Captivating Looks and Space

ROAD TEST Chevrolet Captiva 2.0 'New era of design' offers lots for money

Coventry Evening Telegraph | October 12, 2007 | By Malcolm Robertshaw

DESPITE the ever-present anti 4x4 lobby and a government fuel pricing policy which continues to encourage car buyers towards downsizing, there never seems to be any shortage of fairly weighty contenders coming on stream to take on the likes of the Land Rover Freelander, Toyota RAV4 and the Nissan XTrail.

However, car buyers continue to be on the look-out for vehicles equipped with ever more people-carrying versatility and Captiva, the latest offering from Chevrolet, could just be the US car giant's most important move yet in its bid to make massive inroads into the UK car market.

Chevrolet insists that Captiva heralds a new era of design and it has a bold and rugged appearance with an eye-catching front grille with Chevrolet "yellow bow-tie" badging, neat, silver-effect skid plates front and rear and large jewelled headlamps.

There are two engines on offer, a 2.4-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel while trim levels comprise LS, LT and LTX. The entry level 2.4-litre 134bhp petrol-powered front-wheel-drive model comes well kitted out to include the likes of air con, electric windows and mirrors, six-speaker radio and CD with steering wheel mounted controls, front, side and roof airbags, ABS and Thatcham-approved security system with deadlocks.

LT specification adds on-demand all-wheel-drive, eight-speaker radio and CD with MP3 capability, glovebox cooling system, reverse parking and the car can be ordered with the choice of five or seven seats while the seven-seat LTX range-topper includes the likes of full leather trim with heated front seats, cruise control, reverse parking sensors, six CD changer, climate control and power folding door mirrors.

The interior has a robust feel with good quality materials, a neatly laid-out dash and easily navigable centre console, while there's also plenty of headroom and generous knee and shoulder room in the first two rows of seating The boot provides a good 465 litres of stowage space with five occupants on board.

However, while the two rearmost chairs, when not in use, fold flat into the floor at the pull of a lever and the passenger seat and second row of seats can be folded flat to deliver a boot-room capacity of 930 litres, with seven occupants on board, luggage space is very limited.

Driven here is the Captiva LTX model fitted with the 2.0-litre diesel engine paired with a smooth-slotting five-speed automatic gearbox.

While this all-new oil-burning unit serves up a punchy 148bhp of power capable of some good pace and refinement, there is also some impressive torque.

However, the manual gearbox model would be preferable for economy purposes, particularly in terms of mpg and the CO2 tax rating.

The Captiva proves a good companion and although ride quality is perhaps a little on the soft side, there is an easy fluency to its movements and plenty of good grip.

The ride is comfortable over uneven surfaces with some quite car-like dynamics, the SUV soaking up bumps with ease while the power steering is nicely set-up.

Due to the absence of serious four-wheel-drive, Captiva is not intended to rival Land Rover or Jeep competitors, though the all-wheel drive system delivers power on demand to counter rear wheel-slip as tarmac conditions require and seamlessly interacts with the ABS and ESP systems which also include Hill Descent Control (HDC), Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA) and Active Rollover Protection (ARP) to enhance driver control and safety in wet and muddy conditions.

Overall, Captiva is a handsome and deceptively spacious vehicle. It drives well and, with its starting price, Chevrolet delivers a lot of motor and kit for your money.

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