What is General Motors up to? It bought out the ailing Daewoo brand, renowned for low prices, replaced the Daewoo badge with the very American Chevrolet nameplate and started selling the same cars throughout Europe. Now we see the launch of an all-new car, built specifically for Europe, yet a version of the new Captiva SUV will be sold with the Vauxhall badge glued to the front. Odd.

Anyway, the new Captiva made its world debut in Geneva, so we took a closer look. Chevrolet puts design second only to value-for-money and I must admit that the Captiva doesn't look too bad. In the metal it is even more pleasing to the eye than these pictures convey. Admittedly, the typically bluff nose could belong to any other budget brand were it not for the prominent Chevrolet logo. We would also advise buyers to choose one of the dark colours, as the wheelarches and lower regions of the car are trimmed in black plastic and can look a little cheap next to brighter paintwork.

Inside, the Captiva is spacious and there are five and seven seat options depending on your needs and budget. Some versions get nasty wood trim that we would stay away from.

Under the bonnet, there are no American V8s, but instead a thoroughly European-spec 2-litre common-rail turbodiesel with 148bhp and 229lb.ft of torque or a 2.4-litre petrol engine with a noticeably weedy power output of 140bhp and 162lb.ft. I know which I'd rather have. Interestingly, the Captiva is available with front-wheel drive or with four-wheel drive.

Shane O' Donoghue - 20 Mar 2006