Captur RENAULT’S

WHEN Renault launched the Captur in 2012 it didn’t have to try too hard because no-one else had a small crossover or SUV.

Today it has at least 20 rivals, so when the time came for Renault to replace the old model it had to roll its sleeves up.

Renault based the original Captur on the same platform used on the Modus (the same car as a Nissan Note) but even then it was quite dated.

For this one it has started from scratch with the CMF-B platform that’s used for the new Clio.

The car industry likes capital letters, so here’s another batch: B-SUV. That’s what we call a compact crossover.

For now the Captur comes with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, but a plug-in hybrid arrives early next year.

That powertrain features some 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 launch the nearest available was this 128bhp four-cylinder TCe 130.

The UK gets three trim levels starting with Play, then Iconic in the middle and S-Edition as the poshest. Our car is an Iconic which, when it goes on sale here, will cost around £20,295.

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

That said, the Captur wouldn’t have been such a big seller if people didn’t like those looks. The real leap forward comes inside. The dash is essentially the