Captiva-ting, cavernous Chevrolet

The Captiva is not exactly a true, blue-bearded, rolled-up sleeves off-roader, but it still offers a lot of bang for your bucks.

OK, so Chevrolet is not exactly up there with the fancy pants German snob name badges and it is not a true, blue-bearded, rolled-up sleeves off-roader, but it still offers a lot of bang for your bucks. In fact, it is a damn good, common-sense option.

For a start it is extremely competitively priced, ranging from just R298 250 for the entry-level 2.4-litre up to R433 180 for the flagship 3.2-litre LTZ.

However, many attractions other than just price make the Captiva worth a lot more than just a second look.

Captiva-vating looks

For a start it is a good-looking chariot with really classy living quarters furnished in all-round leather, a super sound system, steering column adjustments for cruise control and audio, a highly-effective aircon which even the scorching February Karoo sun couldn't beat, electronic front seats, windows and mirrors and acres of space.

The cavernous cabin is what really sets the Captiva apart from competitors such as Jeep Cherokee, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, VW Tiguan and Nissan X-Trail.

The leg, shoulder and bum space in the Captiva is really impressive and what we particularly liked was the flexibility of its seats and cargo space.

Within seconds, seriously, you can convert this spacious wagon from a seven-seat people-hauler into a flat-bed cargo-carrier that will swallow six trestle tables plus about half the junk which most home garages are filled with, as our test vehicle did recently when we hauled all of the above and more to a charity boot sale.

Captiva-vating safety features

What I really enjoyed is the ease with which the seats can be folded down or up.... Just one simple lever per seat and up or down it goes. So easy the average bloke (read, this writer) can do it without guffaws from onlookers and sarcastic offers of assistance from She Who Knows Everything!

Safety features rate highly with most buyers of family transport and the Captiva comes wall-to-wall with some serious standard kit including ABS brakes with EBD, six airbags, ESP, traction control and power steering.

Driving the Captiva in and around town is a doddle and even dearly beloved, who is not particularly fond of automatic transmissions, loved the smooth five-speed changes of the Chev's auto box.

It's quite the people packer, with room for a seven-a-side rugby team - or if you like, fold the seats down and bung in everything but the kitchen sink (just tie that on to the roof and you're done).

In spite of its size, all-round visibility is good thanks to its high-riding driving position and big windows. Parking is also dead easy because the steering is remarkably light for such a big machine, although I must say I found it a little too light and sensitive when pushing along on a twisty, not too smooth stretch of tar or gravel.

Captiva-vatingly capable

Speaking of gravel, the Chevrolet is quite at ease and confidently sure-footed off the tar and it is quite capable of crawling over moderately roughish terrain, even with a full load aboard. This is no doubt helped by ground clearance of 200mm, an approach angle of 24.4° and a departure angle of 22.2°, which is a touch better than some of its competitors.

I found fuel consumption a little on the heavy side, but that is a small price to pay for the grunt of a V6 engine...

Overall, it's a likeable, extremely driver-friendly vehicle that will work well as a daily commuter run, mum's taxi and enjoyable holiday haulage transporter.

It certainly also won't break the bank at purchase point and its five-year/120 000km warranty and three-year/60 000 service plan will make you sleep quite well at night - and so will the knowledge that just in the past four years alone more than 6500 South Africans became the proud owners of new Captivas!

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