Chevy Captiva Captivates Irish

Anthony Fontanelle
June 30, 2007

The Chevrolet Captiva is a midsize crossover SUV offered by General Motors in Europe, Middle East, ASEAN, and South American auto markets. In Ireland, the long wait for the crossover will finally be over as General Motors announced that the Captiva will be introduced in the Irish auto market next month.

According to reports, the Captiva will be offered in Ireland with either a gasoline or a diesel engine. The diesel engine will have a displacement of 2 liters. This engine will be available in different configurations. The output of the diesel engines varies from 127 to 150 bhp. Meanwhile, the gasoline engine will be a 2.4-liter powerplant with a power output of 136 bhp. The diesel engine will be mated to a manual transmission.

According to General Motors, the Captiva’s diesel engines will be equipped with an advanced four-wheel drive configuration. This drivetrain setting will maximize traction. A diesel engine is known to produce more torque than a gasoline engine that is why an all-wheel drive system will complement a diesel engine. With the four-wheel drive configuration, the Captiva will be offered with Descent Control, 4WD Traction Control and the Electronic Stability Program as standard features.

Originally, the Captiva was scheduled to be released in Ireland last year. But due to “engineering issues”, the launch of the Captiva in Ireland and other markets has been delayed. The setback though is seen by experts to be beneficial to Chevrolet. The hype that the launch of the Captiva created has truly captivated the attention of European car buyers. The delay in the introduction of the crossover in the market only heightened the anticipation for the Captiva.

The Chevrolet Captiva is based on General Motors’ Theta platform. The Captiva will be sharing its platform with the Opel Antara which has received a lot of publicity in the United States due to the fact that the redesigned Vue is based on the Antara. The Antara, Vue and the Captiva will not only be sharing a common platform, they are also rumored to sport similar styling cues. It will not be a surprise if the design cue of a Chevrolet pickup fender flare makes its way to the three crossovers. The three crossovers, of course, all belong to the same family.

According to General Motors, the Captiva will be equipped with safety features such as airbags for both front seat occupants. The Captiva will also come equipped with roof airbags as well as side airbags. According to Chevrolet, the Captiva will come equipped with a total of ten airbags.

The Captiva will be offered either as a five or a seven-seater. According to the manufacturer of the Captiva, both the five and seven seater Captiva will be equipped with three-point seatbelts. The crossover will also have a seat designed for easy installation of child seats.

Features for the Captiva include a remote keyless entry, adjustable steering column, power windows for both the rear and front, and rear fog lamps. These features are standard features for the entry level version of the Captiva. For the upscale version of the crossover SUV, it will come with features such as a full-leather interior. The flagship LT model of the Captiva will come with a five-speed automatic transmission. The features on the top-of-the-line Captiva move it close to luxury vehicles such as those produced by the Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz brands.

Source:  Amazines.com