What Every Motorist Needs To Know About Air Conditioning

 

This tip is not specific to the Chevrolet Captiva I’ve referred to below or the Chevrolet Matiz posts that are about to follow. It’s very general advice.

During this decade Air Con has become ubiquitous.  Several important points have emerged now air conditioning is a common feature on most cars.

This is important now September’s here. It’s very much cooler and chilly in the mornings and evenings. Because most motorists will stop using their car’s air conditioning.

 

 

The tip is – if you don’t use your air con you will lose it.

 

 

Here’s what happens –

If you don’t use your air conditioning the systems contents separate and cease to work. To make matters worse, most systems are self-lubricating. If the system is not used, seals dry and leaks can occur.

If your air con system needs recharging it will be at your own expense. It is not a warranty claim. It’s neglect.

What can you do?

Use it.

Air con works independently and does not rely on the cars engine warming up over the first four miles of a morning.

So when you get in your car in the morning and the windscreen needs demisting, simply turn your air con on, dial hot and you have immediate demisting.

When your engine has warmed up you can turn off the air conditioning.

If you keep the air con on you’ll find the warmth dryer and less humid that the heat produced by the normal heating system.

Use your air con for at least 10 minutes once a week or lose it.

 

Ralph Spence
Do you know these facts about car air conditioning?

 

 

The announcement of Chevrolet’s new mid-sized crossover SUV

The announcement of Chevrolet’s new mid-sized crossover SUV the Chevrolet Captiva is important. Against all logic the demand for SUVs seems insatiable. Chevrolet was the first and is one of the world’s biggest builders of SUVs. Being mid-sized, a crossover and a Chevrolet, the Captiva has enormous sales potential. But for the fact the majority of people in the UK seems unaware of Chevrolet brand and know little about their parent company GM. 

As the Chevrolet Captiva TV ad sings, it’s a ‘good thing.’ But come to think of it, do you really know what ESP and ABS means when it flashes up on the screen? And what’s all-wheel-drive? 

In my posts to this blog we take a closer look at Chevrolet and GM. I also try to unravel what a crossover SUV is. It’s a complicated market place because manufacturers mix features from various types of trucks and cars to create niche markets. Then I compare what’s available and build a product guide for the new Chevrolet Captiva. 

Below you’ll find posted:

1. What a crossover SUV buyer needs to know about their body. Filed under: Chevrolet Captiva, describes the advantages of a unibody.
2. The advantages of a crossover SUV again Filed under: Chevrolet Captiva
3. Understanding what a Chevrolet Captiva IS NOT. Makes comparisons with other SUVs.
4. September 7, 2007 Why is SUV (sports utility vehicle) styling so important? Filed under: Chevrolet Captiva
5. September 6, 2007 Designed to be a big family car – compares he Captiva with alternative vehicles.
6. September 5, 2007 Where the Captiva scores is in its load and towing capability – compares gross vehicle weights, total carrying capacity, kerb weight, maximum towing weights for a trailer with brakes and luggage space.
7. September 3, 2007 What do we want from a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)? Filed under: Chevrolet Captiva.
8. August 18, 2007 A feature car buyers overlook Filed under: Chevrolet Captiva
9. August 17, 2007How driver comfort is important because …
10. August 16, 2007 How to determine driving pleasure. Filed under: Chevrolet Captiva
11. August 14, 2007 How the Chevrolet Captiva keeps its composure
12. August 13, 2007 How to take a DIM view of motoring costs. Filed under: Chevrolet Captiva.
13. August 10, 2007 When you buy a car you lose an opportunity.
14. August 9, 2007 How much does it cost to run a Chevrolet Captiva?
15. August 8, 2007 What 97% of buyers want from car dealers
16. July 30, 2007 Road accidents can be prevented if the driver anticipates the danger
17. July 28, 2007 How to avoid a car accident. Filed under: Chevrolet Captiva.
18. July 27, 2007 ABS – anti-lock braking system – explained.
19. July 26, 2007 Has car driver’s safety education accelerated to the point they understand these points?
20. My first post was about crash ptotection.

Ralph Spence

 

What a crossover SUV buyer needs to know about their body

  The unibody construction used in crossover SUVs – like the Chevrolet Captiva – is a development of the monocoque chassis. A monocoque chassis is a single shell construction using a vehicle’s external frame and skin panels to support its structure. A unibody is built into a single welded unit with the chassis rather than having a separate body-on-frame.

Lancia first used the monocoque method in the 20s. Chrysler and Citroen put the technique into mass production in the 30s quickly followed by GM/Opel and later VW. 

This meant reduced weight, greater strength and safety, in lower line cars with lower air drag. By the 60s the spot welded unibody became the main method of constructing cars. 

The only disadvantages of unibodys are they are more expensive to repair when damaged and not suitable for real rugged off-road use. The majority of SUV drivers don’t use their vehicles off-road and are certainly not used on rugged ground. This means SUVs can be constructed like cars with a unibody. Unibodies define a SUV as a crossover. 

Traditional body-on-frame SUVs are criticized for their size, weight, high-centre of gravity resulting in poor handling, safety and economy. Unibodied crossover SUVs – like the new Chevrolet Captiva – solve these problems.

Ralph Spence

www.chevroletreviewsandprices.co.uk

The advantages of a crossover SUV are:

  A crossover SUV – like the new Chevrolet Captiva – is a development of the traditional SUV which has been criticized for its huge size, truck based construction, economy and safety. And the joke is most are not as comfortable or spacious as their size suggests.  

A crossover SUV – the new Chevrolet Captiva – has a car like unibody construction and may be car derived. They’ve limited off-road capability. Normally described as having ‘on demand four wheel drive’ or ‘all-wheel-drive’, AWD and called soft-roaders. Some have car drive trains and suspension. They retain the sports utility vehicle appearance. That would be a Captiva. Some are no more than truck styled hatches or estates on slightly elevated suspension. 

Crossover SUVs – like the Chevrolet – can have car or MPV like features.

New market niches are created by mixing vehicle features. 

The advantages of a crossover SUV are:

1. The SUV styling is retained.

2. The size is more compact and manageable.

3. The SUV image is retained.

4. Inside the driver still enjoys an elevated view of the road ahead.

5. Passengers in the new Chevrolet enjoy the space found in an MPV.

6. Some – like the Chevrolet Captiva – can have MPV 7 seat versatility.

7. The large load space and carrying/towing capabilities are retained.

8. Handling is improved with a lower ground clearance and centre of gravity, lower profile tyres, and shorter car suspension travel.

9. Front wheel drive makes crossovers easier to handle on slippery surfaces.

10. Overall compact and medium sized – Captiva – crossover SUVs are more stable and responsive on the road than large truck based SUVs.

11. Economy is improved by lighter construction, lighter transmission systems and on-road tyres.  They are far more economical than large truck based SUVs though like MPVs suffer from poor aerodynamics.

Insatiable demand for SUV type vehicles and competition has driven these improvements in this market sector. The new Chevrolet Captiva is today’s example.

Ralph Spence

www.chevroletreviewsandprices.co.uk

Just because you’re a motorist – doesn’t make you a bad person.

 Sorry to interrupt my orderly posts about aspects of the new Chevrolet Captiva. 

Last night I took in part exchange a Hyundai Santa Fe. As I put it away the radio – just about 6’o’clock – reported motorist’s attitudes to green issues.  People were saying motorists are selfish. They only cared about fuel consumption because it affected their pockets. And they had no concern for CO2s or green issues. They had some chap boasting the attributes of his powerful big petrol engine Vauxhall Vectra.  

We – Stevens – are the Vauxhall Chevrolet main dealer in the Sussex/Surrey region. We never see the mentioned Vauxhall. It’s a rare car. 

The popular Vectra is the 1.9 diesel putting out 150 bhp through a 6-speed gearbox. I’ve just completed a 2,000 miles holiday tour of Europe in said vehicle.  I travelled at a legal 80 mph. A bit faster in Belgium and Italy and at silly but safe speeds in Germany. Average fuel consumption 46 mpg – amazing at such speeds in a big car. And it’s diesel so the CO2 emissions are low. 

So the testimony on the radio was not typical. 

Here’s more evidence. Last year I published a website. The two favourite pages are evidence of what interests motorists.  Amongst 200 web pages were two pages. One title referred to MOTs. The other title referred to CO2 emissions. Together they took over 60% of visits to the site. They were so popular both had page-one rankings in Google searches for relevant words. 

So motorists are interested in responsible subjects. Their visits to web page are evidence they’re far more interested in such subjects than they are in crazy hot hatches. And visits to VXR pages are crazy – just like the cars. 

You can find our more – CO2 – Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. How to reduce the impact of your vehicle on the environment

1)     For a regulations to give car buyers more information about the fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions characteristics of new cars go to http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/environment/thepassengercarfuelconsumpti3850  

2)     Hints for less environmental damage can be found here http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk/information/hints-for-less-environmental-damage.asp

3)     http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk/information/how-to-use-the-data-tables.asp#petrol  detail cars with CO2 emissions under 120 g/km. 

You’re NOT bad person. You are transporting kids to school or interesting activities. You drive to work. Go down the gym. Eat in restaurants. See fiends. Attend evening classes. Take weekend trips and go on holidays. What’s wrong with that? 

You’re a good person because you pay an enormous amount of tax for the privilege of motoring. Remember taxes were introduced to give the man-in-the-street the right to vote. So maybe you – motorists – ought to say something to your critics. Are there any economists out there who can calculate and comment about the percentage of total tax motorists put into Gordon’s purse. My guess – 20%. 

What have you got to say? – You can comment.

 

Ralph Spence

www.chevroletreviewsandprices.co.uk

Understanding what a Chevrolet Captiva IS NOT

 

 Making comparisons really helps understanding – what is it and is it not?

 

The Chevrolet Captiva’s Size

The Chevrolet Captiva is a medium size crossover SUV (sports utility vehicle). At 4639 mm long it’s bigger than more compact SUVs under 4600 mm. Compacts include the BMW X3, Honda CRV, Jeep Cherokee, Freelander, X-Trail, and Rav4.

The Captiva is not as big as huge SUVs over 4900 mm long, which include the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Shogun, Range Rover, and Mercedes GL. Some SUVs are way wider than the Chevrolet Captiva’s 1849 mm width, including the Q7, X5, and all the new Land Rover range, the Mercedes GL and ML, and Patrol. All are over 1900 mm wide.

The Chevrolet Captiva is more the size of the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorrento, Grand Cherokee, Discovery, Lexus 400, Mercedes ML, Outlander, Mirano, Pathfinder, and Volvo XC90.

Where the Chevrolet Captiva scores is whilst scraping into the medium size class, its interior space and the versatility of 7 adult size seats challenge larger vehicles. This is because its total space is not compromised by unnecessary gearbox, and suspension mechanisms. The space is used to accommodate people and luggage.

The Chevrolet Captiva’s Style

Style is matter of taste so this is my personal opinion. It seems to me SUVs can have a utility, rational – wanna be a Hummer tough look, a classy slab-sided style, a sporty, dynamic appearance or look like elevated estate cars.

Attempts at the Tonka-Toy look include the Honda CRV, all Jeeps, Mitsubishis, and nearly all Nissans.

The new Land Rover Range and Vauxhall Antara very successfully achieve the classy slab-sided look.

Various attempts at the more sporty style include the Q7, BMW range, Chevrolet Captiva, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorrento, Lexus, Mercedes range, Murano, Cayenne, Rav4 and VW.

The Subaru and Volvo appear to be elevated estate cars.

Driving the Chevrolet Captiva.

You must always test drive a car for yourself. Don’t listen to pundits who compare every car with the pleasures of driving a Ferrari. I always judge a car by what it holds itself out to be – what it promises. I must say I find expensive cars boasting their badge – disappointing. The performance figures may look impressive but they’re not even achievable on a German autobahn. Cheap cars I generally find just that – cheap but not disappointing. Later drivability might be the deciding factor.

Economy

You can dismiss most SUVs on the basis of running costs. Out go the Audi, BMWs, Land Rovers, Mercedes, Porsche, VW and Volvo on the basis of cost. Generally these SUVs are also uneconomical, have poor CO2 emissions and high insurance groups.

In summary, the new Chevrolet Captiva is not a huge SUV. Big SUVs are TOO big. The Captiva is just that bit bigger than compact SUVs with interior space and 7-seat versatility to challenge larger SUVs. It gets 100% for style. And the whole package represents value.

So the Captiva is not a big Audi Q7, BMW X5, Shogun, Range Rover, or Mercedes GL. It’s not a compact BMW X3, Honda CRV, Jeep Cherokee, Freelander, X-Trail, or Rav4. The new Chevrolet Captiva is more a Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorrento, Grand Cherokee, Discovery, Lexus 400, Mercedes ML, Outlander, Murano, Pathfinder, or Volvo XC90.

In styling approach it only resembles the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorrento, Lexus 400, Mercedes ML and maybe the Murano.

The Lexus, Merc and Murano we can discount on the basis of cost.

So we have three contenders to test drive – the Chevrolet Captiva, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Kia Sorrento.

Which is fortunate if you live in our area because the dealers are just round the corner from one another on the Manor Royal Estate Crawley.

 

Ralph Spence
car salesperson Stevens Vauxhall Chevrolet Dealer Crawley West Sussex UK

Why is SUV (sports utility vehicle) styling so important?

  Here’s a SUV with style – the new Chevrolet Captiva. 

A SUV is no more than an estate car with a mixture of features from other vehicle types. What makes it different is it looks totally different to the everyday estate car. The important thing is it has a tougher image than the family MPV. 

When you approach the new Chevrolet Captiva from the front it looks a real heavyweight contender. The Chevrolet ‘bow tie’ badge sits comfortably on the typical Chevy bar splitting the front grill. The headlamp cluster is conventional. It looks a real SUV – tough – with bold style features. The Chevrolet Captiva LT and LTX have front foglamps. Protective silver effect skid plates are a feature on the Chevrolet Captiva LTX models. 

Step to one side for a quarter angle and a view of the Chevrolet Captiva’s perfect proportions. 

The new Chevrolet Captiva looks equally rugged from the side with strong sporty dynamic lines. The window line tapers like a coupe. Underneath a shoulder style line runs from a dummy air-intake in the front wing to the rear lights. The front wheel arches are prominent. The rear wheels have strong barrel arches with slopping ellipse shoulders. 

The Chevrolet Captiva LS is fitted with 16” alloy wheels. The Chevrolet Captiva LT is styled with 17” alloys. The Chevrolet Captiva LTX boasts big 18” alloy wheels. 

At the rear the new Chevrolet Captiva LTX features twin chrome exhaust tails in addition to the silver effect skid plate.  

The Captiva’s expressive styling promises a spacious interior with detailed trim in high quality materials. 

You can add to the new Chevrolet Captiva’s rugged SUV style and driving experience with Irmscher up to the moment stainless steel side bars and 20” Evo Star alloy wheels. 

The new Chevrolet Captiva is available in the following colours/colors:
Galaxy White – solid, Poseidon Blue – Mica, Kandinsky Red – Mica, Linen Beige – metallic, Granada Black – metallic, Zest Brown – metallic, Dark Denim Grey – metallic, Oak Green – metallic, and Poly Silver.

Ralph Spence

Designed to be a big family car

 

 The new Chevrolet Captiva is 4635 mm long. To give you an idea, a Vauxhall Vectra is 4611 mm long. The Captiva is 24 mm longer than a Vectra. That’s 1 inch. So it’s a big car – that’s the idea – but it’s OK for UK parking spaces. A Vauxhall Zafira is 4467 mm long. So a Captiva is only a bit over 6.5 inches or 168 mm longer than a Zafira. 

 Compared to other SUVs the Chevrolet Captiva is a medium sized SUV. Not as big as large SUVs measuring over 4900 mm – too long for UK parking spaces. The Captiva is bigger than compact SUVs, which are less than 4600 mm. So that inch counts. 

More important is the width because some SUVs are over 1900 mm wide, which completely fills a UK parking space with no room to open the doors. And some say 1.9m is too wide for UK roads. 

A Vauxhall Zafira is 1781 mm 70.1 inches wide, excluding wing mirrors. A Vectra is 1798 mm 70.8 inches. A Chevrolet Captiva is 1850 mm wide. 2 inches wider than a Vectra. So it’s as wide as a car wants to get. 

Another consideration is a vehicle’s height because it can obscure other driver’s visibility. However the Chevrolet Captive at 1755 mm is only 110 mm taller than a Zafira. Which isn’t much taller than a Chevrolet Matiz. 

The whole idea of a medium sized SUV is it be a big family car. The Chevrolet Captiva dimensions seem to fit in sensibly.

 

Ralph Spence

Where the Captive scores is in its load and towing capability

 

 A vehicle’s gross vehicle weight is the total permissible weight of the vehicle including passengers and their luggage. To determine the total carrying capacity, deduct the kerb weight from the gross weight. Maximum towing weights are based on the ability of the vehicle. For example: 

 Chevrolet Captiva 2.0 Turbo Diesel with 7 seats
Gross weight 2505 kg minus 1820 kg kerb weight equals 685 kg total carrying capacity. It’s 735 kg with 5 seats. The maximum towing weight for a trailer with brakes is 2000 kg. Maximum 1,565 litres of luggage space with the seats folded completely down. 

 Vauxhall Vectra 1.9 CDTi 16v 150PS SRi
Gross weight 2005 kg minus 1456 kg kerb weight equals 549 kg total carrying capacity. The maximum towing weight for a trailer with brakes is 1600 kg. Maximum 1,050 litres of luggage space with the seats folded completely down. 

 Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 CDTi 16v 150PS SRi
Gross weight 2205 kg minus 1566 kg kerb weight equals 639 kg total carrying capacity. The maximum towing weight for a trailer with brakes is 1500 kg. Maximum 1,820 litres of luggage space with the seats folded completely down. 

 So for towing or carrying a lot of people and their luggage the Chevrolet Captiva works outs well. 

 Here are all the weights for all the new Chevrolet Captiva models in kilograms:

Chevrolet Captiva 2.4 LS 5-speed manual 5-seat – kerb 1665, Gross 2180, trailer with brakes 1500

Chevrolet Captiva 2.0 LT VCDi 5-speed manual 5-seat – kerb 1770, Gross 2505, trailer with brakes 2000

Chevrolet Captiva 2.0 LT VCDi 5-speed manual 7-seat – kerb 1820, Gross 2505, trailer with brakes 2000

Chevrolet Captiva 2.0 LT VCDi Automatic 7-seat – kerb 1835, Gross 2505, trailer with brakes 1700

Chevrolet Captiva 2.0 LTX VCDi 5-speed manual 7-seat – kerb 1820, Gross 2505, trailer with brakes 2000

Chevrolet Captiva 2.0 LTX VCDi Automatic 7-seat – kerb 1835, Gross 2505, trailer with brakes 1700

 

 

Regards
Ralph Spence

 

What do we want from a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)?

  Style’s important but the most important factor must be flexibility. The Chevrolet Captiva may be a comfortable 7-seater and a pleasure to drive but it’s the flexibility that matters most. 

The Chevrolet Captiva can carry plenty of luggage and there’s the choice of 5-seater or 7-seater versions. The Captiva is one of the most practical vehicles you can buy. 

In the new Chevrolet Captiva you’ve room for half a football team. You have a 60/40 foldable rear seat.  

Fold the Captiva’s front passenger seat, second and third row of seats down completely and you have 1,565 litres of luggage space.

Plus, there are five storage boxes in the luggage area.  

With all the seats up as a 7-seater you have 85 litres of luggage space.

This increases to 465 litres with the third row of seats down as a 5-seater.

As a two-seater with the second and third row of seats folded you’ve 930 litres of space. 

All this space is easily accessible at hip height.  

It all adds up to the new Chevrolet Captiva being both spacious and flexible.

 

 

Regards
 Ralph Spence