THE Chevrolet Captiva is a lot of car for a small price, there’s acres of space and seven adults can easily sit in front of and behind one another.

Storage space has also been reasonably well accounted for with a huge glove box, deep door bins, high-quality cup holders and an equally-vast centre console cubby.

The spec is high for the money, with items such as cruise control, leather seats, 18in wheels and climate control all appearing as standard. It also scored a well deserved five-stars in the safety NCAP rating.

What I found most appealing was the exterior look of the Captiva, the lines are clean and rugged enough to look imposing but not as heavy-handed as they are in one or two of the Captiva’s less good-looking competitors, the Hyundai Santa Fe and Nissan X-Trail.

On the road the Captiva looks fresh, muscular and compact for a seven-seat, four-wheel-drive soft-roader. The diesel engine is offered with a six-speed manual gearbox, and has a choice of manual or auto, both six-speed.

All LT and LTZ models come with on-demand all-wheel-drive which works very well.

In revamped form, the Captiva is a big step forward over the pre-facelift model.

The most significant improvements come in terms of refinement and power delivery.

Upgrades to the cabin insulation have made the Captiva a more relaxing place to cover miles, with much less engine noise and vibration creeping in, and the punchy motor also makes progress very easy, it’s effective at what it needs to do, and is really quite likeable because it encourages such an easy-going, laid-back driving style.

The ride quality is probably the Captiva’s strongest area dynamically.

What distinguishes the Chevrolet's ride and handling is its polish and poise.

The ride is well damped and very well controlled, considering the Captiva tips the scales at 1,970kg with a full tank of fuel.

Install a passenger in each of the seven seats and you’re looking at close to two and a half tonnes, yet even then the Captiva’s suspension retains its composure.

That’s a fine-but-deliberate achievement on GM’s behalf.

The steering is also worthy of praise, not because it oozes feel and communication but because it is well-weighted, accurate and almost entirely devoid of kickback, even on rough surfaces.

It’s the sort of steering excellence you don’t notice in normal driving.

I was also impressed with the Captiva’s brakes, not just because they featured reasonable feel but also because they hauled the car down from big speeds time after time at the test track, without fade and in short distances, even compared with the Freelander.