IT'S a car at the sharp end of the crossover craze and the Captur has played a pivotal role in the renaissance of Renault in the UK.

Now it's time for a major revamp and the latest Captur is getting spruced up inside and out.

There's a new look to the front bringing it in line with Renault's larger Kadjar SUV, more technology inside and a new range topping Signature S Nav model complete with part leather upholstery and added body garnish.

Engines and transmissions available in the new 24 model line up remain as before with the Captur range now priced from £15,355, an increase of some £400.

The Captur is Renault's top seller in Britain and it has become nothing short of a fashion statement on wheels since it first arrived in 2013.

Along with the Clio it was one of the first to benefit from the snazzy styling inspired by Renault's design chief Laurens van den Acker and the new version stays right on trend.

Bright colours and two-tone paint jobs remain a feature while the front end treatment sees C-shaped LED daylight running lights incorporated into the bumper.

The new Signature S Nav gets some added jewellery in the shape of extra brightwork in the grille and a different finish to the front and rear skid plates to set it apart.

It's priced from £21,405 for a 1.2-litre 120bhp turbo petrol version or £23,145 for a 110bhp 1.5-litre diesel and comes with all the new bells and whistles which are options elsewhere in the range.

Those include automatic parking, a blind spot warning system and upgrades to the R-Link sat nav and connectivity system which makes it compatible with Android smartphones - Apple devices still have to rely on Bluetooth or USB connections.

The new trim brings added finesse to the interior which stays swish and roomy for a compact family model.

It also includes aluminium pedals while a fixed glass panoramic roof has been introduced as a £400 option

Boot space ranges from 377 to 1,235 litres which is par for the course in compact crossovers and the Captur comes as standard with a tyre repair kit. A spacesaver spare costs an extra £100.

With the part leather trim the seat coverings cannot be unzipped and washed as is possible with the fabric upholstery used on other Capturs but that's the only difference in terms of practicality.

The Signature S Nav sits on 17-inch alloys and officially it's rated at 76.4mpg for the diesel and 51.4 for the petrol model with emissions of 98 and 125g/km.

We saw an average of 50.5 to the gallon from the diesel and low 40s from the 1.2-litre and both have no bad habits although the mid-range pull from the diesel gave it an edge.

On the performance front the Captur is rated at 11.4 seconds 0 to 60 for the 110bhp diesel and 9.9 seconds for the 120bhp petrol but in everyday use it seemed more suited with the diesel under the bonnet.

With six-speed manual gearboxes top speeds are almost identical at 112mph for the diesel and 113 for the petrol although with Renault's electronic auto transmission, which adds £1,300 to the price, the petrol version can be pushed a little further and that's without any reduction in the official fuel return.

However, performance with many a new car is a given these days and what makes a difference is style and panache - and on those fronts the Captur comes loaded.