29 March 2011

The latest from Holden is the Captiva Mark II. Retailing at $43,490, the Captiva is well suited to families or couples who are going places. The car comes in both a 5 and 7-seater model, including both petrol and diesel variants.

Style & drive
The Captiva II is a surprisingly quiet (even for the diesel) and smooth ride – we drove the 6-speed auto and found it responsive, gutsy and powerful, regardless of the load; performing especially well on the open road and up hills.

We found the 'hill start assist' feature particularly handy when starting the engine half-way-up, Grand old Duke-of-York style.

The Captiva is comfortable, and to compete with others in its class comes kitted out with all the latest must-haves including cruise control, climate control, satellite navigation, a 7-inch LCD multi-function touch-screen, Bluetooth, an electric driver's seat, rear-parking sensors, a reversing camera, a trip computer and an 8-speaker stereo system with 6-CD stacker and USB input. Not bad for the money, honey.

The Holden Captiva II isn’t vastly different from the last model – the only notable differences on the exterior are a new design in the bumpers and headlights. While the Holden Captiva II remains quite a good-looking vehicle on the outside, we found the interior could be better with the dash and duco throughout a tad plastic – not so fantastic.

It’s also important to note with the 7-seater models that, not dissimilar to other comparisons, the legroom is realistically suited only to small children.

Safety
Not yet rated by ANCAP (stay tuned), the Captiva II comes with 6 airbags (front, front side and curtain), front seatbelt pretensioners, 3-point seatbelts for all occupants, ABS, EBD, brake assist, traction control and stability control.

Eco
Could be better – fuel consumption is on average 8.6 litres per 100 km with the Holden Captiva II rating only a 3.5 at www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au

3 words to describe this car:

• Well-priced
• Practical
• Nice style

What are the best things about this car?
Most definitely the price – it’s great value for money.

What are the downsides of this car?
The tacky interior lets it down.

What kind of petrol did this car use?
Unleaded and diesel.

Liked it?
I wouldn’t recommend marriage – kind of like meeting your friend’s last boyfriend; nice enough but didn’t really make a lasting impression.

If personified, who would this car be?
Again, I didn’t catch his name.

Soundtrack of choice for the Captiva Series II?
Not unlike Dexys Midnight Runners’ ‘Come on Eileen’ or Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’, the Captiva II is a one-hit wonder – I forget who sung or what year it was released…

Variants

Captiva 5 seater:

• 2.4 petrol six-speed manual 2WD: $27,990
• 2.4 petrol six-speed auto 2WD: $29,990
• 2.2 turbo diesel six-speed auto 4WD: $33,990

Captiva 7 seater:

• SX: 2.4 petrol six-speed auto 2WD: $32,490
• SX: 2.2 turbo diesel six-speed auto 2WD: $35,490
• CX: 3.0 V6 petrol six-speed auto 4WD: $38,490
• CX: 2.2 turbo diesel six-speed auto 4WD: $39,490
• LX: 3.0 V6 petrol six-speed auto 4WD: $42,490
• LX: 2.2 turbo diesel six-speed auto 4WD: $43,490