GM has added an entry-level diesel model to its Chevrolet Captiva range in Europe, decisively undercutting its major competitors on price but, says its maker, without skimping on specification.
We're waiting on comment from GM SA as to whether the five-seater Captiva 2.0 VCDi LS will be released in South Africa but meanwhile here's a comparison of UK prices:
At £18 295 - the equivalent of R269 000 - the new five-seater Captiva 2.0 VCDi LS is £1900 cheaper than Kia's base model Sorento (which costs R299 995 in South Africa), more than £2000 less than the cheapest diesel Nissan X-Trail (the diesel X-Trail is not available in SA but petrol models start at R255 600) and £3500 less than the five-seat Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRTD GSi - which sells for a hefty R343 900 in South Africa.
The five-seat, two-litre Captiva VCDi LS comes with aircon, 16" alloy rims, a "glass-flip" split tailgate, electrically adjustable and heatable door mirrors, an eight-way adjustable driver's seat, a six-speaker RDS radio/CD player with MP3 socket, steering-wheel mounted audio controls, front, side and curtain crash bags, roof rails and two-stage remote locking.
Its 110kW, two-litre, common-rail diesel engine powers the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox and pushes the new Captiva from 0-100km/h in a claimed 10.8sec and on to 180km/h, while claiming a fuel consumption of only 7.3 litres/100km in the combined cycle.