CHEVROLET CAPTIVA test drive since 2011 crossover
Chevrolet Captiva, Remuzh and Dragorzhizh
... classic champagne in the interpretation of the Russian champagne school acquired a unique flavor and character ...Vincipalopedia of the Russian Champagne School
Under the vaulted ceiling, lanterns protracted by a metal mesh are swaying, underfoot a stone floor, and the limbs tremble from dampness and cold ... prison? Prison? No, this is by no means a dungeon, but the holy of the holy Russian champagne of the house of Abrau-Durso, the very basements in which a noble drink nicknamed champagne is born from wine, yeast and clay.
The designers complemented the successful image of the crossover with stylish trifles: gills on the front wings, taken by the fog -tank mile and protection of the lower part of the black plastic body do not look with the fruits of garage tuning, but are quite organic
The fact that near Novorossiysk appeared a specific estate, eventually becoming the birthplace of Russian champagne, the merit of the eccentric aristocrat Lev Golitsyn. It was he who, at the command of Alexander II, erected the famous basements, worked out the technology for making sparkling wine ... Even by current standards, the history of the Abrau-Durso plant looks rapid: the year 1891, Prince Golitsyn, begins the construction of wine cellars, year 1898 the plant put the first batch of champagne wine to the court of his imperial majesty.
How long was the development of the Captiva crossover is not known to be reliably unknown. It can be assumed that the management of Chevrolet drove the engineers how Prince Golitsyn rushed his workers, the Americans really wanted to grab a piece of parquet pie, which Korean and Japanese automakers managed to share. But if the famous winemaker knew very well how to make good champagne, then the Korean branch of GM created a SUV for the first time. And the first circulation of Captiva did not fascinated experts ...
Remember what the previous Captiva looked like? The appearance of a prerestyled crossover can hardly be called memorable. A new car is another matter! It is only a pity that the designers did not have enough imagination or budget to update the back.
Captiva of a new crop for a car taster is much more interesting than the first option, other engines dramatically changed the character of the machine. Even from the basic crossover they no longer shy away, like from a sour cider: instead of the previous 2.4-liter gasoline engine, which issued 136 horses (220 Nm) and endowed the crossover with a phlegmatic character, a new unit of a similar volume was registered under the hood, but much more interesting 167 liters .With. and 230 nm. Plus, to the wheels, new gearboxes are delivered to the moment that the mechanics, that the machine is now 6-speed.
The most interesting thing is that when we tested 2.4-liter cars on the roads of Germany and Austria, I frankly did not like this motor. The car responded to the sharp actions by the accelerator pedal without enthusiasm, and the speed is growing, and the acceleration is slightly. Now another thing! It seems that the engineers updated the electronic brains, and Captiva went: the engine confidently spins from average revolutions to the limiter itself, the machine is in a timely manner, and heavy, almost two -ton, the car accelerates to hundreds in acceptable 11 seconds and according to the passport, and it feels like it.
The fact that Captiva has changed a lot, you notice by the reaction of the neighbors in the stream: you just have to turn on the turn signal, like a car from the neighboring row politely slows down to skip you. Drestyling machine did not enjoy such respect ...
But a 2.4-liter gasoline machine against diesel that tank champagne against the classic. What is the difference? The Russians were taught to the so-called reservoir Frolov-Bagrev, the beloved student of Golitsyn, who fanatically tried to work out the method of making champagne, which would not differ from the classical in taste, but mature much faster. And worked! In huge vessels for several weeks, the source wine and yeast roam under pressure, after which the ripened sparkle spills into bottles.
Supermarket shelves are forced by such a sparkle. Although experts believe: if you drink, then real champagne, and not a tankmarten. But the tank is cheaper, and therefore the shades of the taste of the classic drink are almost unknown to the mass consumer ... Here is a 2.4-liter crossover who is able to the future of the sales leader, noticeably cheaper than the diesel for a car that consumes heavy fuel, will have to overpay at least 65 thousand rubles. And the purchase of a diesel captive will not be bought out only by the pleasure of driving.
Go along narrow asphalt paths, which are bizarre between the vineyards, on the 184-horsepower diesel captable it turned out to be surprisingly fervently. The machine, smoothing the gear in time, confidently holds the tachometer arrow between the turboyama and the mark of 4000 rpm, when the engine begins to sour, and the power supply is always enough and everywhere. Mechanics are even more interesting. Switching the programs is simply pleasant to select the selectivity and clarity of turning on at the height, and the efforts on the lever are minimal. Therefore, we boldly summarize: a 2.2-liter diesel is the best power unit from the entire line.
That's just the machine on the mechanics has several unpleasant features. Firstly, strong vibrations are on the clutch pedal. Secondly, diesel, like most modern heavy fuel engines, differs in a rather narrow working range and requires neat handling of pedals: first, the accelerator with a gashter, we display the speed of 2000, then very smoothly release the clutch, and only then the Shevik touches smoothly. And a little sharper you will let go of the left pedal or try to move with idle stall, like a negligent student of a driving school.
In order for Captiva to hang out the rear wheel, you do not need to try hard, which only confirms once again: an all -wheel drive Chevrolet crossover, not an SUV. Another patterned plastic skirt under the front bumper
Champagne also requires skillful treatment! Do you know what a target is? This is perhaps the most difficult operation from the entire process of making sparkling wine. But let's in order: in order to make champagne in the classic method, dry wine is spilled in thick -walled bottles, flavored with special yeast and food clay. For three years the future sparkling wanders, after which there is a period of the remake for three months a bottle, turned upside down, twist in a special way so that clay and decay products of yeast gathered near a temporary cork ...
And only then a target is carried out. The neck of the bottle is frozen, the temporary cork opens and ... under pressure from six to eight atmospheres (!) Channel is no longer wine, namely, champagne flows out the sediment and the degorzher puts the muzzle seals a bottle with a traffic jam, which is fixed by a wire frenum called the muzle. They say that during this process, the bottles often explode, which is why before (before the creation of special protective caps) the faces of the masters of the diger were sophisticated by scars from fragments ...
The geographical, geological and climatic features of the town of Abrau-Durso, according to experts, make local conditions unique and in some properties more profitable than in Shampani itself
DEGORZHER at the champagne factory that the collector at the car factory, who should quickly and efficiently perform monotonous work. But the expert, evaluating what the drink was after a long-standing exposure, is akin to the test driver: he must understand how correct the finished product turned out. Not good enough? In the workshop, to eliminate defects! Oh, sorry: to add an expeditionary liqueur of a mixture of wine, sugar and cognac alcohol, which brightens up the shortcomings of the original wine. And the more liqueur, the sweeter the champagne will be.
Such a liquor for the captiva became improved sound insulation and a reconfigurated suspension. Instead of getting rid of imposing reactions and adding a bagel of sensitivity, the engineers on the contrary made the machine as smooth and comfortable as possible: other shock absorbers, silent blocks and vibrations under the springs allow you to carelessly dissect for any potholes, and new decoration materials have untied the salon from road and aerodynamic noise . And now I just do not want to demand the severity of reactions. You do not require sweet aftertaste after a sip of dry champagne?
A large bagel is more likely a feature of the character of the machine, and not the jamb of the interior. But what I would really like to change is the size of the fonts: both on the dashboard and on auxiliary displays the numbers are small
Alas, the pursuit of comfort turned into a paradox in the cabin of the top 3.0-liter car silence literally hits the ears. If you want to enjoy the roar of a V-shaped six, and instead tasteless silence, which is not capable of any liquor, like a refined sound of eight speakers of the audio system ... And others perfectly hear how a powerful Basovito motorcycle derives its 249-horsepower (for the sake of the calm of Russian taxpayers, power They stopped 9 horses) a melody. It's a shame! Or do buyers of powerful crossovers today value silence?
However, how loud the sound of the engine should be, the question is subjective, so we write down the most powerful captiva of several objective minuses. The most important lack of rate of fire. You will sink an accelerator, and the car seems to check: hey, are you sure you want this? Do you know that you will burn several extra fuel liters?. And only having received confirmation, the arrow of the tachometer begins a confident movement, so that at the very peak of acceleration to stumble, waiting until the most nimble automatic changes the transmission.
The most affordable captiva 2.4 MT is offered for 1 050,000 rubles. There are about the same all-wheel drive competitors: Nissan X-Trail 2.0 MT (141 hp) from 1 032 000 rub., Mitsubisi Outlander XL 2.0 MT (150 hp) from 1,089,000 rubles.
So was the updated Captiva? No, we will not call a millet wine of special quality, which are especially appreciated by experts updated Chevrolet. However, he did not seek to become such: the task of this car is to offer a medium -sized all -wheel drive crossover at a compact price. And this task is fulfilled, as performs its reservoir champagne: in Abrau-Durso, 14 million bottles are produced annually, and the classics are only 3 million. In the end, most inhabitants will not distinguish the classic champagne from the reservoir!
And if you are not visible, why pay more? Say, 3.0-liter Captiva in many respects, especially in terms of comfort, is at the level of the premium segment, and is much cheaper. The base 2.4-liter machine is a good option to change the usual sedan to a large all-wheel drive all-terrain vehicle. But just do not expect this crossover will become a good assistant on off -road. While the electronics thinks whether it is necessary to connect the rear wheels, you can steer. However, no one promised from albeit good, but the sparkles, the taste of Collection Vintage Brut.
Alexey Kovanov
Photo by the author and Rodion Baranov
A source: Auto.mail.ru
