The last time the Captiva was in the Philippines – between 2008 and 2015 – was as a seven-seater crossover SUV. Around that time, Chevrolet introduced a seven-seater with an MPV body called Spin. Both didn’t capture the market’s attention and spun out.
Chevrolet discontinued the Captiva in 2018, but it was a short hiatus. The nameplate returned a year later in a different guise. Knowing modern auto buyers’ penchant for high-riding vehicles, the American automaker took the trappings of a crossover SUV and combined it with the functionality of an MPV. Voila, the 2025 Chevrolet Captiva.
The 2025 model year may be an ‘all-new’ in the Philippines, but it is a facelift of the second-generation model introduced in emerging markets from South America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia five years ago. Will the Captiva be sweeter the second time around? Let’s take a look at what it offers.
Aside from the stark difference in styling, the 2025 Captiva’s body is a total departure from its predecessor. The wheelbase is 50 mm more without adding too much to its length and height, but it is narrower by a few millimeters. Ground clearance is 180 mm.
It isn’t as boxy as most MPVs, and that sloping roof is probably the last vestige of its crossover SUV body. In front is a wide, horizontal grille flanked by LED projector headlamps in the range-topping Premier and halogen projectors in the LTZ. All trim levels have LED daytime running lamps, side turn signal lamps, a high-mount stop lamp, and taillights. Also standard is a fin antenna, front and rear fog lamps, roof rails, a rear spoiler, and 18-inch alloy wheels. The spare uses steel 17s.
Inside is a typical Chevrolet cabin with lines and shapes identical to what you’ll see in the Trax, Tracker, etc. All variants have leather seats, but the Premier gets the perforated kind and is six-way power-adjustable. The second-row seats use a 60:40 split-folding system, while the third row has 50:50 split-folding seats. The vehicle had 117 liters of cargo space behind the third row and 1,709 liters behind the first row.
Cabin occupants will love that the 2025 Captiva has a 10.4-inch infotainment touchscreen, bigger than what is inside the full-size SUV Tahoe. It supports Apple Carplay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth audio streaming. The Premier has six speakers, and the LTZ has four. The panoramic sunroof, automatic climate control system, and auto-hold feature are exclusive to the Premier, but cruise control, a Start/Stop button, rear vents, and the seven-inch multi-color instrument panel are standard on both trims.
The 2025 Captiva does not come with a dashcam, but it has the next best thing – a USB port behind the rearview mirror to easily plug in an aftermarket unit. Both trims have a 12-volt outlet and USB ports (two in front and one in the second and third row).
Under the hood of the 2025 Chevrolet Captiva is a 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It sends 150-PS and 255-Nm of torque to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT). By the numbers, that is more power than rivals in the segment. If you don’t go on deep dives before taking the plunge on any model, let me tell you that the Captiva is made in China and is based on SAIC’s Baojun 530, which already has a hybrid and diesel version. With today’s diesel prices, I doubt we will see the diesel-powered unit, but I’m hoping for the hybrid soon.
For the protection of the driver and passengers, it is generous of Chevrolet to make the following standard equipment: Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control, Brake Assist, Hill Start Assist, front and rear parking sensors, and a tire pressure monitoring system. These all come on top of the basic Anti-lock Brake System and driver/front passenger/side/curtain airbags.
Nearly a year after becoming the new Chevy distributor in the Philippines, Hariphil Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) expands its six-car lineup with its first official launch and offers buyers a two-variant lineup. The Captiva LTZ 1.5T CVT is priced at P1.258 million, while the Captiva Premier 1.5T CVT is priced at P1.408 million
It took a while, but the 2025 Captiva (finally) arrives and offers the market what it hopes is a killer combo, a vehicle with crossover SUV features and MPV functionality. Will these be enough to swing buyers away from established nameplates such as the Avanza, Xpander and even new contenders like the Stargazer? We’ll let you decide.