Chevrolet Captiva 2.4 LT FWD Review: Chevy's nose job

Chevrolet Captiva 2.4 LT FWD Review: Chevy's nose job

Chevy updates the Captiva with its new corporate nose. Raymond Lai finds out if the Captiva offers more underneath the skin as well.

OneShift Editorial Team
OneShift Editorial Team
06 Jun 2011
What we like:
pros
More performance from the new engine and gearbox
pros
bolder looks
pros
well packaged and equipped interior
What we dislike:
cons
Feels big to drive
cons
busy ride


The outgoing pre-facelift Captiva's interior didn't feel or look as contemporary or as sporty as its exterior suggested. The instrumentation, switchgear and overall layout of the dashboard didn't look as modern and as good as those on the newer Cruze.

Chevrolet has addressed some of the interior's shortcomings with some upgrades like the Cruze's ice-blue back lighting and the 'wrap-round' design of the front fascia which flows into the front driver's and passenger doors creating the dual-cockpit look as well as new trim and door appointments to give the new Captiva's cabin a slightly more upmarket feel. The blue backlighting for the new instruments is especially welcomed as the old car's green backlit instruments gave the cabin an outdated 80s feel and look. The mock carbon fibre trim on the dashboard and the gear lever is far from being convincing though and looks like a case of trying too hard to further spice things up in the cabin.

The centre console looks as cluttered as before thanks to the myriad of knobs and the two separate displays for the climate system and the stereo. It's a well-equipped cabin though, offering a factory fitted stereo with steering wheel controls and cruise control among other kit. The Chevy offers a near spot on driving position thanks to a wide range of electrical adjustments for the driver's seat. The view out is fantastic thanks to its tall height. The second row offers sufficient head and legroom. As in most other seven seater SUVs, access to the third row will be a tad challenging to some due to the narrow door opening and the height of the vehicle. The Captiva offers reasonably OK legroom in the third row but headroom is a tad lacking due to the sloping roofline. Obviously, the second and third row seats can easily be folded down to convert the Captiva into a load lugger if required. Like in most MPVs, with all seats in place, load space is just miniscule.

The Korean made Captiva feels properly screwed together and reassuringly solid but the plastics and materials used are a tad hard and short on quality compared to newer Chevrolet models like the Cruze.

The FWD model tested here is $5,000 more affordable than the all-wheel drive model, which makes for noticeable savings indeed for those who rarely take their SUVs off road. The updated Captiva not only looks bolder but it also finally receives the performance improvements that it needed since the original was first introduced to make it more competitive against strong rivals like the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe.

Credits: Story and photos by Raymond Lai

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