Chevrolet could make in-roads

The coming year looks like being an important one for Chevrolet.

The US firm, a branch of the General Motors conglomerate, is in the process of a major revamp of its products, which should boost its identity in Britain where it remains best known for taking over Daewoo's range of budget cars.

In the spring of 2008 there will be a new Chevrolet small car, the Aveo, followed by an executive-sized offering in the form of the Epica.

In the meantime, in the vanguard of the product offensive is the Captiva - the first of the 'new breed' of Chevy. It's a handsome-looking, Korean-built SUV which comes with either five or seven seats and a choice of petrol or diesel engines.

I tested a top-of-the-range LTX, which is not far off £25,000 to put on the road but is well-equipped and comes with a diesel engine, automatic gearbox and comprehensive range of equipment.

It's a tidy slab of metal with high sides, giving it powerful road presence. The driving position is lofty and comfortable but visibility to the sides and rear could be better. Parking sensors are a must.

The Captiva has a spacious, comfortable cabin with ample head and leg room for five and lots of storage cubbyholes. There are two further seats, best suited to children, which are easy enough to put up but you do have to remove the luggage cover and bar first.

With the third row of seats stowed away there's a substantial load area, though the sill is rather high.

The seats split 60:40 enabling awkward-shaped items to be transported. The tailgate is a relatively light lift to open but the window section opens on its own if needed.

There are petrol versions of the Captiva but the vast majority of UK buyers are going to specify diesel. The two-litre oil burner offers reasonable performance but lacks mid-range punch.

Nor is it particularly economical. According to the trip computer I was using 15.1 litres of fuel per 100 miles -Êwhich works out at 25mpg.

The LTX comes with an automatic gearbox which is slower than the manual but simplicity itself to drive. While the auto transmission suits the vehicle there's quite a steep financial penalty to be paid.

Fuel costs are anything up to 15 per cent higher than for the manual and the LTX's higher CO2 emissions put it into the top band for tax.

The Captiva does most of its road work in two-wheel drive, with four-wheel drive kicking in as and when required. It handles reasonably well for a vehicle of this type but you are always aware of its bulk when cornering.

The big Chevy should be able to cope with undemanding off-road work too thanks to features like hill descent and four-wheel drive but it does not pretend to be able to take on a Land Rover or Jeep.

At the vehicle's launch last summer - on admittedly rough roads in Ireland - I questioned its ride quality.

Now that I've had the chance to drive the Captiva on more familiar territory I would say that it rides perfectly acceptably -Êon normal roads. When the going gets tougher, it still gets caught out.

It's generally a comfortable family vehicle, though, with bags of room and useful features like the split tailgate.

While you can buy seven-seat MPVs for considerably less than the cost of a Captiva, it is still probably the cheapest bet if you are after a seven-seat SUV.

Rival products like the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Peugeot/Citro'n/Mitsubishi trio of SUVs are very capable vehicles, but cost slightly more.

The LTX Captiva is nudging £25,000 to put on the road but a seven-seat LT is cheaper to run and still offers a reasonable amount of bells and whistles for £21,140 -Êincluding ESP (well worth having on a vehicle of this size), hill descent, and an eight-speaker CD system.

A bit of haggling could doubtless get that figure closer to £20,000 - decent value for a capable and good-looking seven seater.

And it should ride a little softer on its 17-inch wheels too, compared with the LTX which sits on 18-inchers.

By Peter Carroll