2019 Chevrolet Captiva: What to expect?

We haven’t heard about Chevrolet making some bold moves, especially in the ASEAN region, for quite some time now. However, that changed as soon as the American carmaker decided to launch its 2019 Captiva in Thailand. And the best part about it is that it’s more or less the same SUV that Chevrolet launched in South America last month.

Now, the fact that the new Captiva is available in Thailand, which is one of our neighbouring countries, we are expecting it to make its way to the Philippines sooner or later. There is no official statement by the company regarding this, but we’re quite optimistic about it. So, here are a few things that you can expect to have in the new 2019 Captiva.

New design

The Captiva has been fighting the battle for Chevrolet for many years now. To be honest, it never had an appealing design even when it was launched years ago. Other brands had much better looking and equipped SUVs which caused the Captiva to stumble in the market. It needed a major overhaul very badly. Thankfully, Chevrolet has recognised the need for a revamp and also the importance of this SUV and how it can help the company re-establish itself in the local market. The new 2019 Captiva is clearly a modern SUV and appears to work wonders for Chevrolet not just in the ASEAN countries but across the globe.

Although new, the 2019 Captiva isn’t exactly an original design. It is based on the Baojun 530, a Chinese SUV. But the thing is that Baojun is a joint venture ran by General Motors and SAIC. So, technically Chevrolet can use the design. Anyway, talking about the design, the new Captiva features a pair of sleek LED headlamps that are nicely connected via a thick chrome treatment. A similar treatment can be seen in the front bumper around the fog lamps.

The grille on the 2019 Chevrolet Captiva enhances the sportiness a little bit. It has three horizontal slats that hold the brand’s logo in the centre. The side profile of the SUV is decent. There are roof rails that try to carry forward the sportiness from the front. Also, the glass on the D-pillar gives a floating-roof like design. Unfortunately, the wheels of the Captiva appear to be a bit small considering the footprint of the SUV, and their design is also not that great. We like the alloy wheels of the original Baojun 530 more. The rear end of the Captiva has been nicely done. Things to like here include the tail lights, large diffuser, and roof-mounted spoiler.,

Spacious interior

The 2019 Chevrolet Captiva specs reveal larger than before dimensions of the SUV. It’s 4,655 mm long and compared to its competitors which measure around 4,500 mm in length, it has got the upper hand in terms of interior space. There should be plenty of room for each occupant.

Also, the boot capacity with all seats up should be good enough. Of course, we would get the option of folding down the seats to increase the luggage carrying capacity. As far as the other features of the interior are concerned, we would get a ‘waterfall’ inspired dashboard and a sizeable tablet-like infotainment system to make things even more interesting.

Engine

It is being anticipated that the Captiva that’s going to make its way to our shores would be powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine which produces 150 PS of max power and generates 230 Nm of peak torque. Handling the transmission front would be a 6-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox; it’s going to be the only option available. Of course, Chevrolet has not released any details yet, but it’s expected that there could be a diesel variant as well.

These were some of the features that you could expect in the new Captiva. Let’s see when does Chevrolet decides to launch it here in the Philippines. If there are any more details that come up, we’ll be reporting them. So, stay tuned.