| First Drive | Kent, England | Chevrolet Captiva |
Key Facts
Pricing: £21,995 - £31,845
Engine: 2.2-litre TD (161- and 181bhp)
Transmission: six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive
Body style: five-door SUV
Rivals:
Hyundai Santa Fe,
Nissan Qashqai,
Volkswagen TiguanCO
2 emissions: 170 - 203g/km
Combined economy: 36.6 - 44.1mpg
Top speed: 117 - 124mph
0-62mph: 9.6 - 10.1 seconds
Power: 161bhp at 3,800rpm (2.2 163PS), 181bhp at 3,800rpm (184PS)
Torque: 258lb.ft at 2,000rpm (2.2 163PS), 295lb.ft at 2,000rpm (184PS)
In the Metal: 
Chevrolet has pulled off the neat trick of making the updated Captiva better looking than
its predecessor without having to perform major surgery. The front headlights are reshaped and the fog lights' recesses now follow the curve of the pseudo bash plate finished in brushed steel. The side and rear profiles are much as before, which means a simple and uncluttered SUV look. A large tailgate opens into a spacious boot and the LT and LTZ trims come with seven seats as standard, with the pair in the third row folding flat into the boot floor when not needed.
The Captiva's cabin is its big selling point as it offers seven seats in all but the base LS model and there's plenty of space in the front, middle and even in the third row of seats. Children will be more than comfortable in the back row and adults can cope thanks to reasonable head- and leg room, though getting in and out of the rear-most seats is more of an agility test for grown-ups than kids. For maximum load space, the 60/40 split middle bench folds flat to leave a long, wide and largely uninterrupted cargo bay.
Driving it:
New engines are a much needed and welcome addition to the Captiva line-up. The pair of 2.2-litre turbodiesels is the same unit in two states of tune, so you have the choice between 161- and 181bhp. Only the entry-level LS trim is offered with the 161bhp turbodiesel and you are limited to front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission. A less powerful engine is not a burden as the 161bhp Captiva covers 0-62mph in a decent, if not class-leading, 9.6 seconds. The six-speed manual gearbox is more of an obstacle as it has a slow and oddly heavy shift action. This is not helped by the mismatch of the engine's power characteristics with the gear ratios. Every time we pulled away in first gear there was a lurch as we engaged second gear that was only overcome by revving the engine much harder than seems decent to bridge the gap between first and second. The only other way around this was to slot from first to second the moment the Captiva was moving, but this only serves to show up the engine's slight hesitancy at low revs. A shame as this engine offers good economy and the lowest carbon dioxide emissions of the range.
Choose the 181bhp 2.2-litre turbodiesel and the same irritation with the transition from first to second gears is present, but at least there's a bit more oomph to get the car rolling before moving up a gear. The more potent engine also offers another way around this problem in the form of a six-speed automatic gearbox. It's a simple auto, so no fancy dual-clutch malarkey here, just reasonably smooth, prompt shifts from one ratio to the next.
Aside from the gearboxes, the 181bhp-engined Captiva comes with four-wheel drive as standard. This makes the Chevrolet as capable as most crossovers off-road, so it can cope with some bumps and lightly rutted tracks, but don't expect to follow in the wheel tracks of a
Land Rover Discovery. On regular roads, the Captiva has a decently pliant ride, keeps lean well controlled through corners and has a good amount of grip. The light steering means there's little conversation between the driver and front wheels, but this also helps make the Chevy a good bet for longer stress-free journeys. With road, wind and engine noise all effectively curbed, the Captiva is quieter than most of its competition.
What you get for your Money:
We might appear mean giving the Captiva only three stars when all models come with a lengthy list of standard kit. However, this is no more than we expect for a range where all but one model resides closer to £30,000 than £20,000. The basic LS comes in at £21,995, has the 161bhp 2.2 turbodiesel, six-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive. It also has five seats rather than seven, ESP, Bluetooth, air conditioning, electric windows all round, CD stereo and 17-inch alloy wheels. So, it's good, but not great, value.
The fourth star has been omitted because the next step up in the Captiva range is the £27,695 LT with manual gearbox. Yes, it comes with four-wheel drive, seven seats, climate control, half leather upholstery, rear parking sensors, cruise control and rain-sensing wipers, but it's still a big jump in price. At least the step up to top-spec LTZ is not as wide, as it starts at £30,295 and adds full leather trim, satellite navigation, a reversing camera, heated seats, rear privacy glass and 19-inch alloy wheels.
Worth Noting
We've seen some very impressive steps in the right direction when it comes to the carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy of SUVs in the past 12 months. The
BMW X3 particularly grabs our attention with its 50.4mpg and 149g/km CO
2 output, making it a sound bet for private and company drivers alike. The Chevrolet Captiva, however, cannot get below 170g/km of CO
2 emissions, which means it's above the crucial tax break point of 160g/km. Go for all-wheel drive with your Captiva and emissions rise to at least 174g/km - or a heady 203g/km for the range-topping model. Given the closeness in price to the BMW X3, Chevy is straying too far from its target audience with these upper level models.
Summary
Chevrolet has accomplished a worthwhile overhaul of the Captiva range. It's a more handsome car that retains its interior versatility and comfort, while the new engines make it better to drive at most speeds. Our only reservations are the low-speed step from first to second gears in the manual gearbox models and the carbon dioxide emissions, especially at the upper end of the range.
