Captiva spotting

[regfootball]

Yup, the Captivas are real!

REAL REAL similar to something called a Vue!

[Robert Hall]

Saw a silver one last week. Saw a red 'Vu' last night (missing one letter cleanly off the hatch).

[Drew Dowdell]

Where are they being built? I don't have a problem with this as it keeps resale of the Equinox higher and helps to keep it out of rental fleets.

[vonVeezelsnider]

They're being built in Ramos IIRC. My mom is actually interested in picking one up when the rental fleets start to divest them to replace her Malibu next year.

[regfootball]

inside it had the classic chevy black and gray.

I'll be honest, if it were in the showroom with the Equinox, it would get killed in sales. Fleet only is a pretty good way to go with this. Gives something for ex Vue owners to repeat purchase......

front and rear treatments looked nice in person. interior had metallics on it.

Is the 6 speed in it now? I'd love to try it with the 6 speed..........

[ocnblu]

As a product if one had amnesia, it would be a nice one. It seems smaller than an Equinox, which lately, to me, has become rather large in a sudden, odd way. I sawr a black one up close as a rental return at our shop. Really a nice vehicle.

[regfootball]

Yes, the Equinox does seem big......... good or bad depending on what u want.....

[hyperv6]

I really wonder how many people will see these and go to a Chevy dealer trying to buy one. The Vue has it's share of followers and was one of the best selling Saturns.

Because of the size being smaller is why I think the Buick Encore will do well. There are many of the HHR web site people who hate the Nox because they feel it is too big?

[Robert Hall]

It does seem like there is room for a compact CUV at Chevy below the midsize Equinox. Something more CR-V or Escape sized...(saw the new Escape up close this past weekend..pretty sharp).

[hyperv6]

It does seem like there is room for a compact CUV at Chevy below the midsize Equinox. Something more CR-V or Escape sized...(saw the new Escape up close this past weekend..pretty sharp).

I think we will see one at some point but it will be the all Captiva. Chevy is still missing a HHR replacment. A 2WD and AWD offering would do well. They just need to make it look like a truck or SUV and people will Buy.

Edited January 25, 2012 by hyperv6

[GMTruckGuy74]

I've seen three now in the Princeton (NJ) area. The silver one that I took pictures of at my employer (our field sales qualify for fleet purchasing), and two black ones (one more in a basic trim, the other in an uplevel trim with polished spoke rims) in traffic on Route 1 North. They are definitely getting out there... but no sightings at two different Chevy dealership lots.

[Drew Dowdell]

It does seem like there is room for a compact CUV at Chevy below the midsize Equinox. Something more CR-V or Escape sized...(saw the new Escape up close this past weekend..pretty sharp).

Well.. the CR-V has grown quite a bit lately. Probably too close in size to the current Equinox to be considered that much of a smaller model. Now if you were talking 2004 CR-V, that would be true.

[Robert Hall]

It does seem like there is room for a compact CUV at Chevy below the midsize Equinox. Something more CR-V or Escape sized...(saw the new Escape up close this past weekend..pretty sharp).

Well.. the CR-V has grown quite a bit lately. Probably too close in size to the current Equinox to be considered that much of a smaller model. Now if you were talking 2004 CR-V, that would be true.

Well, the current CR-V is 103/178 and the Equinox is 112.5/187, definitely a substantial size difference...the Captiva is probably about the size of the CR-V...

The new Escape is 105/178, pretty much a match for the CR-V. The 'Nox is bigger than the first 3 generations of Grand Cherokee, and almost as large as the 4th gen GC, and is larger than the Edge...

Edited January 25, 2012 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Drew Dowdell]

I stand corrected. The CR-V hasn't actually grown at all in length... it just feels like it has.

[Robert Hall]

I stand corrected. The CR-V hasn't actually grown at all in length... it just feels like it has.

It's surprising, but the new CR-V is actually shorter than the original. Doesn't look it...

[Drew Dowdell]

Doesn't feel it.

I drive Albert's '04 CR-V all the time. Sitting in the new one feels like a full size class larger.

[Robert Hall]

Doesn't feel it.

I drive Albert's '04 CR-V all the time. Sitting in the new one feels like a full size class larger.

I'm sure the weight has gone up w/ each generation also...

[ocnblu]

Maybe Albert would like a new CR-V. I'm like you, I did not realize it was no bigger than the original. I sawr one today in a parking lot. I sort of like it... if it had a real AWD system like the Jeep and Subaru, it would be even better.

[Drew Dowdell]

No more CR-Vs in this household. He is actually rather smitten with the Encore right now because it has every attribute he really wants. Good fuel economy, AWD, decent interior space but not a huge vehicle for him to wheel around. Most importantly, heated seats and a touch of luxury.

He wouldn't drive the Terrain when we had it here 2 weeks ago. To him, it might as well have been a Yukon.

[ocnblu]

Oh Lord.

[regfootball]

well don't look at a new Impreza.....hunted one down today and MY GOD are they ugly and cheap inside........

[Drew Dowdell]

Oh Lord.

What's wrong with that?

[Drew Dowdell]

well don't look at a new Impreza.....hunted one down today and MY GOD are they ugly and cheap inside........

na, he wants to "sit up high" but it can't be a big vehicle.

If it isn't the Encore, I'm going to end up having to find a cream puff Suzuki X-90

[vonVeezelsnider]

^ ^

New Escape or Focus C-MAX?

[Drew Dowdell]

Escape has some potential, but he likes the looks of the Buick. I'm not sure he has seen the new Escape.

[ocnblu]

It would be a perfect encore to the CR-V, that li'l Buick.

[daves87rs]

Gotta say....not bad with a chevy badge....

[PurdueGuy]

Don't count on this drawing in people who owned 1st/2nd gen Vues. Those I've talked to weren't terribly interested in the 3rd gen Vue, but preferred the much lighter & simpler earlier versions. Saturn mechanics I've talked to have also indicated that the 3rd gen Vues were more troublesome with the drivetrain & major components. When I was at Saturn (for about 2 weeks), the only issues that I heard of with the 2nd gen was a dash squeek that would sometimes happen with particular weather/temperature. (Though it's best to avoid the first gens with the 3.0L V6 and/or the CVT trans).

[hyperv6]

No more CR-Vs in this household. He is actually rather smitten with the Encore right now because it has every attribute he really wants. Good fuel economy, AWD, decent interior space but not a huge vehicle for him to wheel around. Most importantly, heated seats and a touch of luxury.

He wouldn't drive the Terrain when we had it here 2 weeks ago. To him, it might as well have been a Yukon.

He is not alone. It is amazing how many find the Nox and Terrain as too large. That is one very fast growing segment.

[GMTruckGuy74]

My mom owns a very well loaded 2005 Saturn VUE V6 AWD and I will admit that the interior of that thing did not age well. It is way too plasticiky for my tastes, with a very cheap feel to almost everything inside. Creaks and rattles? You betcha. Friends of ours had a 2003 4cyl/FWD VUE and they complained about the same interior issues. From what I could tell with my limited time in the 2008 models, the new ones appeared to be better in interior quality.

[thedriver]

We had one of these come in today for some warranty work. Avis owned. Just a silver Vue with Chevy badges...