THERE'S nothing like the early signs of a cold snap to make you appreciate a big and beefy car and that was just the case with the Chevrolet Captiva.

Not only did we witness our first ice-on-the-screen experience of the year, but there were plenty of heavy downpours to add to the scenario.

However, the five-door Captiva in mid-range LT trim coped admirably with all these testing conditions.

The car looks impressive from any angle thanks to its bold, athletic stance with tinted windows, double grille, roof rails, body-coloured door handles and door mirrors, sweeping light clusters, roof rails, front and rear fog lights and 17-inch alloys.

The interior is spacious and very comfortable with plenty of room for four adults to stretch out in style. In addition, there are two extra seats folded flat to the boot floor, so if necessary the Captiva can quickly and very easily be converted into a seven seater.

With all seven seats in use the storage capacity is 97 litres, but this is increased to 1,577 litres with the rear seats folded flat. Elsewhere, there's a number of handy cubby holes scattered throughout the cabin.

There are also plenty of techno treats to be explored and the driver-focused instrumentation is designed for ease of use with clear and precise dials.

Creature comforts include part-leather upholstery, dual zone climate control, a six speaker sound system, Bluetooth compatibility, cruise control, electric windows, rain sensing wipers, rear parking sensors, automatic lights and plenty more besides.

And with the on-demand all-wheel-drive you can be assured that heavy showers or the drop in temperature won't be an issue.

Powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine, the Captiva was impressive both in and around town and out on the faster country lanes and motorways. Acceleration through the automatic transmission was smooth and responsive with a constant supply of power on tap.

The driver benefits from a high seated position which results in excellent all-round visibility and comfort standards for all occupants is high.

My only slight criticisms after clocking up almost 400 miles was that the engine noise was a little loud at times and the car's windscreen was slightly prone to misting up.

But that aside, the Captiva was a pleasure to drive and as one has come to expect these days, the car is packed with a comprehensive range of safety features that have helped it achieve the maximum five starts in the Euro NCAP safety ratings.

Chevrolet has announced that it will be pulling out of Europe and that means there are some fantastic bargains to be sought out at existing dealers.

For example, this car was priced at £28,430 with options fitted but under the new pricing structure it has been reduced by £9,000 to £19,430.

And buyers will still be entitled to all their warranty and servicing plans in the future.

A Chevrolet spokesman said: "All existing Chevrolet dealers will retain their authorised repairer status, which means they'll be able to service and maintain Chevrolet cars for as long as needed. In addition, all Chevrolets can be serviced at any GM (Vauxhall) dealership, so there's plenty of national coverage.

"In terms of ongoing parts supply, the cars benefit from full GM aftersales care, meaning parts will be available for at least 10 years and beyond. All cars will come with a full three-year 60,000 mile warranty as per normal, backed up by GM globally so there is no cause for concern."