It may have been seven-up, but it certainly wasn’t thirsty!

Chevrolet’s Captiva cruised its way through the fifth AA/ALD Automotive MPG Marathon with a full crew of seven fully grown adults aboard, proving that an SUV can be an environmentally responsible way to travel.

Driven by respected motoring journalist Matt Joy, with a crew of six other fully grown adults, the £21,140 Captiva LT returned an impressive 42.42mpg – an increase of 5.32mpg or 14.35 per cent over the official combined figure of 37.2mpg.

Run over a gruelling 334-mile route across Hampshire, Somerset and Devon, the MPG Marathon incorporates a mixture of motorway, town and cross country driving to replicate typically challenging British driving conditions.

And with seven adults aboard, the 2.0-litre diesel Captiva’s impressive performance meant a CO₂ output of just 15.1kg per person over the entire route. With the average car on the UK’s roads emitting 164g/km of CO₂ a single person driving on their own over the same route would generate a CO₂ output of 88kg – almost six times as much.

What’s more, despite travelling in the Captiva for two full days, the crew of seven adults arrived at the MPG Marathon’s finish point – the AA’s headquarters in Basingstoke, Hants, in fine fettle.

“I’d do it again tomorrow!” said passenger Richard Sowter, “But next time, I’d take my iPod!”