1.5 dCi 90 Dynamique S Nav Auto 5dr SUV

Practical and stylish - I just hope the build quality is as good

My priorities in choosing a car were budget, looks, practicality, reliability, running costs, build quality & good to drive, and I think the Captur ticks every box. I've only done under 4000 miles so far so these comments are based on that.

Budget. I run a vehicle leasing business and have access to all the offers and the Captur stood out as a good deal for what it offers in return for the money. This model is available for little over £200 per month incl VAT and makes more expensive SUVs seem overpriced.

Looks. Obviously looks are subjective but I think this car is a head turner in a way that not many non-premium motors are. It must be that French flair!

Practicality. This is where, I feel the Captur, knocks its direct rivals for six. The rear bench seat moves forward about 8 inches and the boot floor is removable which turns a typical small car boot into one that rivals the BMW 3-series Touring I used to run. Remove the parcel shelf to go on holiday (the rear tinted windows means bad guys can't see in the boot) and you can load up to the ceiling. Another genius touch is the removable, washable seat covers which are guaranteed to be able to be washed up to 5 times and still retain their shape. Brilliant for kids or pets.

Reliabilty. You don't tend to put reliability and Renault in the same sentence usually but, now they are part owned by Nissan and the two companies develop cars together, I have more confidence having owned a few Nissans previously. The dashboard did tell me recently for a few hours that there was a Power Steering Fault but the dealer couldn't find anything. Also the DAB radio packed up after a few weeks and I could no longer listen to Absolute Classic Rock but the visit to the dealer sorted this out too and I'm now reacquainted with Bon Jovi etc. The 4 year warranty was crucial is choosing this car as I wanted a 4 year lease and would have worried about this being longer than the warranty period.

Running costs. Slightly surprised to learn that the service interval is 12 months or 18,000 miles as most cars can go up to 2 years if mileage is low enough. Economy is lower than expected but the engine isn't run in yet and we are just coming out of Winter.

Build quality. This is where I have the only reservations as some of the surfaces are not as well finished as I would like. For instance the seat belt buckle is quite rough underneath and I've cut my finger on it once and nearly repeated it a couple more times.

Driving. It drives really well for a small car. Mine is just 90 BHP, it's automatic and I tend to leave it in ECO setting but it still pulls well and never seems lacking in power. It might not suit a boy racer but they'd probably go for a Clio instead anyway.

Very pleased so far

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