Captiva Fever

After an agonizing five-year wait without a local Ford Escape or Territory rival, Holden announced its own all-new SUV entry this week called the Captiva. Even though it is sourced from Korea, it has as much local input as any Commodore prior to the latest VE series and deserves to be treated almost as seriously as the Territory. The Captiva is not only significant as an all-new Holden model, it provides a glimpse into how Ford and Holden will operate locally in the future.

The new Captiva is based on a proven GM platform with styling designed by two Australians based in Korea: Mike Simcoe, Holden's former design chief responsible for the Monaro, and Max Wolff. Apart from looking a little tall from the rear, it has Holden's sporty family look inside and out, including dual exhausts, aggressive alloy wheel styles and circular headlight elements.

It is also powered by an advanced 3.2-litre version of Holden's Alloytec V6 engine built in Port Melbourne, Australia, coupled to the latest Aisin five-speed automatic transmission, which is standard on all models.

The Captiva's suspension and chassis tuning was totally developed in Australia by Holden. This included all suspension spring rates, bushes, dampers, anti-roll bars, engine mounts, cradle bushes, power steering gear and pump valving as well as tyre tuning. Level ride suspension is standard on the seven-seater models. So good was the result that other markets including Europe and Korea have opted for the Australian suspension specification.

Holden's Australian engineers also calibrated the engine and had major input in the interiors and the overall feel of the controls. Throttle response, steering, seating, driving position, gearing and general finish including thick cloth textures and soft feel plastics reflect Australian priorities. The body shell draws on many of the VE Commodore's crash safety advances and Holden is confident that it will score a good crash safety rating for this type of vehicle.

Although exterior dimensions shadow that of the BMW X5, weight is just over 1700kg, or around 100kg less than similar Korean competitors. With the engine delivering a healthy 169kW and 297Nm, braked towing capacity is 2000kg. Holden confirmed that a diesel version will follow in 2007.

Denny Mooney, Holden's Chairman and Managing Director, was emphatic that the Captiva was not a rebadged Daewoo product but the Australian version of a global GM platform developed by Australians for Australian requirements that happens to be made in Korea. He also noted that the Captiva was the first of a new range of imported vehicles "where Holden actively participated in the process from start-up." As a result, he was confident that the new Captiva "hits a sweet spot in the local market."

When pressed on whether Holden saw the Captiva as a direct competitor for the Territory, Mooney was clear that it was an "in-between model that was as much a competitor for Toyota's RAV4 as the Territory." For sales purposes, it is classified as a medium SUV. In a similar approach to the latest generation RAV4, the Captiva is a front-drive model with a twin clutch system delivering all-wheel drive as soon as the system identifies the need for extra traction. Holden's advertising campaign does not pretend that the Captiva is an offroader with its clever 'SUV for the city' theme.

Mooney expressed some concern that Holden would be "capacity-constrained" in meeting demand for the Captiva in the short term and acknowledged that it could not deliver segment leadership when "Holden can only sell what it can get". Mooney confirmed that Holden's all-wheel drive models based on the VZ Commodore would be phased out by the end of the calendar year; the point at which Captiva supplies could be ramped up.

Holden's Captiva strategy includes the Australian specification SX five-seater, CX seven-seater and LX seven-seater which are reaching Holden dealers now. A sportier model developed for the European market called the MaXX (pictured) will follow in November.

The MaXX which looks similar to other Captivas barely shares a panel or light with the other models along with specific seats and instrument panel. Holden has also specified a more aggressive handling package for the MaXX but it comes at a cost when the faster steering ratio lifts the turning circle from 11.5 to 12.4 metres. Although all local Captivas share the same engine, the MaXX is rated at 167kW or 2kW less than the other models because of a different exhaust system. For the same reason, the Captiva's combined fuel consumption of 11.5 litres/100km rises to 11.6 for the MaXX.

Captiva SX entry pricing of $35,990 challenges many smaller, four-cylinder contenders. Holden notes that the seven-seat CX at $38,990 undercuts the mid-range five-seat Toyota RAV4 Cruiser by $1500 with the bonus of the V6 engine. Hill descent, ESP, Active Rollover Protection, traction control, ABS and all-wheel ventilated disc brakes are standard on all models.

First drive impressions reveal that the new model thrives on Australia's unmade rural roads and feels quite sophisticated on choppy bitumen. Look for our full launch report this week.