Holden Captiva 7 2011 review

A $2000 price cut is the new incentive for its seven-seater Captiva, which is updated today as part of a range overhaul with a range of improvements including full curtain airbags.

The Captiva lineup still starts with the five-seater model from $27,990, but there is a new emphasis on the family fighter as Holden finally gets serious about its SUVs.  It admits it has only one car and is being forced to straddle classes with the Captiva, but plans to do the job with two body sizes, three engines and three equipment levels.

The company has done a lot of work on the Captiva, from massaging the styling through to a complete engine overhaul. The vehicle now comes with the locally-made 3.0-litre V6 - although it's first shipped to Korea - a new 2.2-litre petrol four made in New York state, and a 2.2- litre turbodiesel made in Korea under license from VM Motori in Italy.

The engines bring fuel economy savings between three and six percent, while also giving more power and torque in each case.  There are both front and all-wheel drive models, with a manual six- speed gearbox only available in the five-seater and a new six-speed self-shifter across both bodies.

Price

Holden sharpened its price pencil by $2000 on the seven-seat Captiva 7 which now kicks off at $32,490 for the 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol model.

The pricing for the five-seat Captiva 5 remains at $27,990 for the 2.4-litre.  The Captiva 7 range starts off with the SX front-drive model at $32,990 for the 2.4 and $35,990 for the 2.2-litre diesel.  Next up is the CX all-wheel drive seven-seater at $38,490 for the 3.0-litre V6 petrol and $39,490 for the 2.2-litre diesel.

Rounding off the seven-seater range is the all-wheel drive LX at $42,490 for the V6 and $43,490 for the diesel. All Captiva 7s have an automatic transmission as standard.

The Captiva 5 front-drive fitted with the 2.4-litre petrol is $27,990, while an automatic option costs another $2000. An all-wheel drive Captiva 5 with the 2.2-litre diesel is $33,990

All models comes standard with a full suite of safety gear including electronic stability control, anti-skid brakes and six airbags including side curtain airbags.

Standard gear across all Captiva models includes 17 inch alloy wheels, airconditioning, cruise control, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, with the level of equipment rising as you move up the model tree.

Technology

The biggest technology story with the new Captiva can be found under the bonnet.  There are three substantially revised engines that offer more power and use less fuel.

The entry level engine is a 2.4-four-cylinder petrol running direct injection and variable valve timing that is made in New York State. This produces a 123kW and 230Nm and uses an average of 9.1 litres per 100km.

Next up is a 3.0-litre V6 with direct injection and variable valve timing that is produced in Melbourne and serves in some Commodore models. It replaces the old 3.2-litre unit and has a healthy 190kW but just 288Nm of torque. Fuel economy comes in at 11.3 L/100km.

The Captiva runs a substantially improved VM Motori licensed 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel that is made in South Korea. This is a common rail direct injection unit fitted with a variable geometry turbocharger for improved driveability. It uses a respectable 8.1L/100km of fuel.

Only the base petrol engine, in the Captiva 5, is available with a six-speed manual transmission.  All other engines are bolted to new GM developed six-speed automatic.

Design

Most of the work for Captiva II has gone on under the bonnet or inside the cabin.  There are some new bumpers and headlights, but the new design is not radically different. Holden steered clear of introduced the brash Chevrolet front end used overseas, opting for a more subtle design.

The Captiva 7 and Captiva 5 have different bodies and the 7 has rectangular headlights and flatter nose than the 5 which features more rounded lights.

There have been some changes to the interior, with new surfaces and the deletion of the regular handbrake which is replaced by an electronic handbrake switch.

Driving

Holden lead a drive to improve the quality of the South Korean made Captiva, which arrived in 2006.

This model is better, significantly better. Some of the plastics feel a bit cheap and things like the sliding cup-holder panel feel flimsy. Some of the electronic displays look old and a few of the instruments are basic while the bad fake ‘carbon fibre’ trim in one model is not about to fool anyone. That said, it is better than before, and it should be noted that this is a quite a cheap SUV.

Holden did a lot of work to improve the handling and it shows. No one is going to set a lap record around Phillip Island in a Captiva, but it certainly goes around corners with less fuss than before.  There is far less body roll in the corners which means the kids are far less likely to get car sick.

The base engine is a smooth unit and works well for much of the drive. It is underwhelming when you call on it to get up a hill or accelerate hard, but will do an adequate job for a base model.

There is always the V6 petrol engine although it is not a firecracker either. This engine does ok in the Commodore but always feels a bit under-done and it is the same in the Captiva.  It’s unfortunate that the 3.6-litre SIDI V6 from the Commodore wasn’t dropped in as that would have been a hoot.

The pick of the engines is the 2.2-litre diesel which has more low down pulling power than any of the petrol units. It seems best equipped to pull the Captiva, which isn’t a light car, and a full pack of kids and their gear while also promising good fuel consumption.

We only tested the automatic transmission and this is a good six-speed box that works well with the engines, unless put into Eco mode in which case it shifts early and often and becomes quite frustrating.

You can still feel some vibration come through the floor with all three engines, which detracts from the experience.

The practicality of the Captiva shouldn’t be overlooked and there is plenty of space to be used. The third row of seats are only for the little ones, but they are not bad for the class, while the ability to fold all seats, including the front passenger seat means you can carry some very long items too.