Chevrolet Captiva - Pictures

Around town, the Captiva deals well with rough surfaces, but on twisting country lanes the ride becomes fidgety and uncomfortable. It’s better on the motorway, where wind and tyre noise are minimal.

The dashboard and the insides of the doors have clearly been inspired by Vauxhall, but Chevrolet’s unique touches include a different steering wheel, gearlever, instrument dials and centre console.

There are lots of cubbies in the Captiva’s boot, and with the seats flat, its load area is the longest in this test, too. But intruding wheelarches also make it the narrowest here, and with the chairs in place, space is no match

As with the Santa Fe, the Chevy is available with seven seats, but while folding and tumbling the middle row aids access, the rearmost seats offer less leg and headroom than the Hyundai.

Bosses at Chevrolet have clearly thought hard about family friendliness in the Captiva. The opening glass tailgate is a perfect example of this, and is particularly useful when loading shopping.