CHEVROLET claims to have created the first sports utility vehicle back in the 1930's with the iconic Suburban, a nameplate that has spanned seven decades and is still going strong Stateside today.

But while the Sub is a full-blown pick-up type station wagon ideally suited to the American lifestyle, it's a far more compact SUV that flies the flag this side of the pond.

The Captiva marked a turning point for Chevy when it was launched here at the tail end of 2006 because it fired out a signal of the brand's intention to become a mainstream player in Europe.

Since then the marque has gone from strength to strength, the Captiva remaining one of the most popular choices for its all-round capability.

Buyers now have a choice of four or front-wheel drive and five or seven seats as the Captiva continues to move up the speccing order with premium features and prices from £22,505.

And there's a simple engine choice of 2.2-litre diesel powerplants developing either 163PS or 184PS, the former offered with a six-speed manual gearbox and the larger output version having the choice of manual or auto transmission.

The tested model in mid-spec LT trim included on-demand All-Wheel-Drive and seven seats as standard, plus the stronger engine.

This is a pleasant car to drive, with reasonable economy - our 35 miles per gallon was near enough bang on the official urban figure - and adequate performance. In fact the only gripes were a quite noisy engine and a less than smooth manual gearshift.

The beauty of the Captiva though is its robust versatility and terrific amount of available space, whether it be for coping with up to seven people or finding places for oddments.

With five aboard there's enough room for all to stretch out in comfort and folding the rear seats opens up a vast flat load space.

Need to shift seven and the individual third row seats are large and comfortable, and while you need to move the middle ones forward to create sufficient legroom for adults, access is easy because the middle row folds down and tumbles at the light tug of a catch.

Standard kit even on the cheapest model is extensive and includes the likes of Bluetooth, speed sensitive power steering, folding mirrors, a six-speaker CD system with MP3, an eight-way adjustable driver's seat, two-piece glass flip tailgate, roof rails, 17-inch alloys, air-con, electric windows and a trailer wiring harness.

The latter feature is an especially important one given that the Captiva was voted Best Tow Car 2013 in the over 1,800kg category of the Caravan Club awards.