug-in hybrid version will also be available.That powertrain features some very clever technology, including a novel gearbox. The engine likely to be most popular with UK buyers is the 1.0-litre 99bhp three-cylinder petrol but at the international launch the nearest to that available is this 128bhp four-cylinder TCe 130.

In the UK there will be three trim levels, starting with Play, with Iconic in the middle and S-Edition as the poshest. Our car is an Iconic which, when it arrives here, will cost around £20,295.

Our next-door neighbours have a Captur so it’s a daily sight for me.This Captur looks more fresh and up to date but it’s no stunner and will probably date itself in a couple of years.

That said, the Captur wouldn’t have been such a big seller if people didn’t like the way it looked.Also, when compared with most of its opposition, its design