Car: Chevrolet Captiva 2.4 LS
Prices: £16,639 - on the road
Insurance Group: 10
Emissions: 217g/km
Performance: Max Speed 115mph / 0-60mph 11.5s
Fuel Consumption: (urban) 23.5mpg / (extra urban) 39.8mpg / (combined) 31.7mpg
Safety: Twin front & side airbags, ABS
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height mm 4639/1848/1722mm
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Our Rating: 7.0 / 10
When it comes to ‘sports utes’ there aren’t too many operators in the business that can teach Chevrolet any new tricks. Andy Enright takes a look at the Captiva 2.4-litre LS
When it comes to so-called ‘crossover’ vehicles, Chevrolet has quite some history. In fact, it can be traced back to 1935 when the company launched the Suburban Carryall, bringing with it a model name that has lasted to the present day. Before the Carryall, a station wagon was built on a van chassis with rear bodywork fashioned from wood but the Carryall was capable of carrying eight passengers and their gear in comfort.
Fast forward over sixty years and the Captiva can carry up to seven in comfort, albeit not all adults. So where’s the progress? Chew on this. The old Carryall developed 79bhp from its 3.3-litre straight six, power going to the rear wheels via a three-speed gearbox. Emissions? Off the charts. Fuel consumption? Broadly irrelevant to the target customer. To succeed in today’s automotive environment, manufacturers have to bring their A-game or give up. Chevrolet has come out fighting.
Of all the models in the Captiva line-up, the entry-level 2.4-litre LS is perhaps the closest, in philosophy at least, to Chevrolet’s crossover marketing blurb. The reason why is that despite the aggressive looks and raised seating position, this isn’t a 4x4 at all. Power is directed to the front wheels only, making this a vehicle suitable only for road use. Before we condemn it as a fraudster, a modern day Matra-Simca Rancho, perhaps we should examine this market a bit closer. Honda has been here before and so has Toyota, offering 4x4 looks to a pragmatic clientele.
The Captiva LS sports a 141bhp 2.4-litre petrol engine that will be overlooked by most buyers who will instead tick the box marked 149bhp diesel engine and pay a good deal more. Maximum power chimes in at a fairly heady 5,200rpm with the maximum torque of 220Nm arriving at 4,000rpm so you’ll need to rev this engine to get it stoked up. The suspension has been tuned for European conditions at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire and features a MacPherson strut setup at the front and an independent four-link arrangement at the back. Sixteen-inch wheels with 70-profile tyres don’t say a lot for the Captiva LS’s cornering prowess but do help with the ride quality.
Though it looks at first glance like a natural Land Rover Freelander/Toyota RAV4/Nissan X-Trail competitor, Chevrolet are keen to stress that this vehicle shouldn’t be thought of as a ‘4x4’ or an ‘off-roader’. Instead, they’re positioning the Captiva as a compact SUV (sports utility vehicle) aimed at capturing sales from MPV-style people carriers. Instead of opting for a seven-seat MPV, they say, why not go for something a little more stylish? That’s the reasoning at least.
The design is clever in reducing the perceived bulk of what is a surprisingly spacious vehicle. Viewed in isolation, the Captiva looks to be about the size of a Toyota RAV4 or a Suzuki Grand Vitara but the tale of the tape shows that it’s a much heftier piece of metalwork. For a start, the Captiva is fully 4,639mm long, compared with the 4,415 of the Toyota and the 4,470mm of the Suzuki. Even if we play Chevrolet’s game and compare it to the leading mini-MPV, the Vauxhall Zafira, we find Luton’s finest breaking the tape at just 4,467mm. That’s why the Chevy has room for three rows of seats - and thus, seven passengers in diesel engined LT guise. That and its long wheelbase of around 2,700mm. This LS five seat version instead offers serious carrying capacity for the slightly smaller family, the rear bench folding flat to the floor when you need to maximise luggage space.
The LS trim level may be the base model in the Captiva hierarchy but in comparison to many erstwhile rivals, it’s relatively stacked. Careful thought has been applied to what people really need in a sports utility vehicle as opposed to equipment for equipment’s sake. As examples, the power steering system is further aided by a rake adjustable steering column. There’s air-conditioning for comfort, powered and heated door mirrors, speed sensitive windscreen wipers, electric windows all-round, vanity mirrors for both driver and passenger, a fully retracting loadspace cover and a tailgate glass section that can be opened separately
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