Renault Captur Dynamique MediaNav dCi 90 Stop&Start

GEORGE Foreman grills, Soda stream machines, Nespresso coffee makers.

Renault Captur Dynamique MediaNav dCi 90 Stop&Start

Engine: 1,461cc, four-cylinder, turbodiesel

Power: 90bhp and 162lb.ft. of torque

Performance: 0-62mph in 13.1 seconds and 106mph

Economy: 76mpg (combined)

CO2 emissions: 95g/km

Price: £16,395

Everyone has a kitchen and at some point many of us will have owned one or more of the above items which will have been — or is yet to be — consigned to the back of the cupboard and forgotten about for the foreseeable future.

Stylish design and clever marketing made each the must-have item of its day but, ultimately, we all discovered that they were never really needed.

By contrast the motor industry has responded to demand in creating the must-have new segment which is simply exploding in a flurry of sales.

The compact cross-over has manufacturers creaming lost sales and the best-placed models among them are the Nissan Juke, MINI Countryman, Peugeot 2008 and the tangerine dream you see here... Renault’s Captur.

Perhaps the most originally styled of the three, Renault’s Clio-based creation is priced from £12,495 (£1,700 more than the Clio), with the mid-range Captur Dynamique MediaNav dCi 90 Stop&Start tested here coming in at £16,395.

Those prices have the two French cars going head-to-head with the Juke, the MINI assuming the premium high-ground with prices some £3,000 more.

Key to the success of the current crop of B-segment crossovers is the high-ground that all assume.

Boasting a 200mm ground clearance the Captur has no off-road pretence at all but will benefit young families and older potential buyers some relief from their creaking limbs with impressive ease of access.

Whether the Captur will live up to the broad cross-section of potential buyers perhaps depends on how it is specced.

With its colour-contrasting roof and 17 inch alloys, my test car was set-up to appeal to those wanting to grab attention and exhibit some youthful exuberance — next generation perched in a baby seat behind them or not...

Renault’s global head of design, Laurens Van Den Acker, has created something more contemporary and striking than those tasked with creating MINI’s bulbous Countryman or Peugeot’s conservative 2008 to my eyes.

A distinctive new face puts a giant Renault badge at its leading edge while broad flanks rise to a pert rear end. It is chunky, robust and sporty-looking. An Evoque for everyman, perhaps.

Inside the five-door cabin is modern and just a wee bit jazzy.

Touches of exterior colour highlight speakers and the gloss black centre console which houses Renault’s seven-inch touchscreen MediaNav system.

My test car came equipped with the optional (£450) R-Link package which also included Bluetooth hands-free telephone connection and a range of graphs that tracked the economy of your driving style on-screen, along with a worthy upgrade to a TomTom Live sat-nav system.

A neatly scultped steering wheel fills drivers’ palms nicely, meanwhile, while fanned strapping at the rear of the front seats make a stylish alternative to the usual bland storage sleeves.

Standard kit highlights include keyless entry and push-button starting, air conditioning, cruise control and rear seats which slide fore-and-aft to liberate between 377 and 455 litres of boot space, depending on the value placed on rear legroom.

Up front, the driving position is as lofty feeling as you might imagine for a small car placing great stock in feeling big.

Visibility is good too.

What soon becomes apparent once on the move is that despite its snazzy looks the Captur is a car that places practicality quite high on its agenda.

The 90bhp, 1.5-litre dCi engine is not forthcoming in delivering lusty performance and seems determined to meander along in an effort, no doubt, to help you deliver its claimed 76mpg fuel economy and road tax-exempt 95g/km CO2 emissions.

Where Renault’s claims that the Captur will take a full 13.1 seconds to reach 62mph and a 106mph top speed seem accurate, however, real-world economy above 60mpg seemed unlikely.

Dynamically, the Captur is an unusual mix. It is clear that the suspension has been tuned for a degree of precision despite the tall proportions and it can feel a little over-firm and fidgety as a result.

Understeer is king if the desire to drive briskly takes you, meanwhile, and the Captur is quite aloof where its hatchback sibling, the Clio, has always been one of the top steers in its class.

Overall, I was somewhat disappointed with overall comfort and handling, but perhaps only because I expect more from a brand which usually places great stock in these characteristics.

In terms of styling I can’t help but feel that Renault’s Captur is best placed to capture a huge slice of the B-segment crossover segment from Nissan’s Juke but the blandly-styled Peugeot is the better all-rounder.

MINI’s Countryman is similarly aloof on the road and in many ways less accomplished than either French rivals, but will steal sales for its premium cabin and retro appeal.

Designed and marketed to sell with the vigour of a George Foreman grill, these vehicles are here to stay.

These useful and quirky compact crossovers fit our lifestyles now and won’t be pushed to the back of the showroom any time soon.

 

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