SOMETIMES you need reminding of a car's charms after time behind the wheel of something else. Otherwise, it's too easy to forget.

Take the smart looking Renault you see here; built on the underpinnings of the popular Clio but given a macho makeover so it stands taller in the urban jungle.

It's a striking look that has gone down well among the sort of suburban dweller who needs a practical runaround but yearns for a touch of the wide outdoors.

The Captur melds the two demands into a handsome package that still attracts looks some time after the first ones appeared to swell a market for a type of car that is heading upwards with the speed of a space-bound rocket.

Cars like the Nissan Qashqai, which started the current craze for what the trade calls crossovers - meaning the looks and beefy stature of a 4x4 with the more economical running gear of a family hatch. A pretend off-roader, in other words.

The Captur won't venture far off the Tarmac but it looks as though it might. Which is enough, and has a practical spin off in a higher than normal driving position and easier entry for those of more mature years.

Inside, there is a nod to the car's potential for a muddy family life with seat covers that can be unzipped and popped in the washing machine and lots of space in the rear.

The boot's already bigger than the one you'll find in a Ford Focus and can be made larger still by sliding the back seat forward, at the expense of rear passenger legroom, of course.

There's a choice of two petrol or two diesel engines to power your Captur, some with the option of automatic gearboxes. Prices start at £14,295 and top out at more than £21,000 - with four trim levels that all include cruise control, air conditioning, electric windows all round and a trip computer.

That last feature showed a highly creditable 59mpg average for more than 400 miles of varied driving, including a fair share of stop/start town work that can send economy tumbling.

This fine economy did not mean the car drove like a fuel saving miser; the diesel engine is a pleasantly muted performer and happy to pull strongly in higher gears, which makes life easier in the cut and thrust of life on the road.

The car's Dynamique Nav trim level sits in second spot on the four-runged Captur ladder of goodies. A highlight (you've guessed) is satellite navigation built into a big enough (seven inch) touchscreen.

Also featured in this car are a DAB radio and uprated sound system, along with automatic climate control, bigger alloy wheels and added chrome packs inside and out to lend a more upmarket air to this version.

Those additions are easy to spot; harder to appreciate after a few days away from the car was the way its suspension is firmly weighted towards comfort at the expense of chasing a sporty feel.