Road Test: Holden Captiva LX Diesel

Review by Feann Torr - 18/Sept/2007

Holden doesn't have too many showroom problems these days - except for its inability to sell SUVs. Half a dozen years ago after Holden ditched the Jackaroo, there wasn't much on offer this side of the microscopic Cruz. The Adventra was developed to fill the SUV void and was a well intentioned project, but it failed to capture the imagination of Australian drivers. 

This allowed the Ford Territory SUV to romp away to success.

Fast forward to the present day and things are slowly but surely changing for Holden and General Motors. The Captiva is clawing back market share with its 5- or 7-seat configuration and 4WD setup. It does pretty much everything the Ford Territory does, but at present there is a major distinction between the two: Holden's new family SUV has a diesel model. And it's going gangbusters.

At last count, the recently launched Captiva diesel model comprised a healthy 50% of Captiva sales for Holden, which shows just how much demand there is for diesel in these types of vehicles. Ford missed the boat on this one, and now Holden is capitalising.

But is it worth driving? It's major rival, the Territory, is one of smoothest SUVs out there. It drives like a car and word of mouth has helped the Ford SUV conquer the family market. Holden's Captiva aims to deliver the same experience, only for less dollars and with more engine options.

The entry-level Ford Territory costs about $38,000, while Holden's new diesel-powered Captiva kicks off at $35,000. It's $3,000 cheaper. The V6 petrol model Captiva's start at $36,000, which is still a couple of thousand dollars less than the Ford. It sounds like a very good deal on paper, so let's take a closer look at Holden's resurgent SUV, the Captiva Diesel:

The majority of Captiva's sold in Australia will be used in the much the same way as any other SUV out there - just like a regular sedan or wagon. Drivers get a better view of the road thanks to the high riding position, and it will see active duty going to the supermarket, commuting to work, picking up the kids from school or sports, gathering up the family and heading out for a BBQ in the park, or heading up the highway to go for a surf.

In these duties the car excels. All the controls are fairly logically placed for ease of use, the automatic transmission works well with the gutsy diesel engine, and it's got plenty of storage space and numerous pockets and bins for putting items large and small. The tailgate also features separate window access, which can be opened at the push of a button for loading smaller items into the large boot.

The view out the rear isn't great, and you can't see what's going on below the rear window line and there's no reversing proximity sensors to warm you of hidden objects. That said, such shortcomings are nothing new to SUV drivers, and in general it's a very relaxed vehicle to drive once you get used to the cars expansive dimensions.

The model on test is the Captiva LX Diesel, which features niceties like 7-seats and leather upholstery, fog lights and bold 18-inch alloy wheels. It looks pretty good on the whole, with a contemporary, somewhat European front end design combined with just a touch of 4x4 ruggedness. 

The rear end styling isn't quite as appealing as the front, and it's Korean design origins are more obvious in the toy-like brake light design. There's also an adventurous lookingbash plate on the front. Sadly it's made of plastic, so it could be better termed a crumple plate. Overall though, it's a modern looking SUV that's not without character.

It sits confidently on the road with a decidedly European front end and, though designed in Korea, you can see the input that Holden's design team had with the vehicle.

Getting from A to B and doing the everyday rounds in the Captiva diesel is relatively effortless. The 5-speed automatic may be one gear shy of the Ford Territory's 6-speed auto, and not quite as quick to shift, but the 2.0-litre diesel has lots of low down torque that helps mollify the gearbox's shortcomings.

There's a tiptronic mode too, which comes in handy if you're towing or if you plan on driving up steep hills. All told the 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine manages fairly well with everyday driving, and considering it's 1779kg mass the 4-cylinder engine does a decent job propelling the vehicle forward.

However the 110kW diesel engine did show it's limitations when the car was loaded with passengers in all three rows, feeling somewhat taxed. The engine had to be revved out more than normal at such times.

The engine itself isn't the weak link here, it's more the gearbox. If left in the auto shifting 'D' mode the gearbox sometimes runs into trouble on steep inclines, as it regularly hunts for new gears each time you adjust the accelerator pedal. Thankfully the tiptronic mode saves the day in these instances.

Being a diesel, this Captiva doesn't mind towing and will haul a trailer weighing up to 750kg. If you've got a trailer with brakes, the Captiva can tow up to1700kg.

Acceleration from the 2.0-litre diesel engine is pretty good considering the Captiva is a heavy vehicle. It's got a fair amount of shunt for a basic SOHC unit and isn't as loud as you might think either. 

The cars weight does hamper performance, however. You can't always ride the wave of torque that diesels deliver so effortlessly, like you can in smaller (and lighter) diesel cars. It has to be revved hard at times to maintain momentum, and this hurts fuel economy.

On the freeway the Captiva's diesel engine ticks over at 2000rpm when cruising at 100km/h in 5th gear. Fuel consumption is pretty good for an SUV, rated at a combined 8.7 litres per 100 kilometres travelled. With a 65 litre fuel tank that's a potential cruising range of 750km per tank fill. We witnessed fuel consumption figures of around 10L/100km, but most of our driving was city and urban environments rather than highway distances.

Being a fair-sized SUV, the car doesn't feel quite as nimble as a family sedan, and because of it's tall body and soft suspension tends to lean through corners at anything over 60km/h. On the flipside, the soft suspension ensures a very supple ride in everyday driving situations, ensuring a comfortable, relaxed journey.

The brakes aren't going to win any awards but they do a solid job of decelerating the sizable Captiva, and with ABS and ESP there's not much to worry about in terms of driving safety. Interestingly, the engine braking adds quite a bit of backup for the standard disc brakes. 

The steering has a very light feel which makes navigating tight multi story carparks a cinch, but denies the driver any feedback when faced with a flurry of corners on the open road.The suspension has more of an on-road bias than an off-road one and, as such, is more suited to highways than highlands.

Featuring a part-time AWD system that operates only the front wheels (to save fuel) until they slip or spin, the Captiva is very much at home on suburban streets and cruising the highways. It has more ride height that a traditional family sedan or wagon, and together with its reactive AWD system feels safe in the wet and can navigate tame bush tracks.

The tyres are tailored for road use and provide plenty of grip, even in the wet. Yet even with its car-like tyres the Captiva isn't completely devoid of a rugged spirit. We found the vehicle to work well on fairly muddy bush tracks with the diesel happily growling away as we attempted a few steep climbs. 

But it's ride height is what hampers its off-road ability the most, rather than the tyres or the AWD system. Claimed at 200mm, the ride height isn't quite enough to see it safely over larger obstacles without underbody contact. Holden claims the Captiva has 24.4° approach and 22.2° departure angles. 

Inside the car drivers are greeted with a modern looking design, particularly the instrument cluster and centre console, with both feature green backlighting. The design is very contemporary and highlights the Holden Captiva's objective - it a modern city vehicle bereft of the agricultural stylings that used to dominate the Mitsubishi Pajero, for instance. The leather seats in this LX model were quite comfy, if a touch narrow, but with excellent headrests. Leg and shoulder room is ample up front, though long-legged second row passengers may find themselves cramped. Youngsters will have no such problems though.

The sixth and seventh seats in the third row offer very little in the way of leg room and are best suited for young children, but the design of the rear most seats has to be commended. It's an easy to use system, it's neat and tidy and makes the car a truly versatile 7-seater. Simply put,the two third row seats fold away into the floorspace when not in use, leaving a completely flat 930 litre boot to stow bags, mountain bikes and other things. 

I really warmed to the interior design. Though the Holden Captiva MaXX is the range-topper, the LX is the highest grade diesel model on offer and it's far from disappointing. The cabin is a nice place to be, with sporty instrument dials, a multi-function steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, plus one of the coolest handbrakes this side of a Honda CR-V. It's things like the handbrake design that create a point of difference for Holden's SUV.

The centre console is quite attractively styled, and is easy to use. The climate control dials are straightforward, as are the stereo controls. The trip computer isn't quite as intuitive, and did cause a few moments of frustration plus the lack of anAUX stereo input for MP3 players and iPods was a shock. It does have a  12-volt power socket. The stereo is an 8-speaker setup which provides good audio quality, and is hooked up to a 6-disc CD stacker.

The Captiva has a solid safety suite, with driving aids like ABS, 4WD and ESP to ensure that traction is rarely lost. Passive safety features include front and side curtain airbags covering all passengers, plus there's plenty of grab handles for passengers in case the driver decides to take a 'short cut' through an uneven 4WD track.

Overall: 3.5/5

It's not the powerful nor the most luxurious SUV ever designed, but it is one of the best value. We tested the $43k range-topping LX diesel Captiva here, but the diesel range starts at $35,000, which is very good value. It has a modern design, it performs well, and returns very good fuel consumption for a vehicle of this size and weight, which is one of the reasons it accounts for half of all Holden Captiva sales.

The Holden Captiva diesel may not be a class leader for standard features or engine power, but it does provide a very attractive and affordable way to get into the diesel SUV market. Does it stand up to the Ford Territory? Yes and no. Holden's diesel Captiva range smash the Ford Territory's fuel consumption figures to smithereens. But in terms of style, drivability and function, the Territory still rules the roost in this country.

I think that perhaps the engine could do with a few more herbs, and the 5-speed gearbox is far from class leading. But, overall, the Captiva diesel is a pleasant and very easy vehicle to drive. The Santa Fe diesel is a slightly better vehicle in some respects, such as it's more powerful 2.2-litre diesel engine, but again the value equation evens things out, because Hyundai's entry level diesel SUV costs $2,000 more than Holden's.

If you're looking for a practical SUV that can seat up to seven people, has all the mod cons and is easy to live with, the Holden Captiva will definitely warrant a closer inspection.