RENAULT CAPTUR 1,5 DCI

We’re spoilt for choice in the personal transport sandpit where the Renault Captur plays. This urban crossover based on the same company's Clio compact car is one of several options available to style- conscious buyers and, like others of its type, provides a striking alternative to cookie- cutter minicars.

However, even the style- conscious are aware of practical considerations and there's no doubt that they'll welcome the 1,5 diesel option launched recently. Why? Well, that yawning gap between the entry level 900 cm3 three- cylinder and the range-topping 1,2 with doubleclutch gearshift, for one thing.

Simply starting up and moving offff from rest is reason enough to appreciate why this four- cylinder turbodiesel unit is Renault's most sold engine. (And not just in Renaults, either: you can find it in Nissans and Mercedes-benzes.) It's uncommonly refined for a diesel, whether idling or under acceleration. On that score alone, I have to rate it among my favourite small power-plants.

But there's more. Plant your right foot and the Captur bounds forward eagerly, indicating that the specified 220 N.m peak had better be believed. That's particularly evident at freeway speeds and cross- country travel, where the healthy torque spread (it starts at just 1 750 r/min) means you don't have to gear down to be sure of overtaking safely. And the 5-speed gearshift is light and slick, too. Equally light clutch pedal action suggests that driving in city traffic is unlikely to be a chore. If there's a quibble – and it's a small one – it's that top gear seems a little tall for anything but freeway cruising.

The seating position feels higher, so body roll seems relatively greater than with an equivalent hatchback's, but the Captur tracks securely through bends.