Chevrolet Captiva: Test Drive (continued)

Date: 01 June 2007   |   Author:

boot	Category: Small 4x4 Prices: £16,995-£24,920 Key rival: Hyundai Santa Fe

Problems continue with ultra-light steering that feels like it's connected to the wheels via a series of rubber bands, but body control is good, and the engine deserves better, to credit a comment made by my driving partner at the launch. The manual gear change is good, too, and certainly better than the petrol car's.

In the seven-seat version the space in the third row is better than expected, with access gained by an impressively simple tug of a lever that sees the middle row fold forward on a gas strut. That middle row isn't particularly spacious, though: the seats are set higher than the front ones to give a kind of stadium view out of the front, but there's not enough legroom for three adults because the row doesn't slide back and forth. The Captiva also suffers from the common seven-seat vehicle's problem of leaving nowhere to put the luggage cover when each seat is in use. The five-seater replaces the rearmost seats with underfloor storage that would be more useful were it not split into immovable sections, while in both versions the seats are a little hard.

The Captiva is a capable, good-looking - if a little generically styled - and practical addition to the market. Interior quality and practicality is good, as is the driving position, but it doesn't do anything new, and the ride quality is a disappointment that handicaps the appeal of a car that's at the budget end of the market.

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