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Chevrolet's Captiva, its popular seven-seat SUV launched in SA in 2008, has been given a mid-life upgrade and body redesign and was launched this week in Upington in the Northern Cape province – without any major price increases.
General Motors SA says the cars, for now with a choice of 2.4 or three-litre petrol engines (2.2-litre, 110kW turbodiesel to come later in the year, maybe you’d like to wait...), "have a fresh new look, a number of interior upgrades, improved power trains, refinements to the chassis, a new and advanced electronics package and a quieter cabin".
"We've enhanced the cars to the extent that they are, effectively, all new vehicles." They look very much the same – until you compare the first two images in the text.
SPACE SHUTTLES WELCOME
But why launch the cars in far-off (from anywhere!) Upington? Because part of the event's drive involved high-speed manoeuvres on the 4.9km main runway that was designed to handle refuelling of Boeing 747 traffic between Johannesburg and Europe.
The wide stretch of tarmac that, through a car windscreen, seems to disappear into infinity, would have been long enough to accommodate, in an emergency, landing American space shuttle – but on Tuesday it was host to a dozen new Captivas hurtling around a simple gymkhana course before heading out into the silver-green, utterly flat, Kalahari for a test run to the Augrabies Falls.
OLD-FASHIONED FUN
The idea was to show off the cars’ handling with a flat-out run (reached 170 in the three-litre) through a coned slalom and then a full circle around the runway-ending circle that can accommodate a rotating seven forty-seven.
Daunting the first time, reassuring the second and plain old-fashioned fun the third time as the big SUV’s leaned gently and the traction control did its work. Then we had to get the hell outta there because the flights from Jozi and Cape Town were due to land...
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE...: This is the previous Captiva - the difference in the grille is obvious but see how many other changes there are in the colour image above.
GM sold four-million cars worldwide in 2010 – one leaves a production line somewhere around the globe every few seconds! – so Chev’s certainly had the time and opportunity to perfect the system...
And, it seems, SA likes these wagons: not only does parent GM own 12% of the local SUV market but more than 2000 Captivas were sold here in 2010. They’ve been around since 2006 but only reached SA in 2008.
Two models, entry-level LT and luxury, leather-lined LTZ - with a choice of 2.4 four-cylinder and all-new three-litre V6 (replacing the previous 3.2) petrol engines are in dealers now. The LT comes in six-speed manual (not the slickest on the road, a little concentration is needed for quick changes) or all-new six-speed auto/manual sequential box with two or all-wheel drive – the 4x4 only with an auto box; the LTZ only in auto, only with 4x4.
The all-wheel drive is an on-demand system that, under normal conditions, sends all the torque to the front wheels but calls on the rear axle when the electronic system detects in excess of 14% loss of traction up front. The maximum split is 50/50.
Both engines are more powerful than those in the previous range; the 2.4 Ecotec is up from 100kW/220Nm to 123kW/230Nm, the V6 from 169kW/297Nm to 190kW (though torque is down to 288Nm) – and remember, for much the same prices.
Chev lists the 2.4’s performance as 0-100km/h in 10.5sec (4x2) with a top speed of 190km/h and a combined average fuel consumption of 8.8 litres/100km; the three-litre’s figures are 8.6sec, 198km/h and 10.6 litres/100km.
HILL-START AS WELL
The main perceived difference after driving the two models is that the bigger engine is by far superior for overtaking. We had nothing to tow, but if you have a boat or caravan, then there is only one choice...
Hill-start assistance is a new feature on both models.
The 2011 Captiva, in GM’s words, “ushered in a new era in design for the Chevrolet brand” when it entered the world market five years ago.
“This was a design from a fresh and youthful design team,” the automaker says, “that drew on global inputs and design to define the mid-sized SUV for world markets.
“The result was a vehicle with well-proportioned bold features that imparted a bold but sophisticated look.”
The (10% larger, it was emphasised at the launch) Chevy bowtie now lies in the centre of a horizontally split, black honeycomb grille, the headlight clusters sweep smoothly upwards and GM has elected to fit “running boards” to all models – great targets for aggressive rocks if you venture off-road.
REVISED CONTROLS
Chev has stuck with the previous model’s seven-seat arrangement: 2:3:2, with the rearmost folded and hidden beneath the boot floor, with a full-size spare wheel slung under the car. Leather is an option on the 2.4, standard (with front-seat power adjustment) on the three-litre.
There’s also been a revision of some controls and the fascia design.
The centre console has been made longer and lower and cupholders, front and rear, made safer for on-the-road drinks.
All models now have a six-CD shuttle, eight speakers and a radio/CD combination with RDS functionality, MP3 compatibility, Bluetooth cellphone connectivity and auxiliary input.
ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE
The instruments now have Chevrolet’s all-new signature blue lighting as found on the Chevrolet Cruze and Spark (the latter, by the way, soon to be assembled in SA) and the LTZ comes with a comprehensive trip data computer and display – but no satnav.
All models now have an electronic parking brake operated by a lift/depress switch on the centre console and (unique to the Captiva) “regulated voltage control” – one up on the competition, Chev says – and means better fuel consumption, longer lives for switches and lights and better battery maintenance.
GM also says the noise/vibration/harshness characteristics of the Captiva have been improved; certainly the on-road ride is smooth and quiet (unless you ask a lot of the 2.4, in which case it gets rather noisy) but hit the corrugations of a gravel road and the doors will tell you all about it.
Maybe adjustment will quell the vibration; if you’re planning a test drive insist on some gravel-road time... your call.
For everyday comfort, GM has fitted hydraulic engine mounts; revised engine induction and exhaust plumbing has, the company claims, reduced the under-bonnet chorus to near silence. Better door seals, a new roof-liner, wheel-arch liner and acoustic mats have added to the quiet ambience.
PRICES
Captiva 2.4 LT front-wheel drive - R299 900
Captiva 2.4 LT FWD a/t - R314 700
Captiva 2.4 LT AWD - R341 200
Captiva 3.0 LTZ AWD a/t - R434 900
General Motors SA says the cars, for now with a choice of 2.4 or three-litre petrol engines (2.2-litre, 110kW turbodiesel to come later in the year, maybe you’d like to wait...), "have a fresh new look, a number of interior upgrades, improved power trains, refinements to the chassis, a new and advanced electronics package and a quieter cabin".
"We've enhanced the cars to the extent that they are, effectively, all new vehicles." They look very much the same – until you compare the first two images in the text.
SPACE SHUTTLES WELCOME
But why launch the cars in far-off (from anywhere!) Upington? Because part of the event's drive involved high-speed manoeuvres on the 4.9km main runway that was designed to handle refuelling of Boeing 747 traffic between Johannesburg and Europe.
The wide stretch of tarmac that, through a car windscreen, seems to disappear into infinity, would have been long enough to accommodate, in an emergency, landing American space shuttle – but on Tuesday it was host to a dozen new Captivas hurtling around a simple gymkhana course before heading out into the silver-green, utterly flat, Kalahari for a test run to the Augrabies Falls.
OLD-FASHIONED FUN
The idea was to show off the cars’ handling with a flat-out run (reached 170 in the three-litre) through a coned slalom and then a full circle around the runway-ending circle that can accommodate a rotating seven forty-seven.
Daunting the first time, reassuring the second and plain old-fashioned fun the third time as the big SUV’s leaned gently and the traction control did its work. Then we had to get the hell outta there because the flights from Jozi and Cape Town were due to land...
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE...: This is the previous Captiva - the difference in the grille is obvious but see how many other changes there are in the colour image above.
GM sold four-million cars worldwide in 2010 – one leaves a production line somewhere around the globe every few seconds! – so Chev’s certainly had the time and opportunity to perfect the system...
And, it seems, SA likes these wagons: not only does parent GM own 12% of the local SUV market but more than 2000 Captivas were sold here in 2010. They’ve been around since 2006 but only reached SA in 2008.
Two models, entry-level LT and luxury, leather-lined LTZ - with a choice of 2.4 four-cylinder and all-new three-litre V6 (replacing the previous 3.2) petrol engines are in dealers now. The LT comes in six-speed manual (not the slickest on the road, a little concentration is needed for quick changes) or all-new six-speed auto/manual sequential box with two or all-wheel drive – the 4x4 only with an auto box; the LTZ only in auto, only with 4x4.
The all-wheel drive is an on-demand system that, under normal conditions, sends all the torque to the front wheels but calls on the rear axle when the electronic system detects in excess of 14% loss of traction up front. The maximum split is 50/50.
Both engines are more powerful than those in the previous range; the 2.4 Ecotec is up from 100kW/220Nm to 123kW/230Nm, the V6 from 169kW/297Nm to 190kW (though torque is down to 288Nm) – and remember, for much the same prices.
STEP UP A STEP DOWN: Running boards might be retro but Chevrolet has opted to add them to all models of the 2011 Captiva. Perhaps they should be an option...
HILL-START AS WELL
The main perceived difference after driving the two models is that the bigger engine is by far superior for overtaking. We had nothing to tow, but if you have a boat or caravan, then there is only one choice...
Hill-start assistance is a new feature on both models.
The 2011 Captiva, in GM’s words, “ushered in a new era in design for the Chevrolet brand” when it entered the world market five years ago.
“This was a design from a fresh and youthful design team,” the automaker says, “that drew on global inputs and design to define the mid-sized SUV for world markets.
“The result was a vehicle with well-proportioned bold features that imparted a bold but sophisticated look.”
The (10% larger, it was emphasised at the launch) Chevy bowtie now lies in the centre of a horizontally split, black honeycomb grille, the headlight clusters sweep smoothly upwards and GM has elected to fit “running boards” to all models – great targets for aggressive rocks if you venture off-road.
REVISED CONTROLS
Chev has stuck with the previous model’s seven-seat arrangement: 2:3:2, with the rearmost folded and hidden beneath the boot floor, with a full-size spare wheel slung under the car. Leather is an option on the 2.4, standard (with front-seat power adjustment) on the three-litre.
There’s also been a revision of some controls and the fascia design.
The centre console has been made longer and lower and cupholders, front and rear, made safer for on-the-road drinks.
All models now have a six-CD shuttle, eight speakers and a radio/CD combination with RDS functionality, MP3 compatibility, Bluetooth cellphone connectivity and auxiliary input.
ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE
The instruments now have Chevrolet’s all-new signature blue lighting as found on the Chevrolet Cruze and Spark (the latter, by the way, soon to be assembled in SA) and the LTZ comes with a comprehensive trip data computer and display – but no satnav.
All models now have an electronic parking brake operated by a lift/depress switch on the centre console and (unique to the Captiva) “regulated voltage control” – one up on the competition, Chev says – and means better fuel consumption, longer lives for switches and lights and better battery maintenance.
GM also says the noise/vibration/harshness characteristics of the Captiva have been improved; certainly the on-road ride is smooth and quiet (unless you ask a lot of the 2.4, in which case it gets rather noisy) but hit the corrugations of a gravel road and the doors will tell you all about it.
Maybe adjustment will quell the vibration; if you’re planning a test drive insist on some gravel-road time... your call.
For everyday comfort, GM has fitted hydraulic engine mounts; revised engine induction and exhaust plumbing has, the company claims, reduced the under-bonnet chorus to near silence. Better door seals, a new roof-liner, wheel-arch liner and acoustic mats have added to the quiet ambience.
PRICES
Captiva 2.4 LT front-wheel drive - R299 900
Captiva 2.4 LT FWD a/t - R314 700
Captiva 2.4 LT AWD - R341 200
Captiva 3.0 LTZ AWD a/t - R434 900
