HERE'S how to save £1,600 towards the cost of that holiday the current dread virus means you probably aren't having - don't buy the version of the handsome Renault Captur you see here.

That smart move will put you into a version of the Captur that demands you do a little more work to make the car move along, but you'll enjoy yourself a lot more and save that useful bundle of cash.

For the car driven here has an automatic gearbox that does the work of the clutch for you. In most cars that's a welcome addition - especially around town - but this time it comes close to spoiling things.

When the lights turn green you'll either creep forward (eventually) as you feather the throttle to avoid a jerky stumble, or lurch away with the revs rising like Lewis on a Sunday Silverstone start line.

I've tried the Captur with the cheaper, manual gearbox and it's fine. So you can still have a car with plenty of plus points, while avoiding those auto gears. Sounds like a plan?

The smart looking Renault you see here is 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 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.

The Captur range starts at £18,295 for the Play version that comes with automatic dual zone climate control, a seven inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a 100hp petrol engine and five-speed gearbox.

The version on test today is much posher - and rather a lot dearer too, with a £21,295 starting price in S Edition trim, which brings fancy 17 inch alloy wheels, two-tone paint, electric windows all round, a larger touchscreen with sat nav installed and front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

You can then add flame red metallic paint (£660), leather heated front seats and a heated steering wheel (£800) and a posh Bose sound system (£350)... a proper emergency spare tyre for £200 instead of the standard can of sealant gloop.