TIME was when the word Chevrolet was synonymous with that sleek American breed of car, described by New York songwriters as “simply dripping with chrome”.
However, in today’s car world there is no hint of that so-called “fliver”, for, as the Korean-made arm of General Motors, Chevrolet has taken on a whole new role, delivering some very desirable and practical family models.
The Chevrolet Captiva is one of the many very able contenders currently vying for position in the hotly disputed Sports Utility Vehicle market and during my time with this decidedly able piece of kit I was more than pleasantly surprised.
Inside there is plenty of space and an extremely generous kit list to satisfy almost every creature comfort.
In the frame here is the Captiva 2.0-litre VCDi which includes the likes of leather seating, electric windows all round, heated fromt seats, electronic climate control, rear parking distance sensors, cruise control, sound system with CD, MP3 capability and steering wheel mounted controls while safety aspects include front, side and roof curtain airbags, front fogs and a positive ABS braking system.
The LTZ range-topping car also came with seven seats which helps it to qualify as real family transport, although, I suspect that some Captiva seven-seaters with minimum bootroom of 85 litres with all seats taken, will probably operate for much of its journey time as a very spacious four-seater with some 465 litres of boot space.
In addition there is a clever button on the driver’s armrest to open the tailgate glass for last-minute luggage additions without leaving items in the car park.
Chevrolet has alos provided a quite clever flat-folding seating system which is pretty easy to operate. However, despite head, knee and legroom proving generous, the third row of seats may prove to be a little tight for adult passengers and perhaps are best left as a children's feature.
Despite the cabin’s roominess, Chevrolet’s compact SUV debutant could perhaps have benefited from a little more quality but overall the cabin set up is serviceable and robust with a decent damped action to the stowage compartment doors.
On the move, the punchy 2.0-litre turbo diesel paired with a five-speed manual gear change provides some decent urge with 148bhp on tap.
The four-wheel-drive system transfers power on demand to the rear wheels from front-wheel-drive-only mode when the going gets tough – useful with low temperatures and icy roads.
Despite a ride a little on the soft side, the Captiva copes with bumps and potholes reasonably well. There’s a surprising lack of body roll while the agreeably weighted steering helps the car corner in quite a tidy fashion.
Designed with Europe in mind, the Captiva looks pretty good in the metal, its tall, chunky styling adding to some well balanced overall proportions.
This is definitely more than a step forward from UK Chevrolets of old and very much of the new GM order.
FAST FACTS
Chevrolet Captiva 2.0 VCDi LTZ
Price: £26,825
Mechanical: 148bhp, 1,998cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving four wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 113mph
0-62mph: 11.3 seconds
Combined mpg: 38.2
Insurance group: 12
CO2 emissions: 197g/km
BiK rating: 35%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles
Words: Malcolm Robertshaw