CHEVROLET CAPTIVA DIESEL ESTATE 2.2 VCDI LT 5DR AUTO [7 SEATS]

Chevrolet's seven-seater SUV always was solid value but the latest round of improvements have turned it into a more appealing all-rounder. Jonathan Crouch reports.

CHEVROLET CAPTIVA DIESEL ESTATE 2.2 VCDI LT 5DR AUTO [7 SEATS]

Already established as a solid and popular option at the budget end of the compact seven seat SUV market, this improved version of Chevrolet's first generation Captiva has a brawnier, more efficient engine range and adds a little more attitude and quality to the mix. The changes come at a cost but they've made this car a far more complete contender.

CHEVROLET CAPTIVA DIESEL ESTATE 2.2 VCDI LT 5DR AUTO [7 SEATS]

The first generation Captiva was launched in 2007. Although its badge might have been American, nothing else about this Korean-built model was. Instead, we got a Far Eastern confection that was pretty much like most affordable Far Eastern family cars: well packaged and well equipped but a bit plasticky inside with a rather noisy diesel engine. With higher quality, a more efficient engine range and a bit of Chevy character, it could have been very good. And still might be, for that's exactly what's been added to the revised version launched in the Spring of 2011, the model we're looking at here.

Unlike its Vauxhall Antara sister car, most versions of this Captiva continue to offer the seven-seat capacity that most family SUV buyers now want. The original version was the most affordable such vehicle it was possible to buy in the UK market but this one's aspirations lie above bargain basement pricing. Justifying the slight shift upmarket is the replacement of the pre-facelift model's rumbly old 150PS 2.0-litre diesel with a couple of pokier, more refined 2.2-litre diesel units, developing either 163 or 184PS. The suspension's revised too, plus there's a plusher, better-equipped interior and a good-looking proper Americana Chevy-style front end that makes the old version look very dowdy indeed.

CHEVROLET CAPTIVA DIESEL ESTATE 2.2 VCDI LT 5DR AUTO [7 SEATS]

Get behind the wheel and the raised driving position that SUV customers love so much is present and correct. The original Captiva featured Chevrolet's first diesel engine of the modern era and though that 150PS 2.0-litre unit was a decent first effort, what was just about acceptable back in 2007 was sounding distinctly rough three years on. So its replacement in 2011 with the 2.2-litre engine under the bonnet here was timely. The entry-level front-driven Captiva has a 163PS version of this unit, but most AWD versions have the torquier 184PS derivative tested here, good for rest to sixty in 9.3s on the way to 124mph in manual form or 9.8s and 118mph if the slight clunkiness of said gearchange causes you instead to opt for the redesigned 6-speed automatic transmission.

It's nice to have the extra power, but what I've noticed more from this engine on the move is its greater refinement. A whole range of engineering tweaks, plus improved sound-deadening have made this car several decibels quieter than its predecessor on the move and though the result isn't exactly silent, it's now quite up to the standard achieved elsewhere in this class. Which will make a difference for those times you'll be using the car on long motorway trips.

You do feel the kerb weight of nearly two tonnes as you thread your way through tight bends, but again, the improvements on what went before have brought this car to the point where you could quite happily live with it should the need arise to hurry along your progress. The slight reduction in tight cornering bodyroll is probably the key difference and the slightly sharper steering response also helps, as does the fact that a well-judged suspension balance means you don't crash through potholes.

The on-demand all-wheel drive underpinnings aren't changed in any significant respect but then they didn't need to be. It isn't a Land Rover-rivalling set-up, aimed more at muddy carparks than mountains, but useful approach and departure angles, Hill Start Assist to get you up steep slopes and Hill Descent Control to help you down them all mean that this car should be able to handle almost anything most owners will come across.

CHEVROLET CAPTIVA DIESEL ESTATE 2.2 VCDI LT 5DR AUTO [7 SEATS]

The styling of the original Captiva was neat, but rather anonymous. It didn't make a very powerful statement. But this car does. Its raked profile and forward-diving shoulder line work well with an aggressively styled and utterly huge double height front grille only beaten in vertical magnitude by the Eiger. It won't be for the shrinking violets among you but it can make the aesthetics of rival SUVs look faintly apologetic.

The airy and spacious cabin still isn't the classiest in the segment, but it has come on a good way from the spacious but low key interior of the original model. The instruments feature signature Chevrolet ice-blue backlighting with everything being easy to read and falling neatly to hand. Apart from trim detail improvements which have involved liberal use of soft-touch plastics and metallic trim inserts, probably the biggest change is the deletion of the old conventional handbrake with a slightly fiddly electronic parking brake button. This in turn has freed up space for a deep centre cubby box between the front seats which adds to the oddments space already provided by the deep doorbins, the huge glovebox and the various cupholders. It's easy to find a comfortable driving position too, thanks to plenty of adjustment through both seat and steering wheel.

In the second seating row, both head and shoulder room are adequate and though you can't improve legroom by sliding the seat base back and forth, you can recline the backrest for greater comfort on longer journeys. Behind, there's a couple of occasional seats that fold out from the boot floor, but, their cushion height is so close to the deck that they're really only suitable for kids or adults on very short journeys.

As for luggage space, though it's predictably mean at 97-litres with all seven seats occupied, though the separately-opening rear window is a neat touch, meaning that you don't need to lug up the rear tailgate if all you want to do is to throw in a sportsbag. If you do need space for bigger items, you'll find up to 769-litres of fresh air is on offer when, more typically, you're not using the occasional third row of seats. And the five-seat version that doesn't have them adds to that further with an additional storage compartment under the boot floor. If you're able to fold the 50:50 split-folding second row of seating down as well to create a completely flat loadfloor, then you'll increase your luggage capacity to a useful 1,577-litres.

CHEVROLET CAPTIVA DIESEL ESTATE 2.2 VCDI LT 5DR AUTO [7 SEATS]

The Captiva's pricing, sitting in the £22,000 to £32,000 bracket, is a mark of the importer's confidence in what these days is certainly a much better product. Though the entry-level 2.2-litre 163PS front-driven 5-seat version is for some reason £2,000 more than its almost identical 5-seat-only Vauxhall Antara cousin, it's clear that Chevy's marketeers were more interested in undercutting entry-level 5-seat 2WD versions of obvious rivals like Mitsubishi's Outlander and Kia Sorrento. Which has been achieved, the comparable Kia, for example, being £1,000 more. The 7-seat 4WD section of the range though, is based around the 184PS 2.2-litre diesel tested here - which means that up at around the £28,000 price point, it's significantly more expensive than obvious 7-seat 4WD rivals that sit mainly in the £23,500-£25,500 bracket. The extra power justifies the price to some extent against slightly less potent competitors like Mitsubishi's Outlander or the Peugeot 4007/Citroen C-Crosser twins, but competition is tougher from the 194PS Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento models.

Whichever Captiva you choose - front or all-wheel drive, with 163 or 184PS versions of the 2.2-litre diesel engine - you should find your car to be decently equipped. Even the entry-level front-driven 163PS 5-seat version comes complete with air conditioning, Bluetooth compatibility for your mobile 'phone, a six-speaker MP3 CD system with an AUX-in point, an eight-way adjustable driver's seat, rain sensing wipers, roof rails, 17-inch alloys, power folding mirrors, an alarm immobiliser and electric windows all round.

Go for a 184PS 7-seat 4WD variant and the kit tally swells substantially, running to features like climate control, half-leather trim, rear parking sensors, automatic headlights, cruise control, a trip computer, a leather covered steering wheel and gearknob and the option of automatic transmission. Safety-wise, all variants get six airbags, with curtain airbags that cover only the first two rows of seats. You also get isofix childseat attachments in outer second row seats. And there are all the usual electronic braking, traction and stability aids to try and ensure that you never have to use them.

CHEVROLET CAPTIVA DIESEL ESTATE 2.2 VCDI LT 5DR AUTO [7 SEATS]

It's a mark of modern engineering that though facelifted 2.2-litre 184PS versions of this Captiva are 25% more powerful than their 150PS 2.0-litre predecessors, they're also a good deal more economical, with a combined cycle fuel figure that's improved from a so-so 38.2mpg to a more acceptable 42.8mpg. Not surprisingly, you'll better that further in the minority interest front-driven 163PS version of this car, which delivers 44.1mpg.

It's a similar story with emissions, with the 184PS version of this modern Euro5 compatible 2.2-litre diesel emitting 174g/km against its predecessor's 197g/km. Choose the front-wheel drive 163PS model and this figure drops to 170g/km, so like the more powerful version, you'll find it in the 26% BIK band. What else? Well residual values are about midfield for a family 4x4 of this type, with a predicted figure of around 38 per cent of new value after three years. And insurance costs should be competitive, with groupings on the 1-50 scale starting at 21 for the entry-level version and rising no higher than 28 for most mainstream models. And if you've got any doubts at all about buying into the Chevrolet brand, then five years of free servicing, breakdown cover and warranty should put them at rest.

CHEVROLET CAPTIVA DIESEL ESTATE 2.2 VCDI LT 5DR AUTO [7 SEATS]

You always felt that if Chevrolet could combine a bit of American attitude with European efficiency and Far Eastern affordable design, then it would be on to a good thing. And that's exactly what we've got with this revised Captiva.

Though it's aimed at buyers for whom practicality is more important than performance, the provision of this car's more efficient and refined 2.2-litre diesel engine range is important, lifting it back onto level terms with 7-seater family-sized compact SUV rivals none of whom look as good. Whether that'll justify the prices being asked will be interesting to see. For the right money, this would be a tempting choice for many active families. Yours might well be one of them.