The Captiva stands out among the Chevrolet line-up, and it’s not because it’s the tallest of the lot.
Not only is it the only sports utility vehicle in the fold, it’s the only one to have a clone (called the Antera) sold under the Opel and Vauxhall badges in Europe.
This link goes some ways to explaining why the Captiva is a minor marvel at maximising its cabin space, something witnessed in the likes of the Opel Meriva and the Zafira.
Overall, the car is only 6mm longer than a Mitsubishi Lancer but offers three rows of seating (though boot space and rear legroom is rather dismal).
Chevrolet has taken another step in exploiting the Captiva’s European links by introducing the 2-litre diesel engine option here.
In Europe, the single-cam, direct diesel-injection unit was the most popular engine option for the Antera in the first half of last year, outselling the 2.4-litre inline-4 and the 3.2-litre V6 petrol engines.
It’s a move that comes in lieu of the revisions made to the tax structure for privately registered diesel engine vehicles.
And if there’s one type of vehicle that’s made for the diesel engine’s characteristics, it’s the heavy sports utility vehicle.
The diesel option for the Captiva simply works better than the petrol version.
Despite displacing slightly less capacity than the 2.4 petrol engine, the oil burner packs more power (148bhp versus 136bhp) and bags more torque (an additional 100Nm).
The spec sheet shows that the diesel-powered engine hits 100km/h from rest 1.4 seconds faster than the one on petrol.
In plain language, the diesel Captiva is a lot more effortless to use, although it is about 65kg heavier.
Torque-ful oil-burner works well to shift this seven-seater SUV.
The difference in engine performance is felt most acutely when the vehicle is fully loaded or tackling inclines.
With the imposition of the Special Tax (at $1.25 x engine capacity) applicable to the diesel, the Captiva generates an additional $2,488 a year in running cost.
But the engine literally pays off at the pumps, as a litre of diesel gets the car 2.8km further than a similar squirt of petrol on the combined fuel consumption cycle.
That’s 32 percent better.
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Factor in the lower fuel cost and it’s not unreasonable to expect the cost of the Special Tax to be defrayed totally by virtue of lower bills.
As expected of a modern oil-burning engine, the 2-litre complies with strict Euro 4 emission standards, and manages to be relatively free of any smoke-spewing problems typical of the archaic taxis that still ply our streets.
Adapting to the diesel engine’s characteristics, the ratios in the 5-speed automatic gearbox are similar but carry a significantly taller final drive.
This allows the engine to spin lazily, rarely exceeding 2000rpm on normal motoring.
This is a good thing because lower revs not only help fuel consumption but also minimise untoward noise, long the bane of the diesel engine.
To its credit, Chevrolet has introduced additional sound-dampening material in the engine bay to help suppress the racket.
Overall, the clatter in this car is less annoying than is the case with lorries and buses.
But the din is something owners will have to get used to – as is the case in Europe, where private diesel cars are fast outnumbering petrol versions.
2009 Chevrolet Captiva Diesel 2.0 (A)
ENGINE 1991cc, 16-valves, inline-4
MAX POWER 148bhp at 4000rpm
MAX TORQUE 320Nm at 2000rpm
GEARBOX 5-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 12.2 seconds
TOP SPEED 180km/h
CONSUMPTION 11.6km/L (combined)
PRICE INCL. COE $85,200
