Just thought I'd post up a message about how its been going with my Captiva, especially after two weeks down to south of France and back.
Just over 3k on the clock now from new and thankfully no issues. The night before our journey to France I did wonder if things would be okay but I suppose any car owner about to head on a long trip wouldfeel that way. The good news I discovered before I set off was that my chevy AA cover covers my car for all over Europe so thank you Chevrolet for that unexpected bonus. I thought it just covered me in the UK. Secondly, the built-in satnav has Europe maps and it navigated us to places big and small around rural France without any probs.
Having covered over 1500 miles on holiday gave me a great opportunity to get to know the car and what was good and not so good. First off, the practicality of the Captivawas superb. Two kids in the back and all the cargo in the boot for the holiday, the Captiva swallowed it all up with plenty of room to spare. Kids had plently of space and legroom so no complaints from them. Comfort-wise, myself and wife found the seats perfect and I stepped out of the car after hours of driving without feeling stiff or sore. The driving position is good and the electrically-adjusted driver seat is perfect for getting you just right!
On the motorway, the Captiva is suprisingly quiet, little wind noise and the diesel engine quiet too on cruise. The cruise control was great to use, didn't think I'd use it as much as I did.
Fuel economy was almost permanently stuck on 32.8 mpg so I'm not sure what thats all about. Suffice to say the monitoring does not work properly which echoes what others have said on here. I estimate we got closer to 35mpg and that was with aircon on almost constantly which I have to say worked very well.
The only downsides of this car for me are the noisey unrefined diesel engine under acceleration and the notchy manual gearbox. Its also a bit rolly-polly on corners which isn't a major issue but less roll would be appreciated. I think all of these issues are addresed in the new Captiva so congrats if you bought a new one. I have heard that the wafty ride has been addressed by adding anti-roll bars to the new Captiva. Wonder if they can be retro-fitted to older Captivas? Cant imagine it to be expensive or difficult.
So overall, we are very very happy with this car. It was perfect for our trip and turning out to be a great family car. Theres nothing it can't do in my opinion. And I have to say its a very good looking car as well. It got plenty of looks from the locals but I think that was more to do with it being a very unfamiliar car on French roads.
If you are considering ownership of one of these, don't hesitate to drive one. I've come from Audi ownership and frankly the Captiva is doing a much better job and cheaper and yes more reliable!
- 2011 Captiva LTZ Manual Silver
Edited by: nik1
Just over 3k on the clock now from new and thankfully no issues. The night before our journey to France I did wonder if things would be okay but I suppose any car owner about to head on a long trip wouldfeel that way. The good news I discovered before I set off was that my chevy AA cover covers my car for all over Europe so thank you Chevrolet for that unexpected bonus. I thought it just covered me in the UK. Secondly, the built-in satnav has Europe maps and it navigated us to places big and small around rural France without any probs.
Having covered over 1500 miles on holiday gave me a great opportunity to get to know the car and what was good and not so good. First off, the practicality of the Captivawas superb. Two kids in the back and all the cargo in the boot for the holiday, the Captiva swallowed it all up with plenty of room to spare. Kids had plently of space and legroom so no complaints from them. Comfort-wise, myself and wife found the seats perfect and I stepped out of the car after hours of driving without feeling stiff or sore. The driving position is good and the electrically-adjusted driver seat is perfect for getting you just right!
On the motorway, the Captiva is suprisingly quiet, little wind noise and the diesel engine quiet too on cruise. The cruise control was great to use, didn't think I'd use it as much as I did.
Fuel economy was almost permanently stuck on 32.8 mpg so I'm not sure what thats all about. Suffice to say the monitoring does not work properly which echoes what others have said on here. I estimate we got closer to 35mpg and that was with aircon on almost constantly which I have to say worked very well.
The only downsides of this car for me are the noisey unrefined diesel engine under acceleration and the notchy manual gearbox. Its also a bit rolly-polly on corners which isn't a major issue but less roll would be appreciated. I think all of these issues are addresed in the new Captiva so congrats if you bought a new one. I have heard that the wafty ride has been addressed by adding anti-roll bars to the new Captiva. Wonder if they can be retro-fitted to older Captivas? Cant imagine it to be expensive or difficult.
So overall, we are very very happy with this car. It was perfect for our trip and turning out to be a great family car. Theres nothing it can't do in my opinion. And I have to say its a very good looking car as well. It got plenty of looks from the locals but I think that was more to do with it being a very unfamiliar car on French roads.
If you are considering ownership of one of these, don't hesitate to drive one. I've come from Audi ownership and frankly the Captiva is doing a much better job and cheaper and yes more reliable!
- 2011 Captiva LTZ Manual Silver
Edited by: nik1