Chevrolet’s all-new Captiva will hit Thai showrooms with a focus on real-world usability rather than driving dynamics.
Chevrolet is like a nomadic brand of General Motors wandering around the globe in search of partners for new products.
Thailand’s opening-model some 20 years back was a seven-seat MPV, merely a rebadged Opel Zafira from GM’s sold European subsidiary. Then there’s the Colorado (and its Trailblazer SUV cousin) which shared a skeleton with the D-Max (and MU-X SUV) from Japan’s commercial vehicle specialist Isuzu.
The American bow-tie brand also had its days with passenger cars like the Optra, Sonic and Cruze coming from GM Daewoo, a Korean operation that has already gone bankrupt.
In fact, the car-based Captiva SUV was also developed at GM Daewoo. So where will the pending second-generation Captiva come from? No problem, as GM is now being really open, so to speak, about its 20-year-plus relationship with Chinese maker SAIC.
So yes, the new Captiva has been nourished at the SGMW (SAIC-GM-Wuling) joint venture as a cousin to the Baojun 530 and Wuling Almaz. And because the Almaz is built at GM’s new subsidiary in Indonesia, Chevrolet Sales Thailand has found it fitting to import the Captiva from our Asean member nation via no import duty.
Due to hit Thai showrooms in September before first deliveries start a month later, the Captiva remains a C-segment SUV with very similar dimensions like before. There are some small discrepancies in length, width and height, but the 2,750mm wheelbase length is crucially longer by nearly 50mm.
After hopping into the Captiva at SGMW’s proving grounds in China, this particular improvement can be seen. It’s a seven-seater as ever, although a five-seat option will be offered to chase buyers who need just that or don’t have more than one million baht to spare.
Many seven-seat SUVs tend to have third-row chairs that are more suitable for kids. But in the latest Captiva, six-footers can sit in all seven perches at the same time without moaning about either head or legroom. Sure, you can’t stretch your legs like in a limo.
And don’t think for moment that the Captiva has short seat cushions. In fact, the bolsters are quite generous in size and feel cushy to sit in. Chinese cars buyers highly value comfort, and it can be seen here to the equal delight for Thais.
Like before, the second and third rows of seats can fold down for increased cargo space albeit a high load floor.
Apart from a spacious and practical cabin, there’s a newfound level of material quality in the Captiva. Despite some inconsistent stitching on the leather-upholstered seats, overall perceived quality is substantially better than in the outgoing model. If you think Chinese cars have rubbish build quality, it’s probably time to forego that stereotype.
The test cars provided to the Thai media are those tailored for South America, hence some different interior elements. The central infotainment screen, for one, isn’t the horizontal type as in the SA-spec Chevy and Baojun. The Thai-spec Captiva has been confirmed to feature the Volvo-like, vertical variation used by Wuling (pictured above). That should sound cool for iPad geeks.
The checklist of safety items has yet to be divulged, but we hear the Captiva will get six airbags and some driving aids for some relevance to the average car buyer in Thailand. A parking camera with all-round view is also on the cards which is something that should feature in every SUV of this size these days.
Our time behind the wheel of the Captiva was short. Even so, it’s still too early to deliver a definite verdict because the test vehicles were fitted with a manual gearbox rather than the Almaz’s CVT automatic with eight-speed manual override Thais are getting.
However, the 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol-turbo producing around 140hp has been confirmed for Thai showrooms superseding the 167hp 2.4-litre non-turbo unit of the predecessor. Only front-wheel drive will be offered this time which sounds fair for a couple of reasons.
The Captiva isn’t a light car and tips the scales at over 1.8 ton in five-seat form and two tons with seven chairs. As a result, performance is somehow sluggish and four-wheel drive should make things worse. That’s even with the presence of a manual gearbox which usually makes things feel quicker than those fitted with a CVT auto.
An improvement, though, is low-end tractability and linear power delivery which certainly matter in real-world driving. The claimed torque figures say so: 250Nm achieved from 1,600-3,600rpm. Engine-downsizing with turbo tech is certainly welcome these days, but you’d just wish that it could have had more power.
Refinement is generally good, not only in terms of the engine but also in the way the Captiva suppresses vibrations and harshness at speed. Chevrolet says it is putting emphasis on a quiet cabin from now on. The expected wheel size is 17in shod with 215/60 tyres.
While the ride was generally absorbent and reasonably taut over surface undulations around the handling course, the steering isn't inspiring especially when you consider the Captiva's focus on on-road driving.
There’s excessive slack in a straight line and imprecision in corners. Plus, the rack feels totally lifeless and is probably not as well-executed as in the old Captiva.
Even so, we’d reserved these criticisms until we get to drive the Captiva on Thai roads before October.
From first impressions, it appears the Captiva is more about moving a family around in comfort without really providing a good driving experience. That lack of competitive performance is also indicative of the Captiva’s projected pricing.
It’s a C-segment SUV priced below other rivals and a touch above B-segment ones. What we’re talking here is a potential 950,000 to 1.2 million baht price range. Add that with AI features pertaining to connectivity and the driving bit, the Captiva promises to be good value for the real-world driver.
