Renault Captur: the spirit of adventure

A practical car with oodles of personality, Renault has got the Captur spot on, says expert car reviewer Andrew Frankel

Renault Captur Dynamique dCi 90

This model from £16,395

When price is a serious issue and what you need is a practical car but what you want is something to reflect your spirit of adventure, something usually has to give. Either you’ll end up with a car that’s dull but effective, or one that looks the part but can’t deal with everyday life. It’s an issue the Renault Captur was born to address.

Because it’s based on the similarly new Clio, it drives just like a normal road car, but with a longer wheelbase there’s more space inside and, with a sliding rear seat, more versatility too. Open the tailgate and you’ll find the boot has a false floor with a substantial storage area beneath for your valuables. You can even reverse the floor to give it a tough rubberised surface for dirty wellies. Even the seat covers are easily unzipped and popped in the wash.

Yet you can wrap all this practicality in any one of 24 exterior colour combos, and that’s not including a choice of roof decals allowing you to personalise this inherently fine-looking car to your exact tastes.