Chevrolet Captiva 2.0 Diesel LT: "Chevy ditches its All-American, Gas-Guzzling Image"

[NINETY_EIGHT_REGENCY]

June 2007
Chevrolet Captiva LT


Chevrolet Captiva LT
Rating: *** STARS

The Chevrolet Captiva gets a make-over with the refined, if slightly expensive, Captiva LT
Text: Julie Sinclair / Photos: Pete Gibson





Surprising as it sounds, Chevrolet is about to ditch its all-American, mud-plugging, gas-guzzling image by introducing this all-new soft-roader, badged the Captiva.

...it had more than enough grunt to nip round town and comfortably tackle motorways.

The marque is best known for its full-sized 4x4s sold in the US. But it's promising this latest SUV, which goes on sale in the UK later this month, will be the first in a fresh range of smaller models it plans to launch over the next five years.

What's more, to show they mean business, bosses are offering the new seven-seater with the most advanced diesel engine the company has ever built. And first impressions are very good. The Captiva's chunky, wedge shape certainly looks the part, while the sloping roofline, distinctive headlamps and chrome detailing provide it with an upmarket feel.

Add in the flexible and spacious interior of our LT test model, and the car should appeal to style-conscious families who need the capacity of a people carrier for the school run, but want a sporty and rugged-looking machine for the weekends.

Inside, the cabin is as smart as it is roomy, and the instruments are all clearly laid out. We liked the dark upholstery on the version we drove, too. Yet while the Chevrolet has a good, elevated driving position, the seats simply don't provide enough comfort - we found the lack of side support and the unusually high lumbar soon took their toll.

Visibility is excellent, which makes manoeuvring the car's bulky frame a breeze. But it's still worth specifying the optional parking sensors, as the raised rear can mean it's difficult to judge reversing distances.

Further back, you can create extra space in the boot by folding the standard 60/40-split rear bench flat - this sees luggage capacity increase from 465 litres to 930 litres. The trouble is, until you get used to the system, it's a fiddly and back-breaking pro-cess. Nevertheless, loading items into the boot couldn't be much easier, because owners can choose to open only the window hatch, rather than the whole tailgate.

On the road, we were impressed by the (new) 2.0-litre diesel engine, which has been developed at Chevrolet's plant in South Korea. It won't exactly set your pulse racing, but with power and torque outputs of 148bhp and 320Nm respectively, it had more than enough grunt to nip round town and comfortably tackle motorways.

The unit is mated to an automatic gearbox - which comes with a manual shift option - so progress through the ratios is steady, relatively smooth and quiet. Top brass have told us we won't see this transmission on the options list for the Captiva's sister car, the Vauxhall Antara. However, other models in the Chevrolet line-up are likely to benefit.

The biggest letdown on the new SUV, though, is the handling. While the ride is comfortable, it's not particularly well controlled, so over uneven surfaces, the soft set-up leaves occupants bumping around the cabin. The steering is vague, too, so you won't push the car into bends with relish.

To go with its rugged styling, our model featured a clever hill descent system plus an on-demand All Wheel Drive set-up. Over rough terrain, it's no more capable than any of its soft-roader rivals, but then most Captivas are unlikely to venture far off the tarmac. With this in mind, Chevy offers an entry-level front-wheel-drive 2.4-litre petrol version. A strict five-seater, this car features a manual transmission and costs £16,995. That's £5,000 less than our seven-seat diesel model.

The Captiva is an impressive first attempt at a smaller SUV from Chevrolet. It's not cheap and isn't without its flaws, but its combination of a strong diesel engine in a spacious, practical package is sure to appeal.

Source: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carrevi...t_captiva.html

[69Firebird400]

Wow - a little orange peel showing on that last picture around the "CAPTIVA LT" emblem??

The character line on the side reminds me a little bit of a BMW X5, which isn't a bad thing.

I forget, are these smaller than Antaras/Vues?

[Timekeeper]

So tell me again why they don't sell these in the USA???!!!

[PontiacBixler]

Originally Posted by 69Firebird400

Wow - a little orange peel showing on that last picture around the "CAPTIVA LT" emblem??

The character line on the side reminds me a little bit of a BMW X5, which isn't a bad thing.

I forget, are these smaller than Antaras/Vues?

I noticed the orange peel too. What causes that? My G6 has it also. Is it a precursor to the paint peeling issue of bad primer from the 90's?

Actually these are the exact same vehicle as the new Vue.

[jkennedy293]

Unless Chevy really screws up, this should be what the Traverse looks like...except LHD of course.

[jkennedy293]

Originally Posted by PontiacBixler

I noticed the orange peel too. What causes that? My G6 has it also. Is it a precursor to the paint peeling issue of bad primer from the 90's?

Actually these are the exact same vehicle as the new Vue.

Orange peel occurs because spray paint doesn't lay smooth on a car and occurs, to some extent, in every paint job. The only way I know to get rid of this is wet sanding.

[agman25]

USA gets the nox.

[mbukukanyau]

Originally Posted by Timekeeper

So tell me again why they don't sell these in the USA???!!!

they do, its called the 2008 Vue

[ogg vorbis]

fewer layers of paint is cheaper (and lighter) and results in orange peel. mb and lexus lay down several layers of paint...less orange peel. i've noticed it on the escalade...it's particularly bad in black. no one is going to wet sand a volume car...maybe if they're churning out a few per week.

i wonder why gm didn't use the 1.9l saab diesel instead of having korea reinvent it? or is this 2l replacing the old unit?

it looks like a mini x3, but with really cheap tailpipes. this would be perfect to compete against the crv. saturn already has the vue - same vehicle?

[CADILLACSIXTEEN]

Not really feeling that interior...

[Ming]

Originally Posted by Timekeeper

So tell me again why they don't sell these in the USA???!!!

NIH (clicky). Seriously. Detroit / USA has a different take on the casual use of imported cars (as opposed to Canada - where all of a sudden with no fanfare 3 Daewoos were dropped into Chevy's lineup there, overlapping with others and Mexico where the Astra has been for some time, or even Europe where Opel is headquartered, but Daewoo-Chevies are bolstering the bow tie brand with record sales), probably due in part to some completely outdated concept of Merkurs and Daewoo-built Pontiac LeMans cars that people like Jerry Flint love to harp on. Or UAW restrictions and threats of strikes if more than a certain number of cars are imported. Or hand-wringing and despair over the pricey and at the end of its Australian styling cycle GTO not meeting sales goals they'd expected.

No, rather than a car like the Astra, we Americans wanted a car styled like the Cobalt, or a circa 2000 Civic. Rather than a practical wagon with Euro-styling like the Astra Wagon, we wanted a "gotta have" retromobile with tiny windows like the HHR. Rather than a new 2.0L EuroIV Diesel, we Americans want another reuse of the "magic fingers" 185hp 3400 in our Torrenoxes.

The wheel must be re-invented here as often as possible to keep people with design jobs and layers of management in Detroit busy. Chevy Global and Chevy USA must be 2 very different entities. (sarcasm intended)

Forget the success of Scion and Lexus with importing their lineups.

Imported GM cars are the exception to the rule that have to jump the hurdle of endless meetings and when they finally do get approved for the U.S. the styling is 2 years old AT LEAST, unless its a car like the new Aveo that just happened to benefit from a refresh by Daewoo.

At least Saturn-Opel tie up is a sign of GM turning this around, but the cars really need to come quickly, and not let years pass before arriving here at Saturn dealerships. What looked hot in 2005 in Europe will start to look just average ho-hum after a couple of years pass. Same goes for Holden and Pontiac.

Next up, make the same thing happen with GMDAT.

[spidge]

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

they do, its called the 2008 Vue

But doesn't the Vue only seat 5? The Captiva has 3 rows of seats.

[JM9777]

It's a shame we can't get this 148-horsepower, 236 lb-ft torque diesel engine on any GM car in the U.S.

[rsbaker]

Since Saturn has the Antera twin of the Captiva here in the US as the Vue. Will Chevrolet USA ever Get the Captiva here as the new Equinox?

[TaHoE]

I like the Captiva alot. It's a very attractive package, and it's relatively inexpensive too.