The Week UK - 04.04.2020

38 LEISURE

THE WEEK4April 2020

Consumer

New cars: whatthe critics say

Tips oftheweek...w

out usinghousehold items

those who

have everything...

RenaultCaptur

from£17,595

What Car?

The original Renault

Captur, released in 2013,

was not the firstsmall SUV

to hitthe market .But it

didride the “tsunami” of

theirpopularity, and since

then,1.2 milli on Captur’s

have beensoldworldwide.

The secr et to it sappeal

was its “distinctive looks”

andlots of customisation

options–and Renault has

been even“bolder” with

this model. Butwhile it

remains keenly priced, the

“funky” design doesn’t

quite makeup for some

disappointingengines.

The DailyTelegraph

It’sabit odd thatthese

“hatchbacksonstilts”

have provedsopopular;

“asarule, the taller

the car, thestiffer the

suspension must beto stop

it lean ingover”.Increased

aerodynamic dragmakes

them less economical too.

Still,thisone has some

greatdesigntouche s. The

keyl essentry syste mfeels

“slick” –unlockingthe

car as youwalk up to it.

There’s “bags of space”

inside, andthe boot can

be made vast thanksto

aslidi ng ba ck benc h.

Auto Express

There are sixengines

on offer, rangingfrom

a99bhp 1.0-litre petrol,

which feels “everybit as

pedestrianasi ts 13.3-

second0-62mph figure

suggests”. At the top of

the range, the 153bhp1.3-

litre is much morecapable.

There’safairamountof

body lean around corners,

but the pay-off forthat is

acomfo rtable ride. Based

on the new Clio, thecar

drives well,withprecise

steering .Overall ,ithas the

ingredientstob eanother

“sales success”.

●Createamakeshift kettlebell by putting

afew 1kgbagsofthings like flour and sugar

in astrong plastic bag. Tie it tightly so the

items won’t shift around. Then put this in

another bag that you can swing from the

handles. Look for kettlebell workouts online.

●Tie ajacket made of strong material

aroundapostorother fixedstructure. Pull

back on it until you are holding your body

weight, and use it as you would TRX bands

or suspension rings inagym.

●One-litre bottles of water make great

small dumbbells. Try holding one in each

hand while doing squats. As you stand up,

push them into the air above your head,

and bring them down above your shoulders

as you come down.

●Children may well be the heaviest

“items” around your house that you can lift.

Use them as heavier weights, for example

by squatting with them on your back. Use

the weight you might lift at the gym as a

guide, and be careful.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN SOURCE: FINANCIAL TIMES SOURCE: TECH ADVISOR

If you’re planningto spend lots of timein

your garden over thecoming weeks, treat

yourself tosome designergardening tools.

This Orte setdesigned by Giulio Iacchetti

for Internoitalianoism ade of polished

metal andisp resente dinawoodenbase.

W168; internoitaliano.com

Babbeloffersshort15-minutelessons

which use audio and visual clues to help

you learn the basics, and include some

cultural background (free trial, from £4.75

amonth; Android, iOS).

Probably the best-known language app,

Duolingolets you set targets for how

intensively you want to learn, starting from

five minutesaday. It works likeagame

with lots of visual clues (free; Android, iOS).

Memrise,asits name suggests,focuses on

repetition to aid memorisation. You practise

specific words and phrases atatime,linked

by atopic area (free; Android, iOS).

Rosetta Stonehasbeenatthe forefront of

language software for years. Its app aims

to teach you to speak likeanative, without

reference to your own language (from £7 a

month; Android, iOS).

Tandemconnects you with people from

around the world that you can talk to either

by text or voice chat to help you both learn

each other’s language (free; Android; iOS).

Apps...

for learning alanguage

aturesBathBo

en early to the

ading in the bath

proof book.

quishy, and

colourful and

al illustrations

com).

The best... bath toys for small children

bath fizze

mb keeps

psewhile

they wait to see what is

inside the fizzing seashell.

It only works once, but

they can keep the mermaid

once it has been released.

For children over three

(£4; rexlondon.com).

Great

ed nine

der, this

oy turns

ella-

ain when

eitinthe

en lift it ou

.co.uk).

SOURCE

THE INDEPENDENT

toddlersaboutwater

flow, this activitybar

attaches to the bath

with suction cups.

Curious children can

make the sun spin using

droplets from the cloud, or squirt water by

ut squeezing the bee (£20; argos.co.uk).

SO

UR

CE

TH

EI

ND

EP

EN

DE

NT

ok

h

Battat bath bar

Designed to teach

toddlersaboutwater

working

i

And fort

h

r

BeeFountain

for babies age

months or old

simple bee to

into an umbre

shaped fount

you submerg

water and the

(£10; skiphop

ColourfulCre

Introducechildr

pleasuresofrea

withthiswate

It’slightandsq

featureseight

charminganim

(£5;rexlondon.c

Fill Up

G t

Zoo BathF

B F t i

ath crayon setThese clever

hich write on the sides of

should wipe off without

ow grease. They float,

suitable for ages three

ove (£8 for three, or £19

full set; kidly.co.uk).

▲

Mermaidb ▲ ▲

This fun bath bom

children in suspens

Kitpas ba

crayons, wh

your bath,

much elbo

and ares

and abo

for the

▲

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