Smart,smooth and practical joins the Captiva range
CHEVROLET HAS TAKEN its time in adding a diesel to the freshened Captiva range that hit our markets early in 2011. The wait though has beenworth it, as this all-new 2.2-litre derivative is a really smooth cruiser when it comes to the open road or wading through traflic on the school run. The petrol models that are still on sale are
available in two specification levels: LT which is essentially the lower ofthe two, and an LTZ, which covers all the needs from leather, 19-inch alloys, a sunroof and all the multimedia kit you need nowadays. The new diesel model is only available in this higher spec, and as a result, costs R427500. For that you do get a genuine seven-seater all-wheel drive SUV. The diesel engine in the Captiva is making its first appearance in South Africa and Chev is naturally quite excited about it, possibly earmarking it for an introduction to the Cruze line-up sometime.
The 2.2-litre diesel churns out a healthy 135kW at 3800rpm and a strong .400Nm of torque from as low down as 2000rpm. Crank the starter key and the diesel sparks into life, but with an unfamiliar lack of clutter. It sounds very well balanced at idle and even revving it at a standstill there isn’t so much of that diesel knock we’ve become accustomed to hearing. Some of this is down to the decreased compres- sion ratio the Captiva uses: where common dies el engines require around a 17-18:1 compres- sion ratio the Captiva makes do with 16.3:1
and this reduces NVH (noise, vibration harsh- ness) in the vehicle.
Once on the go the refinement continues
with the six-speed auto working seamlessly in the background. That lower NVH level on the move is down to improvements made to the automatic gearbox. Compact packaging and fancy electronics mean the gear changes
are dealt with serenely. Chev’s Captiva has been selling well recently, sometimes in excess of 250 units a month and with the arrival of the sensible diesel auto, expect that number to rise even further.
ASHLEY OLDFIELD
