New Chevy Captiva diesel CUV gets 32.2mpg combined!
In the rest of the world, General Motors offers a compact crossover badged as the Chevrolet Captiva. The Captiva is based on the Saturn Vue/Opel Antara architecture but it's got lower trim levels and sold at a significantly lower price. GM has just launched a new base level diesel Captiva in Europe with a 2.0L common rail diesel. The 150hp diesel engine offers up some pretty impressive fuel economy numbers on the EU test cycle. In urban driving the diesel Captive manages 26.7mpg (U.S.) while highway numbers come in at 36.2mpg (U.S.). Here in the U.S. market, of course, we are relegated to the mild hybrid Vue which doesn't come close to those numbers or the diesel torque. The 2.0L diesel is not currently certified for U.S. Tier 2 Bin 5 standards and there are no signs that GM is considering doing so.
[Source: General Motors]
Captiva style - now even better value!
It already has a reputation for offering superb value for money, but the Chevrolet Captiva has just got even more affordable thanks to the addition of a new entry-level diesel model.
At £18,295, the new five-seater Captiva 2.0 VCDi LS is £1,900 cheaper than Kia's base model Sorento, over £2,000 less expensive than the cheapest diesel Nissan X-Trail, and more than £3,500 less pricey than the five-seat Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRTD GSi.
Yet despite the bargain price tag, the latest Captiva doesn't skimp on specification. The new model comes with air conditioning, smart 16-inch alloy wheels, a glass-flip tailgate, electrically-adjustable heated door mirrors, an eight-way adjustable driver's seat, a powerful six-speaker RDS radio/CD player with MP3 socket, steering-wheel mounted audio controls, front, side and curtain airbags, remote control two-stage deadlocking and charcoal-effect roof rails. That's an impressive list of equipment when you look at the price!
The 2.0-litre 150PS common-rail diesel engine powers the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox, delivering a combined fuel economy figure of 38.7mpg (43.5mpg extra-urban; 32.1mpg urban). CO2 emissions are 195g/km, and the car accelerates from 0-60mph in 10.8 seconds, with a top speed of 112mph.
The new 2.0VCDi LS model is the latest addition to the Captiva range, which made its debut in the UK last year and has been a significant contributor to Chevrolet's phenomenal UK growth. Chevrolet sales in the UK were up by 27.6 per cent in 2007, and in the first quarter of 2008 showed a further 21 per cent year-on-year increase.
This latest addition to the Captiva family is in showrooms now, alongside the new Aveo supermini and Epica family saloon, both of which are new for 2008 and add further breadth to the rapidly increasing Chevrolet model range.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gordio 11:34AM (5/16/2008)
Can someone enlighten me whether diesel pollution is a problem in europe? Are there any adverse effects of Europeans driving dirty diesels? I mean, safety is more important than mileage. I sure hope anyone invents clean diesel asap
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Karkus 11:53AM (5/16/2008)
Yep there is a diesel pollution problem in Europe (I grew up there and still visit often), but they are starting to mandate diesel particle filters, so that really helps. Lots of cities have soot all over their buildings (and the ones that don't probably cleaned them recently).
Still, it's too bad GM doesn't invest a little money in cleaning them up even more to bring them over here. Having a diesel/hybrid choice would be great!
As for the Vue hybrid mpg...it was 27/32 under the old EPA test. Not great (and, besides, it's not a full hybrid system anyway), but if you consider that even the old EPA tests were still tougher than European tests, the numbers would likely be pretty close.
And if you consider CO2, where the diesels get a 15% penalty, the mild hybrid would probably win.
As for torque, the diesel certainly does win (since it's a mild hybrid and don't have big electric motor like full hybrids to provide lots of torque).
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snakesausage 12:49PM (5/16/2008)
I was there for an extended vacation a year or so ago. I would like to preface this with the admission that that I am a diesel fanatic. There definitely is an issue with pollution and I would not want a massive number of diesels to be sold here without the particulate filter. The main issue with selling diesels in the US is the idiotic NOx regulation that is based on junk science.
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darius 1:50PM (5/16/2008)
I grew up in Europe as well. and visit every few years. I think a great majority of pollution is do to the fact that there are many older vehicles on the roads. There is not pollution testing of existing cars the way we do in the US and the industry is a huge polluter. I'm not sure what % would be contributed to actual modern diesel cars them self.
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why not the LS2LS7? 1:55PM (5/16/2008)
Yes, Europe has pollution problems. The Black Forest is typically referenced.
snakesausage:
NOx causes acid rain.
The European fuel economy ratings are gamed very effectively. Look at the Prius fuel economy in Europe versus the US. Same vehicle, but it is rated at something like 65mpg there and 45mpg here.
Thus comparing figures on the Captiva to our hybrid here isn't necessarily a very accurate comparison.
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Woodenbee 3:55PM (5/16/2008)
I don't understand why the phrase "dirty diesels" ever comes up anymore the only dirty diesels are the thousands and thousands of semi's on US roads every day, so to go on about pollution in Europe is laughable, they don't have near the number of smoky 18 wheelers going back and forth every day, plus their fleet is much newer and cleaner. Article after article on here is about how only twits stuck in the past could accuse diesel cars of being noisy, smelly or dirty nowadays, so I'm really not sure what your all talking about. I grew up in Europe and my only complaint is we we're subjected to leaded gas for way longer than we should have thanks to political corruption and lobbying no doubt from the US lead additive suppliers as was the case here.
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James 4:47PM (5/16/2008)
If and when they ever get bio-diesel from algae thing going. We would have clean burning diesels motors.
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dann bohn 7:47PM (5/16/2008)
32MPG! welcome to 1995!!! ughhhhh!
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dann bohn 7:47PM (5/16/2008)
32MPG! welcome to 1995!!! ughhhhh!
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dann bohn 7:47PM (5/16/2008)
32MPG! welcome to 1995!!! ughhhhh!
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why not the LS2LS7? 9:04PM (5/16/2008)
Diesels still smell, they still put out well over 10X the particulates (soot) of a gas car and they are noisier than gas engines (a lot better than the past though).
Diesels are still far dirtier than gas cars.
James:
NOx (for example) isn't because of a problem with the fuel. It's because of the style of ignition (compression-based) that Diesel engines use. You can run the engine off anything and it still will not match a gas car on NOx.
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MH 1:12AM (5/18/2008)
Although Diesel Engines market share climbed to record levels smog precursors have been declining continuously. Regular inspections to vehicle are mandatory in Europe.
http://reports.eea.europa.eu/topic_report_2003_4/en/Topic_4_2003_web.pdf
They test brakes, lights, suspension, emissions, etc. You may loose ability to drive your vehicle if you repeatedly fail these tests.
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mike 10:35AM (5/17/2008)
So, the point is GM sells a 32 mpg SUV in Europe but NOT the US. We need a law to EXPLICITLY MAKE ILLEGAL any form of COMPENSATION between the AUTO-OIL industry. With big Jail Time Sentences.
And throw DINGELL out of the democratic party.
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wxman 2:56PM (5/18/2008)
@ why not the LS2LS7?
According to you..."Diesels still smell, they still put out well over 10X the particulates (soot) of a gas car..."
Then what is your reaction to this?...
"Diesel engines equipped with the latest emission controls emit lower levels of deadly fine particles than gasoline engines, according to various trade groups in the automobile industry...."
http://www.greendieseltechnology.com/News.asp?ID=418&link=
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Mike 10:09AM (5/19/2008)
23 European nations including Bosnia-Herzgovina currently have a higher life expectancy than the United States. Not to mention Canada, Macau, Singapore, Japan, Israel, New Zealand, Jordan, and the Cayman Islands. That includes nearly all the industrialized and highly mobile nations of western Europe. France is still the number one tourist destination worldwide and Paris is as lovely as ever.
Perhaps there are more factors that impact good health, long life, and quality of life, than whether or not compliant diesel cars are allowed to be sold in a market with the world's toughest vehicle emission standards. A local, regional, and national electrified railway system might do more to help preserve our clean air.
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Captiva 2:52AM (7/15/2008)
On September 2006 I bought a Chevrolet Captiva (gasoline) and last April 23 burned while I was driving. Thanks to other drivers that warned me I could stop and run away. That happened after the revisión of 30.000 Kms. The dealer and Chevrolet has not given me any explanation. In this incident who has treat me the best has been my insurance Company.
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Douglas 5:13PM (7/22/2008)
I just returned from a european vacation in which I put 3301 km on a rental Captiva with the 2.0 liter diesel and 5-speed automatic. The car performed well and delivered the equivalent of US 28 to 35 mpg, a little over 32 mpg average for the whole trip. (This was very welcome, since diesel was around 1.6 euros per liter...about $9.50 / gallon US).
The driving was a mix of in-town (Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Strasbourg, Geneva, Dijon, etc.) and highway/autobahn. The car accelerated well and handled 140-160 kph (about 90-100 mph)cruising speeds on the autobahn without drama. (120 or 130 kph limits in the other countries). We had either four passengers with luggage or seven passengers the entire time as well.
Diesel in Europe is qualitatively much less smelly than US, purportedly due to lower sulphur...so ULSD regs here should help with that. Whether that is the reason, the Captiva had none of the sooty exhaust clouds I associated with diesels, and only a mild valve-noise at idle. The rest of the time, one couldn't tell it from a gas engine.
All in all, it was a great car and served us well. I wish they would sell it in the US. (or that I could put the 2.0 liter GM/VM Mitori diesel engine in my Jeep Wrangler and double my fuel economy for the same hp/torque).
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