A NEW Renault Captur is on the way and not only has it grown in size it is also packed with technology.

It's the second car to sit on Renault's latest platform also used on the new Clio and when it arrives in February the Captur will be priced from £17,595.

That is an increase of some £2,000 over the current version but the new model comes with much more kit including LED headlights, lane departure systems, autonomous emergency braking and an electronic parking brake with an auto hold function.

The three trim range will top out from £20,595 for a high specification S Edition Captur complete with a 9.3-inch portrait-style touchscreen in the centre of the dash, a high definition reversing camera and Renault's EasyLink multimedia system with sat nav and full smartphone integration as standard.

In between - and priced from £19,095 - are Iconic grade versions which also have the EasyLink set up on board and come with two tone paint, dark tinted rear windows and roof bars above the kit included on the entry-level Play models.

From a design point of view the new Captur looks very much grown up but still on trend in the booming compact SUV market.

The new Captur is some four inches longer and slightly wider and taller than before which has boosted room inside and in the boot.

There is more legroom in the rear and with a sliding back seat luggage capacity now ranges from 422 to 536 litres plus there is an underfloor storage area in the boot. Maximum cargo space is 1,275 litres.

That's a significant increase in cargo space than on the original but one feature that has been deleted from the new model is the zippable seat coverings which allowed them to be removed for washing if necessary.

Three petrol and two diesel engines are available with the base model powered by a 1.0-litre three cylinder petrol developing 100bhp.

Diesels cost from £19,395 while the petrol line up is bolstered by tow 1.3-litre blocks with either 130 or 155bhp on tap.

The 130bhp engine is available with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic transmission while the higher powered version comes only with the electronic dual clutch auto box.

On our drives in the new Captur we tried both versions of the 1.3-litre model and saw an average fuel return of 46mpg from the manual 130bhp engine and 38 to the gallon from the 155bhp auto.

Officially they are rated a 44.1mpg and 44.8mpg respectively with emissions of 127 and 124g/km - so their real world consumption was impressive.

Performance date is 10.6 seconds 0 to 60 for the TCe 130 with a top speed of 121mph and 8.6 seconds for the 155 with a maximum of 126mph.

Drive and handling are above average for cars of this class and noise insulation is first class. Only as motorway speeds approach is there any indication of windrush and that is confined mainly to the zone around the door mirrors.

Where the Captur really impresses is with the level of refinement inside with two-tone soft touch trim and a 10-inch TFT instrument panel among options which added £600 to the price.

Other extras fitted to the S Edition TCe 155 we tried were Renault's semi-autonomous drive system which added active blind spot and adaptive cruise control and a surround view camera set up. There was also a wireless phone charger with increased the final cost of the car from £24,395 to £25,795.

With the automatic transmission the Captur also features a ‘floating' design to the centre console proving a further storage area below the gear lever while both models we sampled had eight-way ambient light systems which created a classy feel to the cabin at night.

The new Captur has matured considerably since the first model became one of the pioneers of the small SUV scene when it arrived back in 2013.

Now there are more than 20 models in that sector of the market but despite the number of alternatives the updates to the latest Captur look set to keep it a top choice.